Sex & Drugs

Chapter 3.1 - Atlas

Loving someone is a dangerous game, a path paved with pain and heartache. Relationships require constant vigilance, a constant battle against the demons that lurk within. Trusting another person completely? It's an enigma I've never quite grasped. How can one ever be certain they won't be betrayed?

I've witnessed countless love stories crumble into ruins, years of commitment reduced to dust. Relationships are like houses built on fragile foundations. Each passing day adds another floor, but the slightest tremor can bring it all crashing down.

Why bother with relationships at all when they can unravel in an instant? It's a question I've often asked myself. Augustus knows my stance on this, and yet he continues to question me as if I were entangled with Jax. Something's amiss in his perception.

I believe in that. Augustus knows my stance, yet he persists in questioning me as if there's something more between Jax and me. Something must be off in his mind.

I'm well aware that Augustus overheard my intimate encounter with Jax. Surprisingly, Jax remained unfazed by Augustus's angered demeanor, simply offering a smile and a nod.

I appreciate Jax's cool and collected nature. He handled the situation with composure, much like he did during our meeting when I taunted him.

But Augustus's reaction was different. He walked in on me, half-naked and adorned with more visible evidence of our escapade. It was evident that he didn't appreciate the sight before him.

"So?" Augustus paced back and forth in front of me, his frustration palpable. We were in his room, and while he appeared agitated, I sat comfortably, munching on chips. "Don't I deserve an explanation?"

"I didn't know he was Dawn when I slept with him last night. And this morning," I shrugged nonchalantly, stuffing my mouth with more chips. Augustus had taken away all my drugs again, leaving me restless.

"Okay," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But what about now? I've told you a hundred times not to get involved with people we work with."

"And I've answered you a hundred times," irritation tinged my voice. Maybe it was the fact that I was sobering up faster than before, everything losing its effect. "I won't let it affect my work."

"Atlas," Augustus knelt in front of me, his voice filled with concern. "It's not our work that worries me. I know you're dedicated to that."

"Come on, don't make it about me," I groaned, feeling my nerves fray. I had told him countless times to stop doing this.

"Of course, it's about you! It's my responsibility to worry about you," Augustus sighed, gently taking hold of my hands. "Atlas, please, won't you at least try?"

"I'm not a child," I averted my gaze. In moments like this, a heavy sensation settled in my chest, a feeling I had come to know as guilt, as Dr. Nicole had described it. "I can handle my own shit."

"If you could handle it on your own," Augustus's blue eyes darkened, his tone growing more intense. "Then tell me, why the hell do you keep seeking solace in those damn drugs?"

A pang of hurt shoots through me, but I push it down, refusing to let Augustus see the cracks in my armor. I avert my gaze, fighting back the rising tide of emotions. Some wounds run deeper than others, and his words have struck a nerve I thought long buried.

***

Do you agree with Atlas's view on relationships?😶
If I'm being honest, that's exactly how I feel🤐