Broken

Chapter 27

Makenna caught a movement in her periphery and she turned her head when the figure got closer, shifting her gaze from the view outside the window to the person taking a seat at her table. He sat without taking his eyes off her and then slid one of the drinks he had towards her. Although she had the urge to glance at the drink he pushed towards her and back at him with a 'are you kidding me' look. But she didn't take her eyes off his as she waited to see what he'd do next.

"Airpods." Atlas mouthed,

Makenna's gaze dropped from his eyes to his mouth to figure out what he was saying but once her eyes landed on his lips, she forgot for a second why she was looking at them in the first place and then she felt a kick in her gut when his lips turned up at the corner. She instantly shifted her gaze back to meet his, seeing the humour in his eyes before he reached up and with his forefinger tapped on his ear twice.

She let out a slow breath before she reached up and took out her airpods, all the while keeping her eyes locked with his.

Atlas gestured to her drink,
"Your drink."

Makenna glanced at the drink in front of her then before looking back at him. Her gaze shifted to Alfie who looked at her from the counter where he worked. The smile on his face was enough to figure out that it was her drink.

She shifted her gaze to Atlas,
"I'm perfectly capable of getting my drink."

"That's funny," Atlas said, "That doesn't sound like a 'thank you'."

"What's funny is that you expected one."

Atlas' brow quirked up in an unconscious response and Makenna raised hers in return. Atlas almost smiled at her but kept it hidden. Makenna was already thinking of ways she could pay him for her drinks without having to have him turn her down. She knew she couldn't exactly hand him the money or better yet drop it on the table in front of him as she left the café.

"Well in that case, that would make you a rude date."

That snapped Makenna out of her head,
"Excuse me?"

Atlas smiled at her then, glad to have been able to get a reaction out of her as he lifted his cup to his lips and took a quiet sip.

Makenna hated seeing the smug look on his face and she wanted to yell 'this is not a date' but took a deep breath in,
"I didn't think you were the kind of guy who'd need to catch a girl in a vulnerable position before he got himself a date."

Atlas' smile slowly fell and Makenna could help but smile to herself then.
Guys and their egos.

"You're hardly vulnerable."

"I'm glad we're on the same page." Makenna picked up her drink and took a sip while Atlas watched her every move.

"Do I dare bring up last night?" Atlas tapped on his cup with his forefinger as he studied her closely,

"You kiss and tell?" Makenna smiled, "I'd love to hear all about the misfortunate girl you spent the night with but I really don't want to hear about you."

Makenna was starting to infuriate Atlas but he kept a cool and calm expression because he knew she was the kind of person who'd thrive on getting a reaction out of people.

"I'm a gentleman, I don't kiss and tell."

"See, that is news." She lifted her cup for a sip,

"Makenna, I'm talking about our discussion at the party."

Makenna almost choked when he said her full name but kept the cup to her mouth to mask her reaction to him calling her by her full name.

Where had he even heard it from? No one called her by her full name, not even Killian.

"First, it's Mac," She put her cup back on the table, "No one calls me Makenna. And second, I don't recall any discussion."

Atlas searched her face to see if she was joking with him but caught the smile forming on her lips.

"It was more I was talking and you were listening."

"Can you go a second without retaliating to everything I say?"

Makenna clenched her jaw. There was something about the way he said that with his accent that got to her. Atlas watched her, surprised she'd gone quiet for a moment.

"Not exactly."

Atlas chuckled,
"To think you almost went a minute without attacking me."

Makenna drummed her fingertips on the table and watched him watch her. The stretched silence between them was getting to her and she didn't like it. His clear ocean-blue eyes looked right at her like he was staring at her darkened soul, she felt like a spider was crawling up her body and looked away immediately, shifting her gaze to Alfie, then out the window.

Atlas took a sip of his drink which he hadn't yet rated the taste of. But he liked it. It wasn't too sweet and there was a bitter aftertaste that lingered which he quite liked.

"You didn't mean it when you said you'd go after Thea, did you?"

Makenna looked back at him when he started talking,
"I didn't say I'd go after Thea."

"Maybe not directly."

"Look, I have no problem with your sister, just you." Makenna said honestly,

"You don't even know me."

"And I don't need to," She said, "But I do know that you don't like my brother being with your sister, for whatever reasons you might have."

"I don't want my sister to get hurt."

"By my brother?" She asked, "Have you really seen them together? Killian loves your sister, he'd hurt himself before he could hurt her."

Atlas dropped his gaze to the table as he clenched his jaw,
"Still, do you really think they'd last through college together?"

"That's their business. All I can do is stand by and root for them."

Atlas lifted his gaze to meet hers and smiled.

"What?"

"Who knew you had a soft spot?"

It was Makenna's turn to drop her gaze,
"I don't."

"You have a soft spot for them."

"For Killian maybe," She lifted her gaze to meet his, "Not your sister."

Which brought them back to where they started.

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Hey guys,

It's Christmas tomorrow! Ahhhhhh! I love this time of year, it just makes me happy because everyone is at their best. (Or they try to be). But it's the thought that counts, right?

Tell me in the comments what your holiday plans are. (I'd love to know what I'm missing out on).

Have a Merry Christmas guys!