Page 34 of Atlas & Miles
I had just started when I heard the front door open and Theo call out my name.
“In here!” I shouted, likely muffled given the fact I was inside the cabinet on my back, staring up at the bottom of the porcelain bowl, my hands above me disconnecting the water supply lines beneath the old faucet with a specialized wrench. I’d already shut off the water—I’d learned long ago to make sure the waterwas turned off and the pipes were drained before me and my wrench got beneath them.
Theo stepped up to the door, and I glanced out of the cabinet to see him leaning against the doorjamb. He wore a crisp light-blue dress shirt tucked neatly into slate-blue trousers anchored by a pair of sturdy navy suspenders, looking every inch the high school English teacher he was. He was also the assistant basketball coach—perks of a small town.
I went back to what I was doing, starting to pull the first supply line free. “Hey, thanks for coming by,” he offered as the fixture came off in my hand and I started unscrewing the second one. “The damn thing was leaking, and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it.”
“No worries, man,” I replied, pulling the second supply line free and scooting out from under the sink. After setting the tubes on the floor beside me, I sat up so I could have a decent conversation with him. “Looks like it was pretty old; probably time for an upgrade, anyway.”
“That’s what I thought—though maybe I’ll keep that from Dad, since he’s the one who installed it decades ago.” His lips curved into a conspiratorial grin, and I smirked. “Anyway, I’ll get out of your way. Just wanted to let you know I was home. Holler if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
And just like that, he left, and I dove back into my work.
Theo was the closest thing I had to a friend in Gomillion. He was a year behind me in school, and we’d connected after he moved back to town after college. Our friendship was an easy one—we never got too deep, but I liked that about him. We had an unspoken agreement: I didn’t pry, and he never pushed me to talk. It worked for us.
As they normally did while I worked, my thoughts drifted. Lately, they’d been drifting to Atlas. It had only been a couple ofweeks since we’d first gotten together, since he first became my Daddy—which still sent a fluttering through my chest whenever I thought about it—and I was soaking in every minute I had with him.
I was also ignoring any potential problems we might possibly have in the future. Living in the moment and all that.
In fact, we had a date tonight.
Atlas, being the Daddy he was, had planned the whole thing. I was going to take off early today—I would once I was done here—and we were heading to Atlanta for the weekend. Beyond that, I knew basically nothing about this trip, save his instructions to bring a few nice things to wear.
I’d been to Atlanta multiple times, kink scenes and hookups and all that, but I hadn’t explored the city much. I wondered where he would take me.
Focusing back on my work, I switched out the old unit, reattached everything under the sink, and tested to ensure the new faucet was working properly, without leaks. Once everything was wiped down, I collected my things and headed out to find Theo. He was in the kitchen stirring something on the stove.
“You’re all set.”
He turned to offer me one of those friendly smiles of his. “Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver. I would’ve spent way too much time watching instructional videos trying to figure out how to do that.”
I laughed. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Theo chuckled. “Just send me a bill.”
I scoffed. “This one’s on the house.” When he opened his mouth to protest, I waved him off. “It only took twenty minutes of my time, really. Friend discount.”
His mischievous grin widened, and I felt myself smiling back. “Then thank you times ten.”
“You’re welcome. Text if you need anything else, okay?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
We waved at each other before he turned back to his cooking, then I was headed home.
***
An hour and a half later, after a shower and throwing the last few items in my weekend bag, I hopped into the passenger seat of Atlas’s car, and we were on our way.
We chatted about our days, touched base on Atlas’s pronouns—they/he tonight, which they had told me before meant either were fine but with a preference for they/them—and caught each other up on our lives since the last time we saw each other, which was this morning at my house after Atlas slept over. I’d woken them up with a blow job, and they’d returned the favor before giving me an . . .impactful. . . but short spanking to carry me through the day. They didn’t spank me every single day, but more often than not, I wanted the reminder of him emblazoned on my skin, so I asked for them frequently.
Spankings weren’t always punishments, though we played that way a lot, but my Daddy was always happy to give me what I needed.
I was half in love with them already because of that.
“So where are we going?” I asked a little over two hours later, knowing they wouldn’t tell me.
