We'll meet again

Chapter 3

"I..." he paused. "I...I like you"

The shocked expression spread across my face as he continued speaking "I like you, I have for a while now. Well actually years, ever since I first saw you, there's been nothing else on my mind but you." For me, this was fake, all fake, this guy probably just wanted to win a bet or something like that. "Hey..." I jumped a little from his voice, "Yeah...?" I replied while regaining my composure. "I said, would you like to go on a date with me?" he said looking all determined, which was kind of a cute look on him. "I don't know... I guess we could try it..." I replied hesitantly while being kind of fidgety. The guy named Atlas looked like he was on cloud nine as he was all flustered and all mixed up positive emotions all building inside of him just flooded out. "REALLY?! HERE'S MY NUMBER, SO TEXT ME WHEN YOU'RE FREE!" He quickly grabbed a sheet of paper, writing down his number on it, then quickly hurried out, leaving me feeling weird. Is this what so-called "butterflies in your stomach" feel like or is it just all the coffee smell making me nauseous?

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Atlas's pov

"I can't believe he actually said yes," I thought while skipping eagerly back to my place. When I finally got to my place, I went over to the kitchen with my notebook and started planning the perfect date. My brother came into the kitchen and started peeking at my notes. "A date, with whom?" He asked while taking a seat beside me. "Someone that works at that cafe I always go to, his name is Gale" I responded, already lovestruck. I could hear a peeved sigh coming from my brother while he leaned back on the chair. "Hey, be careful about whom you date, I'm serious Atlas." my brother said, sounding like he was scolding me. "Shut up alreadyyyyy! I'm not that naive~" I said childishly, still looking down at my notebook. 'I can't believe he's still not over that shit' I thought to myself as I continued to plan out the perfect date. "I'm just worried about you Atlas, I don't want you t-" "Can you stop being so overprotective, get over it!" I said interrupting him, feeling the anger welling up inside me.

"Hey, easy now, I just want what's best for you..." he said as he placed his hand on my back, rubbing it gently back and forth, calming me down. "Sorry I lashed out," I said quietly after a while. He pulled me into a side hug, wrapping one arm around my shoulders while I leaned my head against him. "It's fine," he said, and continued "I just don't want you to get hurt again after... you know... him...". "I know, I know," I muttered.

My brother soon left to get ready for work, leaving me in solitude at the kitchen table. He works at an office, and he usually goes in pretty early but lately, he's been leaving for work later and later, it's almost 2 pm and he still hasn't left the house. 'I guess he'll be late for dinner then' I thought to myself as I doodled small figures in my notebook, while eagerly waiting for Gale to send a message.

"I'm off!" I heard my brother shout as he exited our front door, closing it harshly behind him, indicating he was in a rush. 'I wish he would stop interfering with my dating life, I get that he's worried but it's been almost three years since... him' My thoughts got interrupted by flashbacks of him, it was the first time we'd gotten into an argument, we were screaming at each other in my living room. I don't even remember what it was about, only that it ended with him rushing out of the house, slamming the door as hard as he could, leaving me crying on the floor. I was crying so hard I could barely breathe. My brother was out partying with his friends the same night, meaning I would be by myself for the rest of the night. That night was the first time a razor blade sliced across my skin.

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Gale's pov

I just finished work for today and was changing back to the clothes I wore earlier today. As I left the building, making my way home I remembered what had happened earlier with Atlas. I was still debating whether this was real, that he actually liked me, or if this was all fake and he was just playing with me. I decided to set it aside for now, not wanting to overthink the situation, 'I'll just ask my sister later,' I thought to myself as I wandered through the streets, the cold autumn breeze brushing against my skin, making me shiver.

After my 20-minute walk, which felt like an eternity because of the cold weather, I was home. "I'm home!" I announced as I entered the small apartment. Since I'm the only one able to work, this is all we can afford, it's a bit small for four people, but it works. "How was work?" my sister, Ruth, said from our living room, her voice was raspy and barely audible but I managed to make out what she was saying. "It was fine," I replied while taking off my shoes and jacket. "Good," she said while yawning. "Did you get any sleep today?" I asked while walking into the living room where my sister was. Right when I met her eyes she said "What do you think?". Her eyes looked tired with dark circles under them, her short brown hair was messy and it looked like she'd just woken up, which she obviously hadn't. I didn't answer her question, feeling foolish for even asking her, and just sat down beside her, wrapping my arms around her small, fragile body. She's been sick with insomnia for a while now, most of my salary was spent on all her medical treatment. Though, I don't mind it... I mean..., As a big sister, she would always be there for me, looking out for me when I got the flu or cooking dinner for the two of us while tutoring me for school. Even when our parents died in that car crash five years ago. It's been really hard for all of us, but especially for Ruth since she was in the car with them, she's been suffering from both insomnia and PTSD, which has been slowly draining her life, making it difficult for her to work, so instead of working she's been taking care of the twins.

I started to pull away from the hug as I remembered what had happened at work with Atlas. "So... I've been thinking about something... that happened at work today," I said, feeling a bit anxious, avoiding her eyes so she wouldn't notice, unfortunately, she did. "What is it?... and why are you so embarrassed?" She asked. "I... I got... asked out..." It sounded more like a question than a statement. "Oookaaay?" she said, encouraging me to continue. "I... it was a guy... a customer" my voice trembled, making it hard to talk. Ruth nodded in response as I continued "And... I don't know... he seems sweet and all... it's just... it seemed so fake" I said, my voice still trembling making the last part sound disappointing.

She opened her mouth, indicating she was about to say something, "I... I didn't know", "You never told me" she said, her face giving off a disappointed expression. "Told you what, what didn't I tell you?" I said, confused about what she was referring to. "You never told me you were gay", the realization hit me like a truck, 'I never told her? Did I just assume that I did? I thought everyone knew?' The thoughts rushed through my mind, "-le?", "Gale?", I snapped back to reality, "Hello, what's up with you?" she said, her face filled with concern and confusion. I just stared back at her face, trying to find words. "Are you okay?" She asked, "Yeah... I think so" I replied, sounding a bit off. I suddenly came back to my senses, and just blurted out "I'M NOT GAY!", making her almost fall over in shock. "Okaaay, take a chill-pill ma' dude," she said jokingly. "I'm not gay" I repeated, "I'm pan". "Pan, as in pansexual?" She asked. I answered her question "Yeah". She embraced me with her arms, hugging me softly. "Thank you for telling me" she then said, still hugging me. Her voice calmed me down and comforted me. I'm glad that she accepted me. I hugged her tighter in response, telling her that I was grateful. "Now that's settled, tell me about this guy! Are you interested or what?" She said excitedly, her eyes glimmering in excitement. "Well..." I began, searching for the right words. "He has brown hair, he's tall, has blue eyes," I said, fiddling with my fingers. "He's nice and all, kinda hesitant, but he still takes the first step." I said, pausing a bit before continuing, "But I'm not even sure how I feel about him though, he seems like a good guy and I don't want to come off as rude..." I said, then began muttering for myself, debating on what to do. My sister then interrupted me by saying "Hey, stop overthinking, it won't do you any good, sleep on it will ya?". I nodded in agreement as I dragged myself to my room myself to my room and immediately dumped down on my bed. "Goodnight!" I shouted. "Goodnight" I heard her say before I dosed it into sleep.

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A/n
Hi, sorry for the delay. I've been busy with school and stuff, sorry in advance. Hope you understand! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue reading. Byeee<3