I let the words sit with me inside the empty living room. Atlas had gone to his room to give me some privacy, but his door opened now to reveal him dressed in cozy blue-and-gray striped PJs. He pointed to the kitchen and brought his cupped hands to his lips like he was taking a sip from a cup.
My eyes tracked him across the room until he disappeared into the kitchen. Rhett’s soft chuckling had me looking back at him.
“Does your last question have something to do with your own situation?” he teased.
My face heated, but I kept my expression schooled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The smile was still on Rhett’s lips, but he looked a bit sad too. “You don’t seem as hopeless as you did before, you know?”
“I used to look hopeless?”
He shrugged. “Not in, like, a depressed kind of way, but more like you’d resigned yourself to your lot in life and couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Something changed this year, and it’s been more apparent recently. I thought it was because you were finally free of Angelina, but maybe it’s something else entirely,” he said with a smirk.
“She’s not that bad,” I said automatically. Angelina was a hard woman created by an even harder world, but she wasn’t evil. She just did what she needed to survive.
Rhett didn’t look convinced, but he wasn’t the type of person to shit-talk anyone. “He makes you happy. I’ve seen the change ever since he came into your life.”
“He does.” I didn’t refute it this time because I didn’t want to minimize what Atlas did for me. “And I hope I make him happy too.”
Rhett smiled softly, and his hand twitched as if he wanted to reach through the phone. He was about a foot shorter than me, but he looked about ready to pull me into a bear hug.
“I’m sure you do, Hector. Don’t listen to what people say. They know jack shit. You’re the best person I know, and I’m so happy someone else finally realizes that now too.”
I wasn’t the type to get emotional over something like this. I definitely wasn’t the kind of guy to cry in another man’s arms because they voiced that they cared about me… But I guess I was doing a lot of things out of character recently.
Rhett and I said our goodbyes. He didn’t comment on my eyes that were sure to be glassy with tears and promised to text when he finalized the plans for his and Coal’s visit.
Atlas returned to the living room with two mugs. He smiled when he saw I’d ended my call.
“I was gonna drop off the hot chocolate and go, but since you’re free now…”
He came to sit beside me. It had almost become automatic for me to make space for him inside my arms so he could snuggle up close to me. Atlas was smiling as he did just that and passed me the warm mug.
“Have I mentioned just how sexy you look with those glasses on?” he commented and pressed a soft kiss to my nose.
The heat probably climbed up my cheeks, but Atlas just chuckled. He clinked his mug with mine before bringing it to his lips. He was smiling like we were sharing a secret.
I took a sip of the hot chocolate too. I didn’t usually go for something this sweet late at night, but the warmth of the drink spread through my body like a cozy hug.
It was soft and warm, and maybe that was the secret that Atlas and I shared. He made me feel like I could survive in this world even if I didn’t have to be strong all the time. That it was okay to be soft with the people I loved.
That was now two revelations that terrified me. But at the same time, it was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.
Chapter Eleven
ATLAS
I’ll see you very soon. You’re mine.
There was another note. It was the same cutesy, looped handwriting. This time, the stalker was back to his usual tricks of leaving the message on a receipt at one of my tables during a busy Sunday brunch rush.
I’d gotten a dozen of these messages before, and a part of me still thought this was some kind of sick joke someone in town was playing, but it still shook me up.
The message wasominous, and I couldn’t stop the feeling that every single one of my moves was being watched. It felt…violating.
The dining area was swarming with people, and any one of them could be the sicko who left this note. I knew I should put my smile back on and get to work, but I just couldn’t do it right now. I needed to get out of there.
I glimpsed Becca’s worried expression as I weaved through the busy room to make my escape. Mae, whowas sitting at one of my tables, called out to me too, asking if I was okay, but I couldn’t pay her any mind. I had to find someplace safe.
