Taste of Iron

Twelve: Best Ribs In Town

Twelve: Best Ribs In Town

Emil turned out to be a lot smarter than Atlas had initially assumed. Instead of letting Atlas take the lead, he was working alongside him to solve the games and puzzles in the escape rooms. He was quick witted, and very observant of the surroundings, sometimes even catching clues that the chef seemed to miss.

"I think we should go through the hallway," Emil said as they looked at the two routes in front of them. This was the fourth escape room they were trying out. They could either move further by climbing up a ladder and crawling through the attic, or passing through a rather tunnel-like hallway.

"It's kinda narrow, don't you think?" Atlas muttered. "But I believe this is the way to go too. I have a feeling the attic is a diversion."

"Want me to go first?" Emil asked.

"Nah, follow me."

"Happy to do that!" Emil exclaimed with a nod. Atlas huffed as he stepped into the hallway.

The lighting inside was dim, and they had to walk sideways to get through it.

"Atlas?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you have agreed to go out with me if we had met under different circumstances?" Emil questioned, catching Atlas completely off-guard as he stopped in his tracks, causing Emil's arm to bump into his.

"You mean if you hadn't broken into my apartment?" Atlas clarified. Emil hummed in agreement, making Atlas frown as he sighed deeply before continuing to shimmy through the hallway. "I've never thought of that, so I can't really say for sure. If I met you for the first time as the new owner of the restaurant then I still would've kept my distance, I think."

"Why?"

"You know how the saying goes," Atlas mumbled. "Don't shit where you eat."

"I see." Emil stayed silent for a few seconds, and Atlas could feel the shift in the air. Just as they were almost at the end and could see the way out, Emil grabbed Atlas's arm to stop him, making him turn around rather awkwardly so that he was facing the brunette.

"Huh?"

"I—" Emil paused, taking in the surprise on Atlas's face and the slightly widened eyes and parted lips. He could feel the other man's breath, only a few inches between them as the dark golden light made the chef's features look all the more delicate.

"You what?" Atlas whispered.

All of a sudden, it was as if Emil had completely forgotten what he was going to say. Being so close to Atlas had made his mind go blank, and all he wanted to do was kiss him. On cue, his gaze shifted downwards to Atlas's lips. His soft, pink, and really kissable lips.

But it wasn't the right time. He knew Atlas would push him away, and then he would ruin any chances of ever winning over the blue-haired man. He had to be patient, even though it was killing him to stay away. Emil pulled in every ounce of self control that he had, before smiling at Atlas.

"I wanted to thank you for agreeing to come with me today," Emil stated. "I had a lot of fun."

"You could've waited till we were outside to say that," Atlas mumbled. "But, uh, but I had a nice time too."

"Yeah?" Emil grinned. "Can we do this again? Not just escape rooms, I mean. There are a few more places that I want to try out with you. I have a whole list saved on my phone! I can show it to you if you—"

"Let's get out of here first," Atlas sighed as he shook his head, before turning around and continuing out of the hallway.

After that, both the men decided to call it a day. Atlas was ready to head home and have an early night, and he thought they were on the way to his apartment when he got in the car with Emil, but as it turned out, the crime boss had other plans.