“What?”
“Grey. He’s my best friend. You come in and take all your time. I mean his. Time, his time. You take all of it,” he stumbles over his words.
“Atlas—”
“Everything is changing. Nothing’s the same. All of you all keep on keeping on.” He spins toward me. “Where does that leave me, huh?” He takes a sip of his drink. “With no one.”
I walk toward him but then I hear our door open. Grey freezes, watching Atlas. “Hey. What’s going on?” His attention is on his friend who is swaying.
“Oh!” Atlas snorts. “You can see me after all.” He sips. “Thought I was visible for a sec.”
“You mean invisible?” I whisper.
“Shut up,” Atlas hiccups.
“Hey!” Grey snaps. “Don’t talk to him like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, your highness.” Atlas bows, stumbling forward, and Grey catches him around the waist.
Grey shakes his head. “You’re drunk. Go in your room and sleep it off.”
“Okay, Daddy.” He snorts, smoothing his hand across Grey’s stomach. It makes me squirm. I don’t like this feeling at all.
Grey grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him back, watching him closely. “I don’t have time for your bratty bullshit right now.”
“Well ha, and wow. You’ve never got time, Daddy Grey. Always Felix time. Never Atlas time. I’m sick of it!” He slashes the air. Grey ducks, narrowly missing his flailing hand.
“Okay.” Grey smirks. “Come on. Back to bed we go. Wehave a fitting tomorrow and Oli will kick your ass if you throw up on your tuxedo.” He looks back to me. “Just going to get him into bed.” He kisses me between the eyes, and I see Atlas’s narrow.
“Where the fuck is my forehead smooch?”
Grey barks out a laugh, giving him one too. “You’re acting like a child, you know that? Like a toddler denied snack time.”
“Then give me a snack, Daddy.” Atlas winks then hiccups.
Grey grabs him by the back of his neck, steering him into his room. “I’ll be right back.” He disappears into the room with Atlas. I don’t understand. He doesn’t act like this with anyone else. Maybe I just don’t know him. But Andre just joined their group and Atlas is nice to him. He was even nice to that Knox guy, and they’re on rival teams. It doesn’t make sense. What would make him?—”
It clicks like a cog snapping into place.
Holy shit.
Does Grey not realize it?
It makes sense, doesn’t it? Why else would Atlas be like this? Mosquitoes are starting to eat me alive, so I go inside to wait for Grey, unease clenching my stomach. This is crazy. Should I say something or let it go? When I step into the room I hear a knock. I walk to the door, looking out the peephole, seeing Andre. I open it. “Hey.”
His long hair is pulled up into a bun. I notice now the sides are shaved, and it looks really good. “Hey, just wanted to remind Grey fittings are at eleven. He can go meet Oli down at our room. I’m going to have breakfast with Vanessa first. Where is he?”
“He’s dealing with Atlas. He’s drunk.” Andre curses under his breath. “He seemed... upset.” Andre eyes me. “And I mean, what’s weird is, he seems to be mad at me specifically, even though I don’t know him.” It’s there, the flicker in hiseyes that confirms everything for me. “He’s in love with him, isn’t he?”
Andre shifts uncomfortably, all but confirming it. “It’s messy, okay? And complicated.”
“Does Grey know?”
Andre barks out a laugh. “Hell no. Your boy is oblivious. Unfortunately, Atlas needs to face this.”
“He hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. Atlas doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. Jealous and bitchy? Absolutely. But he doesn’t hate you.” Andre’s throat works. “I have a feeling Atlas hates himself more than anything.”
