Page 17 of Atlas & Miles
I blinked, trying to get my legs, arms, throat—anything, really—to work again. I was going to need more than my eyelids to be able to function like a normal human, thank you very much.
“A-Atlas.” I tripped on the word, so I cleared my throat before trying again. “You look . . .” Truthfully, no word in the English dictionary could adequately describe the beautiful vision in front of me. Atlas had floated into the room in a royal-blue wrap dress that hit mid-calf with a flowing skirt that crinkled and swayed as he moved. He’d paired the dress with black heeled boots that put him closer to eye-level with me, and his eyeshadow was bright and bold in oranges and yellows that complemented his outfit perfectly.
I swallowed hard, trying to remember why I was here.
“Miles?” he asked again.
I blinked, clearing my throat. “Sorry. I’m here for a wall repair?”
Atlas smirked at me, and my dick twitched inconveniently in my jeans. “Yes. It’s right over here.”
He led me through the open lobby toward a water cooler and small snack station that had been hidden from view by not-quite-to-scale landscaping displays that took up most of the middle of the large room. And sure enough, to the right of the countertop, at chest height, a fist-sized hole was punched through the drywall.
I turned to Atlas, my eyebrow lifting. “What the hell happened here? Did you not serve the name-brand snacks?”
Atlas cracked up, his entire body shaking, and I couldn’t help but chuckle with him. The sound of his laugh lit me up from the inside, filling me with his sunshine. Warmth I hadn’t felt anywhere but in his presence coursed through me until his laughter naturally trailed off. “Oh my god, Miles, I forgot about your sense of humor.” He snickered, holding his sides as he tried to catch his breath. “Damn, you’re hilarious.”
My face heated—no one besides him had ever thought I was funny before. I kinda liked it.
“But sadly, no. Disgruntled customer didn’t like the way we’d trimmed their hedges.”
I gaped at him, and his hand shot into the air.
“Scout’s honor! That was their legitimate complaint.”
I smiled. “I believe you, Atlas. And by the way, what are your pronouns right now?”
Atlas beamed at me. “It’s a they/them sort of day.”
I nodded. “Thanks. You look incredible, by the way.”
I could’ve sworn they blushed. “Thanks.” Atlas straightened, clearing their throat. “I mean, of course I do. I’m fabulous.” They flipped the long hair atop their head out of their eyes, and I chuckled.
“So is this your job? I thought you were in Marketing—wouldn’t an admin normally do this?”
Atlas nodded. “Typically, yes. But Janie had a family emergency come up after she put the ticket in this morning, so I’m filling in.”
“Everything okay?” I asked. I’d met Janie a few times, and she’d seemed cool.
“I think so. She had to take her cat to the vet. I got a text from her about ten minutes ago saying Sniffles will be just fine.”
I stared at them a little longer than was probably normal, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. “Um. Sniffles?”
Atlas’s eyes twinkled as their lips twitched. “That’s what she said. Er—typed.” Their smile widened. “But you’re not here for the Sniffles saga.”
I smiled. Despite my usual need to duck out of conversations at the earliest possible moment, I found myself not wanting to leave. That was weird. The smile was weird, too. “Not really—all due respect to Sniffles, of course.” I chuckled, and I was grateful they did the same. “But this should be a simple fix. I can have it patched up in an hour or two, then I’ll have to come back tomorrow and the next day to get it looking like new.”
At my words, they literally batted their eyelashes at me. So over the top. I loved it. “Lucky me.”
I laughed again, something I suspected I should come to expect in Atlas’s presence. “I’m sure I’m the lucky one.”
They sighed, their hand fluttering to their chest. “You flatter me.”
“Is it flattery if it’s true?” I asked, not expecting an answer. “Besides, you deserve it.”
Their grin sent sparks dancing in my chest.
“Okay, I’ll get to work. But before I do, do you know if you have any of this paint lying around?”
