Sin and Sinner

22

~Darlina's POV~

Emmett had, surprisingly enough, already been home by the time Atlas and I got back from Diya's that day. Not only that, but he'd made dinner for all of us as well.

My stomach grumbled hungrily as Atlas and I entered the apartment, greeted by the smell of hamburgers. I locked the door while Atlas made a b-line for the kitchen, probably just as hungry as me. He and Emmett were standing by the island counter when I entered after him, kicking off my shoes at the entrance of the kitchen first.

"Hey, Li." Emmett chirped, a smile forming on his face when he noticed my presence. I waved and smiled in response, curiously poking my head around his frame. "Hamburgers?" I asked, peeking up at him. He nodded and flipped the last hamburger he was cooking, setting it on the plate like the rest. "Yep. That okay?" He responded, turning off the stove.

"You know I love anything you make." I snickered, eyeing the hamburgers to see which one was the thinnest. Emmett tended to make rather thick hamburgers that I could hardly fit in my mouth, so I always made sure to get the thinnest made one.

"Nah, you just say that so I'll keep making food." He teased, chuckling as he headed to the fridge. "How'd the day go?" He asked a moment later, glancing back at Atlas and I, flicking his gaze between the two of us. I snuck a peek at Atlas only to see him shrug carelessly, causing me to bite on the inside of my cheek. "Nothing out of the norm." I answered softly, leaning against the edge of the counter.

"Everything's going good, then." Emmett hummed, turning to face us with cheese, ketchup, lettuce and a handful of other things that he set down before closing the fridge. "I'm glad." He added, giving Atlas a particularly hard pat on the back when the large man slid past to leave. "Where are you going?" He asked with a slight furrow of his brows. Atlas gestured to the pants and tight tee he was wearing. "Gonna go change. I'll be back, I'm fuckin' hungry." He told him before leaving the kitchen.

I watched him leave, and Emmett spoke almost as soon as he was out of sight. "He's not giving you trouble, is he?" He asked, seemingly worried, but I quickly shook my head. "No, no." I assured. "He and I don't really talk much or anything, but he's actually been a big help."

Surprise crossed Emmett's face, as if he hadn't actually expected Atlas to be of use. "Really? How?" He wondered, blinking curiously. I frowned at him and placed my hands on my hips, tilting my head to the side. "Atlas actually helps me with cleaning up after the animals, though he doesn't really play with them or anything." I voiced aloud, pursing my lips. "And he doesn't seem to mind going to get lunch for me, either, which I was a little surprised about."

Em lifted an eyebrow. "That's hardly doing anything, Li." He responded. I just shrugged my shoulders and scanned my gaze absentmindedly over the food he'd set on the counter. "Not when it comes to him." I pointed out, to which I was almost certain he silently agreed with me on, or at the very least I knew he couldn't argue with me about it.

While Emmett began searching through a bottom cabinet for something, I turned away. "I'm going to go freshen up and I'll be back!" I called to him over my shoulder, already on my way out of the kitchen before he could respond.

I entered my room and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. First I took off my makeup while letting the shower heat up, then hopped into the hot water and did my best to finish up a little bit quicker than usual. I didn't want the food to get too cold while I was showering, so I wrapped myself in a towel after I got out and went to find something to wear that I would be comfortable in.

After pulling on a pair of light pink shorts, I tugged a cropped white shirt over my head and pulled my blonde hair out of the back of my top, leaving the damp strands to fall down my back. With a few spritz of perfume and a swipe of deodorant over my armpits, I left my room and returned to the kitchen, happily bouncing on the tips of my toes when I saw Atlas and Emmett were assembling their hamburgers.