Bruised

Chapter 1

1 Month Later

Atlas had been up for close to an hour and he simply lay there in bed, shirtless, with his gaze fixed on the ceiling. His arms tucked beneath his head, he found himself lost in the memories of that night. His chest rose and fell with every steady breath he took, but his pulse quickened when he thought about it.

The kiss was so achingly sweet that he tasted it on his lips every time he felt the ache in his chest. It was a tightening around his heart that rose to his throat and made his jaw clench. It was a gentle reminder of how persistent her soft lips felt on his. It was gliding his hands down her body, over her clothes, and engraving the outline of her body in his mind. It was how certain he knew the exact way she wanted to be kissed.

Atlas closed his eyes and breathed in deeply but that just made the images more vivid. He snapped his eyes open and resumed his staring contest with the ceiling.

Why had he said that?
He wondered as he thought back to that night.

Makenna's hands had made their way to the sides of his face. Their kiss had deepened and Atlas felt his heart rate pick up. He slowly ended the kiss and pulled away only to watch her open her eyes. The look he saw there didn't mirror his because he could clearly see the confusion written as plain as day. He watched as her eyes morphed from confusion to nothing, absolutely nothing.

Makenna pulled away from him and Atlas felt the loss of his hands on her, holding her close. She stared at him as he stared back at her.

"I-I'm sorry."

Those words were supposed to make one feel better after something bad had happened but in that very moment, they did the exact opposite.

"No, I..." Atlas swallowed and clenched his jaw hating himself for putting her in that position, "I shouldn't have done that."

She blinked and they stood there staring at each other for a moment longer. Questions filled the space between them but neither of them dared ask.

"I guess we can forget it happened then."

"I guess so."

Makenna nodded, turned around, and was gone. He watched her walk away and clenched his fists, hating that he'd said nothing he'd actually meant to say.

Atlas pushed himself out of bed not wanting to relive that moment yet again. He checked the time to find that it was five in the morning. Without wasting any time, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up and was back in his room. He slipped on a shirt and changed his bottoms before he put on his running shoes. He grabbed his phone and earphones and was out of the door in no time.

Atlas let his mind drift as he ran. He let the feeling and the music engulf him to the point where nothing else mattered more than the feeling of complete freedom. He achieved it and he wanted to remain in that state but his calves and his lungs screamed at him. He slowed to a jog and then a walk as he checked the time. He'd made good time, almost an hour.

Atlas focused on getting his breathing back to normal as he headed towards Metro Coffee. He'd been running around the blocks, so it was another ten minutes before he got there. He pulled the door open and walked in, heading inside and towards the counter. The café was almost empty because spring break had started almost a week ago. After the weekend, everyone would be back and about. He actually didn't mind the quiet, it was refreshing compared to what he was used to back home.

"Hello." He greeted the lady behind the counter,

"Hello, what can I get you?"

"Anything interesting."

She frowned and smiled,
"I'm sorry?"

"Surprise me with anything, your favourite drink maybe."

The way her cheeks coloured and the flirty look she gave him made him realize how that must have sounded.

"I like trying out something new every time." He quickly added,

The look on her face vanished, but it was subtle,
"Oh," She sounded almost disappointed, "Hmm, sure. Just grab a seat."

He gave her a curt nod and headed to the nearest table. He noticed the only customer was seated at a corner of the café with a book in his hand and his drink in front of him. He seemed to be miles away, only physically present, and Atlas envied him.

His phone dinged with a message and he took it out of his armband. He opened the message which was from his sister. Thea wanted to know where he was.

Out. Getting a drink.
He sent a quick reply and immediately saw the three floating dots.

Get me one.
He frowned when another one came in.

Please. *teary-eyed puppy dog emoji*

He sighed and went back to the counter to order a matcha bubble tea for his sister. He paid for the drinks and was out minutes later.

Atlas arrived at his apartment and locked the door behind him. He tossed his key into the bowl and went into the kitchen to find his sister in front of the refrigerator.

"Looking for some ice cream?"

Thea closed the door and turned to look at him,
"No. Why would you think that?"

He smiled and handed her the bubble tea.

"Thanks." She took it from him just as her phone dinged with a notification.

Just as he went around the kitchen island to get some snacks she'd brought, Thea went around as well and took a seat in front of the island. She picked up her phone and smiled as she typed a reply.

Atlas watched her as he sipped on his drink and made a face as he tasted it.

Yup. Never again.
He thought as he pushed the drink down his throat.

The barista had probably, intentionally, given him something disgusting.
It crossed his mind but he immediately shook the thought from his head feeling bad for thinking the worst of someone.

"Killian?" He asked Thea,

"Brianna." Thea said, "She's invited me for an early dinner."

Atlas felt the ache at the mention of Makenna's mum. He absent-mindedly nodded and took a bite of the croissant. Thea's gasp snapped him out of it and he immediately looked at her only to find her staring at him with a grin on her face.

"What have you done now?"

Thea's face fell,
"Why would you think I'm always up to something?"

Atlas shook his head,
"Nah-uh, not always. But I do know your scheming face."

Thea sighed dramatically,
"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Not in poker." He sipped on his drink and instantly regretted it,

She giggled at his obvious disgust at his drink choice. Her phone dinged again and she checked her phone.

"Oh!" She quickly got up and grabbed her things, "I have to be at work but I'll see you at dinner."

Atlas frowned,
"No, you won't because you've got a different one."

"No, I don't," She grabbed her drink and stopped to look at him, "Brianna wants you to come."

Atlas' expression changed to a horrified one,
"What?"

"She wants to meet my big brother." Thea took a sip of her drink as she headed towards the door and was soon out of view,

Atlas stood there in the middle of his kitchen having played a hundred different scenarios in the last five seconds. Thea got to the door but quickly went back to check on him. She poked her head out of the corner to catch the look. He didn't seem completely freaked out which was when she knew she'd done the right thing.

"Don't even try to back out because I know you well enough." Atlas' gaze found her and she smiled, "You want to be there and we both know it."

Atlas blinked without saying anything and she pulled back and headed out of his apartment.