15-05-2021-052358It-Ends-with-Us

My hands are pressed into the counter on either side of me. He
takes a step closer and puts one of his hands over mine, brushing his
thumb across the top of it. I know he doesn’t mean for it to be
anything more than a comforting gesture, but when he touches me, it
feels like a whole lot more. A rush of warmth moves up my chest and I
immediately drop my eyes to our hands. Atlas pauses his thumb for a
second, like he feels it, too. He pulls his hand away and backs up a
step.
“Sorry,” he mutters, turning toward the refrigerator, pretending to
look for something. It’s obvious he’s trying to spare me from the
awkwardness of what just happened.
I walk back to the table and pick up my cards for the next round. A
couple of minutes later, Atlas walks over and takes the seat next to me.
Jimmy shuffles out a round of new cards to everyone. “So, Atlas. How
do you and Lily know each other?”
Atlas picks up his cards one at a time. “Lily saved my life when we
were kids,” he says, matter-of-fact. He glances over at me and winks,
and I drown in guilt for the way that wink makes me feel. Especially at
a time like this. Why is my heart doing this to me?
“Aw, that’s sweet,” Brad says. “Lily saved your life, now you’re saving
hers.”
Atlas lowers his cards and glares at Brad. “Excuse me?”
“Relax,” Brad says. “Me and Lily are tight, she knows I’m kidding.”
Brad looks at me. “Your life might be complete crap right now, Lily,
but it’ll get better. Trust me, I’ve been there.”
Darin laughs. “You’ve been beat up and pregnant and hiding out at
another man’s house?” he says to Brad.
Atlas slaps his cards on the table and pushes back in his chair.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he yells at Darin.
I reach over and squeeze his arm reassuringly. “Relax,” I say. “We
bonded before you got here. I actually don’t mind that they’re
making light of my situation. It really does make it a little less heavy.”
He runs a frustrated hand through his hair, shaking his head. “I’m
so confused,” he says. “You were alone with them for ten minutes.”
I laugh. “You can learn a lot about someone in ten minutes.” I try
to redirect the conversation. “So how do you all know each other?”