Page 9 of Atlas

made and the bowl of fresh fruit. I grab three sausage egg and cheese sandwiches and make a bowl of fruit and a bottle of water, I pop a squat at the island and tuck in.

“So you got a chick stashed away somewhere?” Aryan asks.

I almost choke on the bite I just took, Aryan is too close to the truth.

“Oh must be, he didn’t even try to deny it,” Anson says.

“You guys sit around this kitchen like some fucked up testosterone-filled version of the

Golden Girls and just flapping your damn gums, ain’t there some other shit you guys could be doing?”

“Nope”, they all say at the same time looking at me deadpan.

“I hate all of you,” I grumble as they laugh at me.

“So for real, who is she?” Aryan asks.

” I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

“Hmm, maybe we’ll follow you so we can meet her,” Jabarri says, “It should be easy to track your phone.”

“I mean you can, and when you do, be prepared for the repercussions, since when do we get into each other’s private lives?”

“When you started sneaking around,” Asher says.

“Listen, don't get fucked up trying to be nosey, leave the shit alone,” I tell him.

“ I don’t know what the big deal is Atlas,” Jassiel says.

“The big deal is he said to leave him the fuck alone, so leave him the fuck alone it’s none of y’all god damned business,” Joseph, who is usually pretty quiet and reserved, walks in like a pissed-off bear and says. It's dead silence in the kitchen after that statement as we all revert back to little boys.

“Thanks Joseph,” I say.

He just grunts as he snatches a sandwich off the platter. He takes the rest of the bowl of fruit to eat by himself.

As soon as he sits at the island, “who pissed in your cheerios?” Jabari asks him. And once again everything is back to normal with everyone laughing including Joseph.

“Fuck off Jabarri,” Joseph says, and before he can respond the door slams open as a little menace walks in.

“Uncle Seph! Uncle Atlas!” she runs over to get swept up in bear hugs from both of us.

“What are you doing here Skai?” Joseph asks.

“I came for a long-overdue spa day, some shopping and some food,” she says while taking the sandwich right out of Joseph’s hands and biting into it. “Hmmm she moans, Uncle Jaasiel you really are a genius in the kitchen, she says around a mouthful of sandwich.

“Thank you Skai,'' he says with a chuckle.

“I don’t know where you put all the food you eat,” Aryan says looking at her. At five feet one inch and just barely one hundred and ten pounds she was the epitome of petite but eats like a starting linebacker.

“Right here,” she says as she pats her nonexistent stomach.

As she finishes the stolen sandwich I ask her “does your mother know you’re here?”

“Nope, I will text her in a minute and let her know I’m out here.”

“Why don’t you just go back to their wing and let her know?” Anson asks.

“And what, lose an eye Uncle Anson?” She asks. “Ain't no telling what I’m liable to find on the other side of that door, it’s a no for me love. I will send her this text and let her come on out here to me thank you very much.”

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