Page 35 of Atlas
“I thought it was heading that way, yeah.”
“I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you,” she says, placing her cup down. “Love can be brutal.”
“Lucky for me, I’ve had your sister around to distract me, and she doesn’t do sympathy in any shape or form.”
Rue laughs. “Yeah, emotions aren’t one of her strong points.”
“I’m glad about that. And it’s worked because I feel much better already.” I hold eye contact for a second longer than needed. “I’m over her.”
She arches a brow. “How long were you . . . not a thing for?”
I shrug. “A few months.”
“How many exactly?”
I take a sip of the coffee. “Almost a year . . . maybe.”
Her eyes widen. “A year. That’s a relationship.”
I give a humourless laugh. “Some would agree.”
“Wait, you stuck around for an entire year and she broke up with you?”
“She didn’t break up with me. Technically, it was never a thing.”
She slumps back in her chair and pushes her glasses farther up her nose again. “Wow.”
“See, now, I feel like you’re judging me,” I say, my tone teasing. “Like you’re wondering what I did to scare her away.”
She smirks, shrugging. “Did you do anything?”
I think on her words. “I don’t think so.”
“Um, that usually means you did do something, but you don’t want to say.”
I laugh, letting the smile fade as I think over how things were between the two of us. “I love too hard,” I admit, suddenly feeling like I need to be honest with her and give her a chance to see the real me so she can run now. “I care too much. And I let myself fall too hard. I’m an all-in kind of guy.”
I catch her expression soften. “That doesn’t sound like something a woman would run away from.”
I huff out a small laugh. “They do if they’re scared of love.”
Rue
He loves too hard. He’s an all-in kind of guy. What the hell is wrong with his ex? This guy is every woman’s dream, surely.
I mean, he’s easy on the eye with broad shoulders and tattoos begging me to trace with my fingers. He’s got a mean, angry kind of scowl which sits permanently on his face, but for some reason, it doesn’t scare me, it intrigues me. His eyes are dark green, and they’re forever darting around like he can’t truly relax . . . like he’s looking for danger. It makes me wonder what he’s seen, what he’s looking out for.
“Anyway,” he says, resting his elbows on his knees and staring me in the eye. “What about your past relationships.”
I give a nervous laugh. “I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that you should never talk about exes on a first date.” The words tumble out before I realise what I’ve said, and Atlas gives me a wide grin.
“A date?”
“I mean . . . not a date . . . it’s a—”
“No, no, you can’t take it back now. You said it was our first date.”
“Oh God,” I mutter, burying my burning face in my hands. “I want the ground to swallow me whole.”
