Maybe one day, they’d kiss too. At least once.
Chapter 25
Atlas
ItwasearlyDecemberas we all stood in Ryder’s bedroom while he packed up the last of his things. I was going to fucking miss him, but he deserved happiness, especially after everything he’d gone through with losing his sister and all.
“Are you sure you want to move in with these men so quickly?” Emma asked as she helped him tape up a box of his things. She was always watching over us, being the ‘mom’ of all of us roommates.
“Definitely. Yeah, it all happened fast, but I love them. They healed me in ways you can’t even imagine.”
I could completely imagine. Hugh and Linden have been amazing at making me like myself more, or at least accepting myself more. And I knew they wouldn’t lie to me when they told me they found me beautiful.
“Okay, if you’re sure. We’re going to miss you around here.”
Ryder gathered Emma into his arms and gave her a fierce hug. “I’m going to miss y’all, too.”
“Especially me!” I yelled out and fell onto his mattress with a big stretch.
He snorted a laugh. “Yes, especially you, At.”
Luna punched away on her phone, her thumbs rapidly moving over the smooth surface. “I’m texting you some links, Rye. They’ll include some meditation techniques and music. Use them when you sense that grief coming on again.”
“Thanks, I will.”
He taped up the last box and looked around. “Wow, I have so little to show for living here for over a year.”
Emma scanned the room and nodded. “Very sparse. I hope when you move into the other house, you put a piece of yourself in it and don’t make your space look so temporary.”
“That’s what I want. For the longest time, Ifeltso temporary, you know? Like I didn’t know if I was going to stay in the city, move on to somewhere else, or eventually go back home. Running from grief clearly wasn’t the way to go.”
“You did what you could to get through it, Rye,” Luna said. “There’s no wrong way to grieve.”
He looked down at me with a sad smile on his face and his arms spread wide. “Come here.” When I stood, he gathered everyone into a group hug. “Stay in touch.”
“The same goes for you,” I said.
A knock sounded behind us. We all turned our heads to find Knox and Finn ready to help Ryder move into Knox’s home.
“Ready?” Knox asked.
“I am.” Ryder hefted a backpack onto his shoulder and looked back at us as he stood in the doorway. “If there’s anything you need, you all know where to find me. I’ll always be around for you.”
“Bye,” I said, now feeling sad. He was the sweetest man I’d ever met. I hoped our friendship could continue.
After Ryder left, I distracted myself by doing some art. It wasn’t only to distract from losing a roommate, but Hugh and Linden were out of town at some convention for a few days, so I wouldn’t be able to see them. It felt weird because ever since I started working at Cross Corp, I’d seen them every day, whether at work or on weekends.
Christmas was in three weeks, so I wanted to make something for them.
I’d already sketched out what I wanted on two separate sheets of watercolor paper. One sketch had Hugh sitting in a cushioned chair, his leg over a knee, and his hand tucked under his chin, as he stared out the window. I’d taken a candid photo of him when he hadn’t been looking. The lighting had been perfect, and he appeared so reflective.
The other sketch was of Linden, leaning against the fence overlooking Great Falls. It was from the pictures we took on our date back in October. It was of his profile, and he looked so beautiful as he stared out at the flowing water.
When I finished, they would both be in watercolor, in my sketchy abstract way, since they both loved that style of art on the walls in my old bedroom.
What else do you get two men who have all they need? I hoped they liked the art.
After I mixed the watercolors in hues of purple, pink, teal, and yellow, I started on Hugh’s portrait and poured all my love into the piece.
