Atlas's POVBrett picks Sabrina and me up at six to head to the party. The company is in Manhattan, so it's not a long drive but it does give Sabrina and me a chance to come up with a game plan before we get there. We don't want to appear suspicious to anyone.Sabrina looks stunning in the dress she picked out. The way the fabric clings to her body is intoxicating. I want to sit and stare at her all night, but I know I can't. I haven't had a chance to talk to her about our kiss last week. I want to know what she's thinking and what it meant to her. But I feel like the moment has passed."So, what's the plan?" I ask, sipping on the wine Brett keeps back here."I haven't thought that far ahead," Sabrina admits, looking out the window, "We need some type of distraction so you can slip away and look for some evidence.""Why me? I'm sure you could do a better job snooping around," I mutter.Sabrina raises a brow, "Look, Atlas, you're handsome and all but let's be real, having a woman
Sabrina's POVThe crowd forming around me is concerned for the man who introduced himself to me as Connor. He's swearing under his breath and trying desperately to clean the dark liquid out of his expensive suit. I have no idea who he is but when Atlas said the code word, I knew he was the perfect person to use as a distraction.The plan is working perfectly."Why'd you do that?" Connor demands, his eyes angry as he stares back at me.I clutch at my chest, pretending to be dramatic and apologetic about the situation, "It was an accident, I swear! I'm so clumsy, especially around coffee. Is there anything I can do to help?"Connor angrily shakes his head, "You've done enough. This isn't what I was expecting when I came over to talk to you."I frown at his comment, "What were you expecting?"It's obvious Connor is getting frustrated by my questions because his brows are set into a deep frown and he is breathing heavily. I feel bad that he had to be my target but if we didn't do i
Sabrina's POVThe car ride back to the EarthX building was quiet. Not the type of quiet where you wish someone would talk because it's awkward. But the type of quiet where you just enjoy the company of the other person and appreciate everything around you.That's what the car ride was like for Atlas and me.He held my hand the entire time, his thumb moving in slow circles on my skin. I couldn't contain the smile spreading across my face or avert my eyes away. There is just something about this man that keeps pulling me towards him and I can't stop myself. Not that I want to.When we get upstairs to Atlas's office, I pull out the documents he shoved into my bag and hand them to him."What did you find?" I question, eager to hear the contents of the documents.Atlas sits at his desk and I hover over his shoulder. His scent of vanilla and coconut mixes with the whiskey on his breath and it's intoxicating."Well, I didn't have a chance to look through every document on the desk," H
Sabrina's POVWhen I arrive at work the next morning, Atlas is nowhere to be found. I looked through his office but it's clear he hasn't been here since the night before. He was acting strange last night before Brett took me home, but I just put it down to him stressing about the prototype and the Red Chain.I texted him that I got home safe, but he didn't respond. I was notified that he opened the text, but for some reason he chose not to text back. That's odd in itself because usually when I text him, I'll get a response within five minutes. Something weird is going on but I can't seem to figure out what. I keep coming back to the idea that he's with someone else. The thought of him being with another woman is making my anxiety go through the roof. I thought we had something special together, but maybe my feelings for him aren't reciprocated. I sit down at my desk and hope that Atlas is running late. It is out of character for him not to be here but maybe something important
Sabrina's POVI was anxious the whole subway ride into Manhattan. I couldn't stop thinking about what Atlas was doing or who he is with. I keep imagining the mystery woman hanging all over him and the thought makes my stomach twist in knots. Brett texted me the address for the nightclub Fever and I recognize the location. It's about a block away from the EarthX building, which makes me wonder if Atlas is a regular there because of how close it is to the office. Despite the late hour, there are dozens of early risers, or insomniacs, roaming the streets. I should feel unsafe being out this late at night, but there is something comforting about having other restless people around me at this ungodly hour. The walk from the subway to Fever is short, which in reality is great, but I haven't had time to prepare what I'm going to say to Atlas or how I can convince him to leave. I haven't mentally prepared myself for what I'm going to see when I walk in. The questions and uncertainty ar
Sabrina's POVAtlas has fallen asleep with his face against the cool glass of the window during the drive to my apartment. I asked Brett to keep the music low as not to disturb him, and I spend most of the time looking out the window, wondering how I'm going to explain to Dylan why my boss is in our place at four in the morning.Atlas keeps mumbling in his sleep, but I can't make out what he's saying. Every few minutes I look over at him to make sure he hasn't vomited on himself. I'm sure Brett wouldn't appreciate a mess on the back seat.When the car comes to a stop out the front of the apartment building, Atlas doesn't move a muscle. Getting him inside quietly isn't going to be an easy task.Brett opens my door for me and offers to help get Atlas upstairs. It takes a lot of strength and maneuvering but we manage to haul Atlas to the front door. He wakes up when I get my keys out to open the front door. He looks around the hallway, confused as to where he is."Thanks so much for
Sabrina's POVThe sun shines in through the gap in the curtains, landing right in my eyes. I groan, trying to roll away from the bright light. I reach my hand out across the bed, searching for a familiar warm body. I frown when I don't find it.I rub the sleep out of my eyes and slowly sit up. I wonder what time it is because I could've been asleep for a couple of hours or maybe it's the afternoon. When I retrieve my phone from the bedside table, my heart drops. It's two in the afternoon and I've completely missed my alarm for work.Panic begins to fill my body as I jump out of bed and search the messy floor for a sweatshirt. The bed is completely empty, which means Atlas must've left sometime this morning. I rush out into the living room where the smell of bacon hits me.Atlas is standing over a saucepan at the oven and there is a big pile of eggs and bacon in the middle of the dining table. When he hears me enter, he looks over his shoulder to give me a warm smile.I try to of
Sabrina's POVIt's been several weeks since I slept in my bed with Atlas. He hasn't mentioned it in conversation to me, but I think about it every night before I go to sleep. He's been acting pretty casual about the whole thing which makes me think he remembers more about that night than he's letting on.Atlas is still flirty with me in the office, which is something I don't mind. We have been spending a lot of time working on a new idea for a prototype after the launch of the home security ring last week was a massive hit. Amber managed to remake the missing piece in time for the launch and it was a success.Investors are very interested in the product and think it's going to make EarthX a lot of money. The marketing team is already planning out ideas for how to promote it when it's ready to sell. Everything is moving so quickly, but it's exciting. I'm so happy for Atlas.But now, we have to come up with an even better idea to top it. We've been brainstorming for weeks but have
Sabrina's POVIt's been several days since Jane's arrest and the last time I saw Atlas. I've decided to keep his number blocked until I'm ready to speak to him again. Dylan thinks I should just rip the band-aid off and call him, but I don't know if I'm ready for that.I'm still on the hunt for a new job, but every time I see a potential job listing I'm suitable for, a voice in the back of my mind tells me nothing is better than EarthX. With this type of mentality, I'm never going to find a job.I'm in my final week of college, which means my major writing piece is almost due. Having all this time to myself has allowed me to finish writing it but I'm stuck on the last few sentences because I don't know how to end it. I've somewhat based the two characters off Atlas and me, essentially writing a story about my life.Aside from changing the names, I've written about a billionaire CEO who falls in love with a small-town girl. It has everything from company espionage to road trips an
Sabrina's POVIt doesn't take long for the police to arrive at Jane's house. She's sitting on the front steps with her head in her hands, not saying a single word. She seems pretty relaxed considering she is about to get arrested, but I think she's accepted the fact that there is no getting out of this one when our evidence is so strong.When the police arrive, it isn't like the movies where multiple cars speed down the street with their sirens on. Instead, one car pulls up and the two officers speak to Atlas first because he was the one who reported the crime. He spends the next ten minutes recounting everything Jane has done since the prototype was sabotaged. I watch the interaction from my spot on the steps next to Jane."What do you think will happen to me?" Jane asks, her voice quiet. Her attitude has taken a complete three-sixty since our first interaction in the breakroom many months ago. I will never understand why she did what she did, but in this moment, watching her
Sabrina's POVI'm nervous walking into the EarthX building. I haven't been here for a week, and yet, it already feels foreign to me. My heart is pounding in my chest at the thought of seeing Atlas again. The pain from the last time I saw him is still raw and I'm worried I've made the wrong decision by coming here.I walk out of the elevator and take a deep breath when I see the door to Atlas's office is wide open. With my eyes on the floor, I lean against the door and wrap my knuckles against it, announcing my arrival."Come in," Atlas's voice is raspy and quiet.When I look up, I'm shocked at the sight of him. His eyes are dull and sunken in with dark circles present. He's dressed in sweatpants; a plain black t-shirt and his hair looks like a bird's nest. He looks pale and sad, and my heart breaks a little bit for him.I know he's the one who brought this on himself, but I still love him, and I hate seeing him this way. "Hi," I mutter, fiddling with the strap on my purse, "Tha
Sabrina's POVThe first day was the hardest. I couldn't get out of bed for anything besides using the bathroom. I couldn't eat and I didn't feel like showering. All I wanted to do was lie in bed, listen to sad music and cry. Dylan would check in on me several times throughout the day to ask if I wanted anything to eat or to see if I wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood. Each time I declined his offer, I could see the worry deepening within him. It's not his fault, I know he's trying to help me in my time of need. On the first day, I couldn't even tell him what happened because the wound was still raw, and I was trying to make sense of everything that I had learned . There's a lot to unpack, so I didn't want to unload onto Dylan until I had come to terms with everything first.The second day was a lot like the first. I laid in bed all day with the curtains drawn and my headphones in. My stomach was still in knots, but I managed to eat a slice of toast that Dylan offer
Sabrina's POVThe sunlight shining in through the curtains land right in my eyes, forcing me awake. I feel Atlas's arms tight around my waist and I smile when the memories from last night come rushing back to me.I struggle out of Atlas's tight grip and roll over to check the time on my phone. I have multiple missed calls and texts from Dylan, and I instantly feel bad because I didn't let him know I wasn't coming home last night. Everything happened so quickly that it completely slipped my mind.Atlas mumbles in his sleep and I look back to see him rolling onto his stomach, his hair lays limp over his eyes. I can't stop myself from smiling at the sight of him. His toned tattooed arms are on full show and I am yet to inspect every single piece of ink marked into his soft skin.I frown when I see words etched into the smooth skin on his back. I didn't know he has a tattoo there because we usually wake up together or he has clothes on. I never stopped to ask if he any other tattoos
Sabrina's POV"I love you."I freeze when I hear those three simple words. Individually, the words themselves don't mean much, but when they're put together and coming from the lips of the person you care about most in the world, they mean so much more."You love me?" I stammer, trying to make sense of what is happening right now.Atlas's large hands cup my cheeks, forcing me to look into his eyes, "I've loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I know it seems cheesy to say, but it was love at first sight. I knew from that moment on, I had to have you in my life."I can feel the tears welling in my eyes at his beautiful words, "It's not cheesy, because I feel the same way, too."Atlas's face lights up, a smile spreading across his lips, "Do you love me, too?"I nod my head, "I do. I love you.""Really?" He questions, "You're not just saying it because I did?"I chuckle, shaking my head, "Absolutely not. I love you, Atlas."Atlas wraps his strong arms around my wai
Sabrina's POVToday has been the weirdest day of my life. I went into work thinking Atlas was lying about his identity and was pretending to be Ashton. But, out of the blue, Ashton shows up at work wanting to reconnect. My head is spinning like crazy, and I don't know what to do.I used to think Ashton was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but when Atlas came into the picture, my priorities shifted. I began focusing on my life without Ashton in it because I'm so happy with Atlas and where I'm at. Ashton left me without any explanation and now he's returned out of the blue, at a pretty convenient time now that I've just started dating Atlas. It could be a coincidence , but surely there has to be more to it, especially if he has known I've been working for Atlas all this time and he could've easily reached out to me months ago.I'm struggling with my feelings about Ashton showing back up in my life and trying to figure out why Atlas has been acting so odd lately.
Sabrina's POVIt's been a week since the trip to Canton, and Atlas has gone back to being himself. We've fallen back into our normal routine of keeping our relationship private from my colleagues at work and working on the new home security watch prototype, despite the Red Chain moving forward with their similar product.The past couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster. Starting with the Red Chain stealing our idea and there being a mole in the company, mixed with me questioning Atlas's true identity. My head is all over the place and I don't know what to do.I think Atlas can tell I've been a little distant since the trip, but I told him it was because I am stressed about college and having to finish my final writing project. It's the best lie I could come up with. My train was running late this morning, which means I'm now five minutes late to work. I'm rushing down the street in my high heels, hoping Atlas doesn't notice I'm not there yet. I know he's my boyfriend, but if my
Sabrina's POVThe sun wakes Atlas and me bright and early. We decided we wanted to be back in New York around midday because Atlas has some business to take care of and I'm sure Dylan is dying to know the details of the weekend, so I'll likely be playing a game of twenty-one questions with him.We pack the Jeep with our belongings and drive down the road to a quiet café to grab a cup of coffee and some hot pastries for the road. The sun is shining bright, the heat beating down on us which is unusual as we come out of winter. Atlas suggested we drive home with the roof down and I couldn't agree with him more. There is something so nice about driving down an open highway with nothing but music vibrating your bones and the wind blowing through your hair. By the time we hit the road, it's almost nine in the morning. I slump in my seat as we pass the 'Leaving Canton Now' sign because I wish we could've stayed longer to further explore the beauties this town has to offer. I miss seei