Atlas found the drawer with his underwear, and I grabbed mine as well. It wasn’t until days after the fact that I realized Atlas had moved some of his things in here. Him being in my safe place had just felt natural.
I slid my boxers on, content with sleeping in my underwear. Atlas was more meticulous about his PJs. He’d already had his briefs and PJ pants on when I turned to help him with the shirt. Tonight, he’d chosen a simple blue silk set that felt divine against my skin. I swore Atlas’ closet was nothing but PJ sets with how many different ones I’d seen him wear.
I slowly helped Atlas button up his PJ shirt. His arms found their way around my neck again, and he was watching me with this soft look in his eyes.
He pecked my lips when I’d finished the last button.
“Your reward,” he teased.
I pulled him in for a deeper kiss as we tumbled onto the bed, laughing and holding each other.
I was sure we were both too tired to do much more than kiss. We faced each other, arms wrapped tightly around the other, our legs tangled. Atlas’ eyes were drooping, but I didn’t think either of us wanted to sleep just yet.
We stayed up chatting quietly under the covers about stuff of no importance, but it was important in the moment. It was us living in this space together and cherishing each precious second.
And as the moon rose high in the sky and neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer, I had the thought thatthiswas exactly what had been missing in my life. I thought I would be okay living out the rest of my days alone, but that all changed the moment Atlas walked into my diner.
Now I needed the slow nights where we reveled in each other’s company. To fall asleep with Atlas curled in my arms? It was more than anything I could have asked for.
Chapter Nineteen
HECTOR
“Do you remember what he looks like? I was thinking we could bring in a composite artist from the city to get a sketch of this guy out there,” Clay said. It was The Diner’s official day off, so he’d dropped by to discuss the case with Atlas.
Atlas frowned, looking lost in thought. I slipped my hand into his for support. He was the only one who had gotten a clear view of the stalker’s face, but I worried recalling it would bring up bad memories for him.
“We can do this another time if it’s too hard,” I suggested.
Atlas shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I’m fine.” I squeezed his hand, and he looked at me and repeated, “I’m fine. Really. I’m just trying to remember his face or some distinguishable mark that could identify him, and well, it’s…” He shrugged a defeated shoulder. “It’s all a little blurry right now. If I saw him, I would recognize him, but to try to describe him… All I can say is that he has normal brown eyes, ordinary brown hair, and an average nose and mouth. He was wearing a hat and the same gray hoodie Arnold mentioned, so maybe that’s his preferred outfit?”
“And he’s not anyone you recognize from town?”
Atlas shook his head.
Clay took out his notepad and scribbled on it. He flipped the pages, read something, then frowned. “It looks like we still don’t have much on the guy. The lighter gun came back from forensics, and they couldn’t pull any fingerprints off it. You said he was wearing gloves?” Atlas nodded. “The gun was wiped clean before that. It seems this guy has some knowledge of what he’s doing.”
Atlas’ shoulders slumped. “If only I’d gotten a better look at him, maybe we would have gotten a sketch of him by now and at least know what he looks like.”
I wrapped an arm around him. “It’s alright, love. The important thing is that youdoknow what he looks like and can point him out the next time you see him.”
“I wish I could show you guys his face too…”
“Don’t think about it. It’s not your fault if you can’t describe him. We’ll just have to be extra vigilant and…”
My words were cut off when Atlas suddenly shot to his feet. “Jordan!”
Clay and I shared a confused look. “Love, what about Jordan?”
His green eyes were shining like a field coveredin dew. They were full of excitement. “Jordan was filming! He was filming Wren during the hot dog–eating contest, and Wren was sitting right next to me!”
“You think the stalker was there? During the contest?”
“Yes! I know he was!” Atlas practically yelled, excitement flowing off him in waves. “I kept feeling like someone was watching me. Not in the way the audience viewed us, but like their eyes were burning into my back. It had to be him.”
I stroked the back of his hand. The stalker had been so close the entire time, and I hadn’t even known. “Let’s see if Jordan can get down here with the video now.”
“Already on it.”
