Sin and Sinner

40

~Darlina's POV~

Emmett flopped into his bed after dinner that night, causing a small smile to form on my lips as I tugged off his shoes. He wasn't super drunk, but he had definitely gotten a little bit tipsy.

I finished tucking him into bed and set a few Tylenol on the nightstand beside the bed along with a cup of water, quietly leaving the room after I turned off the lights. When I exited Em's room, I found that Atlas was waiting in the hallway, his large frame leaned against the wall.

Startled at the sight of him just standing there, I jumped, placing a hand on my chest when I quickly realized it was just him. "You scared me." I told him in a quiet voice, not wanting to risk waking Em.

He ran through his loose hair and gave me a dry smile, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. "We need to talk about earlier, Darlina." He said after a brief moment of passing silence between us, though he sounded reluctant to say so. I almost grimaced, my heart racing in my ears as I recalled what had happened earlier today in the pool, making me flustered all over again.

But within that flustered feeling, there was also something else. I was scared, not of him of course, but of the idea that he might regret allowing that to even happen. I worried about what he might think or say about the near kiss, worried that he might go back to acting just as he had before. After all, it wasn't likely that he had feelings for me considering he hadn't even wanted to be so much as a friend to me.

So the fact that he might say that it was just a heat of the moment action, that it could never happen again, made me nervous. Too nervous to face him, I faked a yawn and hoped it was believable. "Actually, I'm really tired. Maybe we can talk about it another time?" I suggested, already slipping past him without waiting for a response.

Although I felt a bit bad, I didn't wait for a response. I just booked it to my room, locking the door so he couldn't come in.

**

It was late at night when I woke up, my mouth feeling really dry as soon as I peeled my eyes open sleepily. I frowned, pushing my hair out of my face while I squinted at the clock on the nightstand beside my bed, trying to focus on the red numbers.

The numbers read two thirty seven AM, causing me to huff in slight annoyance at the fact that I had only been asleep for a little over three hours. For a second I debated going back to sleep, but the dryness of my mouth spurred me to reluctantly peel off the blankets and slide out of bed.

I quietly exited my room and navigated my way through the pitch black cabin, as all the lights were off. When I entered the kitchen I flicked on the light, making it easier to see. Pushing up on my toes, I grabbed a cup from the cabinet with a little bit of struggle, heading to the fridge to fill it with water. Chugging the cup of water, I turned around and choked on the water as I gasped, startled at the sight of Atlas just standing there.

Coughing, I set my cup on the counter and glanced up at him. "Do you have to scare me half to death every time I turn around?" I asked exasperatedly, clearing my throat.

Atlas just chuckled as if he found it amusing that he had scared the life out of me, mirth in his deep blue eyes. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention to your surroundings." He retorted, causing an embarrassed flush to creep up my neck. I took another sip of water, peering down at the floor to avoid looking at him when I realized he was shirtless.

"So what are you doing in here?" I asked, noticing that he hadn't moved to get anything to drink or eat, so I wasn't sure what he had come in here for. He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. Then, he sighed, pinning me with his gaze. "I know what you were trying to do earlier, you know." He stated, leaning against the counter directly in front of me. "But you're sorely mistaken if you think that you can avoid me."