𝓗𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓜𝓮

Chapter 9

𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙰𝙵𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝟹𝟻 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙴𝙴 𝙼𝙴
*:･ﾟ✧*:༶•┈┈୨ ☆ ୧┈┈•༶ *:✧*:･ﾟ

I took in a sharp breath when consciousness slowly drifted back to me, feeling my heavy limbs ache from exhaustion before I was even fully conscious. Groaning as I stretched one leg straight then the other before my eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dimness of the room as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings.

I sighed and was about to push my face into the pillows like I always do, taking a moment to remember who the hell I even am, but I couldn't. The pillow I was sleeping on felt weird, rough. And then, as my senses began to awaken, I became aware of the warmth beneath me, heartbeats, the steady rise and fall of a chest beneath my head. Panic surged through me as I realized that I wasn't alone – I was lying on someone's chest.

My heart jumped in my chest, pounding a little faster as my eyes widened, my fight or flight instincts activating. I stilled in place, my breathing turning heavier as I sensed body heat radiating against my hand – my hand was resting on their shoulder while their hand... his hand was around my back.

Fuck.

I blinked twice, taking a deep breath before slowly looking up without lifting my head, my eyes meeting Atlas's blue ones, clear and obviously awake. Very awake because this motherfucker just smiled at me.

"You slept alright?" The moment he spoke, I took in a sharp breath, becoming fully aware of what's happening, and pushed off of his chest, rolling to the opposite side of the bed and gasped when I didn't find any space to go, about to fall face on the ground before his arm around my back pulled me back to where I was, crushing me to him. His grin widened as he held me close, his grip surprisingly strong despite the relaxed demeanor he portrayed, "easy, amor."

My heart raced more, like it was trying to jump out of my chest, it made my instincts kick in without meaning to, curling my fingers into a fist before swinging it, punching Atlas right in the throat. His eyes widened in shock as he let out a strangled gasp as I pushed against his chest and scrambled out of bed, my heart pounding in my chest as I put as much distance between us as possible.

I saw his hand instinctively flying to his throat, wheezing and coughing as he sat straight on the bed. Breathing heavily, I watched as Atlas struggled to regain his composure, his face contorted in pain as he clutched at his throat. I let out a long exhale, running a hand through my hair and looking away. What the hell just happened?

"Piece of advice," Atlas coughed, rubbing the front of his neck, "when you get a boyfriend, if you get one, please, don't wake him up like this. He'll break up with you."

"One, you were awake and didn't pry me off for some reason," I gritted my teeth at the bored look he gave me, "and two, this incident won't happen with my boyfriend because he won't happen to be you."

I frowned when he rolled his eyes at me, resting his back against the headboard, careful not to move his broken arm, "it'd be your loss. Do you know how many girls were lucky to have what you're rejecting right now? I've lost count."

"I'd rather sleep on a bed of nails than sleep next to you again," I crossed my arms, "and girls who are so easily won by a pleasing smile and absolutely nothing more are stupid not lucky."

"So you find my smile pleasing?" He raised an eyebrow, a grin forming when I inhaled a deep breath in annoyance.

"I find your opinion of yourself so high that your head will carry you away and bump into the ceiling," I fired back, ignoring how my heartbeats still didn't slow, how I could still sense the feel of his hand on me, "what the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you just yell at me to not speak to you last night? And then we wake up like—"