fuck," Atlas cuts him off, and then resolutely ignores him for the rest of the afternoon, no matter how badly Gabe wants the fight.
We study until the dining hall opens for dinner, the table falling into a tense sort of quiet while we all cram as much knowledge into our skulls as possible.
Sawyer, Felix, and Gabe leave to go to football practice together. I notice how much calmer and less stressed out Sage is about hanging around Felix now and I give her a raised eyebrow about it as we head to dinner together.
She glances at Atlas and then murmurs, “I told him I just wanted to hang out as friends… for now. He hasn’t pushed the subject and— I mean— it’s been nice to have him back. I’m still positive he’s going to find his Central and leave me but… well, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to enjoy the time until then.”
I tuck my arm into hers again and whisper back, “You absolutely should. Why should you be alone forever if Riley has made his decision? He doesn’t own you, Sage. You can do what you want.”
She shrugs at me with a little smile, glancing over at Atlas who is very kindly pretending he can’t hear a thing we’re saying and has no interest in what we’re gossiping about. I’ve vented out my anger about Sage’s Bond situation to him before, just general shit and none of the personal details she’s trusted me with, so I’m sure he’s got a pretty good idea of what’s going on.
We eat dinner together, a very dry and flavorless lasagne, which Sage gives up on two bites in thanks to the luxury of having a car, money, and access to a fridge at home. Atlas eats all of his but doesn’t look happy about it.
I choke the entire plate down and try not to be pissed off all over again and my lack of options.
Sage hugs me before she heads home for the day, leaving Atlas and I alone together for the first time since he opened my bedroom door to find Gabe heading our way this morning.
I’m suddenly completely unsure of what to do.
Atlas grabs my hand again and gives it a squeeze. “I’ll walk you back up to your room, Oli, unless you want to head somewhere else first?”
I shake my head and try not to look like I’m completely shitting myself, which, to be fair, I absolutely am. This is why I’ve kept everyone else at an arm’s length… okay, not really, because the Draven brothers have been the ones to put distance between themselves and me. Gabe is an anomaly because I think he’s both desperate to bridge the gap between us, but also completely unwilling to let go of the damage my supposed abandonment did to him. Then there’s the small fact that not only does Gryphon sleep in my bed every night now, but I’m also wearing his hoodie right now and just wallowing in his scent like it’s a drug I’ll die without.
My legs move on autopilot while I try to figure out what the fuck I’m going to say to him, what explanation I can possibly give him for not being able to do anything with him, no matter how much I like him.
The moment we get to the dorms, my skin starts to crawl at the eyes that follow us both the entire way up to my room. News has clearly gotten around that Atlas is the last of my Bonds, come from the other side of the country to be here with his defective Central Bond, and the attention we’re getting is enough to get my back up in a big way.
I fucking hate this place.
I usher Atlas into my room without thinking, desperate to get out of sight of the entire freaking building. I flick the lock and throw my bag down onto the bed, wincing at the fact that I didn’t make it this morning and it looks messy.
I also don’t want to admit that I don’t like to make it because I can still see the indent in the shitty mattress of where Gryphon slept, which is very pathetic, stupid, and a little too heartsick for what I’m trying to project here.
It’s clear I’ve forgotten how bleak the room really is because it takes me a second to realize why Atlas’ lip curls as he looks around the room. “How the fuck did I not notice how