Page 33 of Ruined
Double fuck.
“Atlas, I love working here and I love our friendship...”
“I love it too,” he leaned closer, resting his forearms on my knees as he gestured down to the dark marks on my skin, “but the question is, do you love it more than others?”
The way he said it made my skin crawl, like friendship had simply been a bridge for this. I wondered how long he had waited for this opportunity. Looking down at my leg, I envisioned a masked Silas, and for some reason, the mental presence made me feel comforted.
Another somersault came from my stomach, and this one brought the threat of dry heaving along with a fire in my chest. I stood, shaking my head as I walked around him. “I loveyou—just not,like thatand if that's going to be a problem, I need to know now because I'll find a different job.”
I watched as his lips shifted into a sad smile and then tightened into a thin line as he stood. “I'm sorry for my behavior, and I understand if I'm the one who caused a problem. I hope you'll stay here with us.”
I said nothing as I watched him leave. For a while, I just stared at the door, trying to figure out how I had missed all those signs. For the next few moments, I just stood and contemplated how I would find another job like this one. As all my thoughts swirled together, the bell chimed again, and I expected a customer.
“Delivery for Ember?” a voice called out.
My eyes landed on a delivery driver from Clove. “That’s me.”
Nodding, he stepped up to the counter in front of me, holding out a small paper bag with a cardboard drink tray. The smell enveloped me like a familiar blanket, and I immediately knew what the drink was, a spiced chai.
I eyed the items in his hand as I tried to stop the drool forming in my mouth. “But I didn’t order anything.”
The short man shrugged, “Please just take it, it’s already paid for.” Raising his phone, he confirmed the order before handing me a paper. “Chai latte and croissant. Here’s the note.”
I put my hands up in another refusal, but he just set everything down in front of me before turning away. “I don’t—”
“Have a good day!” he yelled back, already halfway out the door.
I sighed loudly and looked down at what had been delivered.My head throbbed harder now, picking up speed as I ripped away the paper that was stapled to the bag.
You didn’t eat.
Take care of yourself orI will.
My hand crumpled the paper, not out of shock, but out of irritation.What the fuck was my life?!
I was so tired of this, of everything, especiallyhim. This might be how he functioned, how he lived, but it wasn’t how I did, andI was sick of it.
I pushed both items to the side, where they now sat between the register and the new display of bookmarks. Ihadto accept the delivery, but I didn't have toeatthem. As if in response to my refusal, steam started to curl out of the chai in soft spirals. I growled at the cup imagining that it was Silas. Boundaries existed for a reason, but clearly, no one in my life knew that. My fingers dug into my palms as I clenched my fists.
I imagined how I could take it all back into my own hands. The first part was easy, I would walk away from Atlas, but Silas was different. The thought of beating him at his own game sent a dark thrill through my chest, a feeling I couldn't quite place. The moment of victory was ruined when my stomach lurched hard enough that I dry heaved again.
“Fine,” I hissed, yanking the croissant from the bag and tearing into it, not even trying to be graceful. Flakes scattered across the counter as butter coated my fingers. My stomach immediately thanked me by calming down, and that made me so ridiculously angry that I chewed louder.This wasn’t surrender,I said to myself asI swallowed some of the chai, welcoming the burn as it slid down my throat.
With every bite, I contemplated the different things I could do to him, ways to make him feel like this. The thoughts lingered as the treats disappeared, and I helped customers as they arrived. The next couple of hours went by fast, and in the small moments of stillness, I planned all the things I would need to do. By the end of my shift, I felt better about everything and was ready to go home to put my plan into action. When I glanced up and noticed I only had ten minutes left, I started packing my things. As I grabbed my keys to lock up, the dumb bell chimed again.
I glanced toward the front as I set my things back down. “We're actually closing—” My words faded when I realized the area was completely empty. Unease crept in, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck start to rise. Stepping away from the counter, I walked to the floor and looked around slowly. My eyes scanned down every aisle, my ears strained for the faintest sound, but there was nothing. I stopped when I got to the front counter again. A slight movement to my left made me turn, and that's when I saw him.
A masked Silas leaned into a stack of books that were tucked in the corner.
My whole body lit up, and my breath stalled as he tilted his head slightly in my direction. Even through the Watchers mask, I could see it—his damn demeanor. I reached for my bag to grab my phone, but he clicked his tongue and held something up inhis hand, my wallpaper back to the picture of us.
“In the past twenty-four hours,” he said, his voice dangerously calm, “I have learned a lot of things.” He moved to the door and slid the lock into place. “One, I’m very much in your head.” With that, he turned and walked toward me, brushing his fingers against the books he passed. “Two, I now have full access to you which means I can watch you anytime I want,even here.” A small nod to the cameras in the corner confirmed my suspicion about him. “Three, it seems you need another lesson in who is allowed to touch you.” He paused for a brief second before crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought you learned before with the men from the club, but tonight it was yourboss.”
My eyes narrowed in fury. “Tonight wasnoneof your business.”
After another moment, he resituated and pushed each of his sleeves up, exposing tattoos I didn't know were there. “There's also the little problem,” he whispered, ignoring me as he closed the space between us, “of you having no idea what the wordmeanis. Isn't that right, baby?”
Every word landed like a bomb, and my mouth curled up into a snarl. I pressed my back against the counter, eyes darting around for an escape, but every aisle felt like a trap, and I already knew he was probably waiting for me to run. He must’ve known what I was thinking, because he made a warning sound that promised consequences for whatever decision I made. Quickly weighing the ideas from before, I eventuallylanded on one.
