19. Chapter 19

ATLAS

I fidget, perched on one of the stone walls encasing green shrubbery and a host of other plants that I couldn’t name even if I tried. Tracey decided to wait with me as the bus hadn’t come yet and I’m grateful for her presence. She’d be headed home, anyway, so naturally she wanted to keep me company and see Raphael sweep me off my feet—her words, not mine.

“What kind of car do you think he’s going to pull up in?” she muses.

“He only has one,” I huff. “Not like a garage of them sitting around. I think.” I haven’t really explored Raphael’s house, not because I don’t want to but because I’m comfortable in the spaces I’ve taken over. I chew on my bottom lip, wondering where Raphael is despite the fact that he said it’d be thirty minutes and we’re barely hitting the twenty-minute mark. “Where is he?”

“Impatient, much? Focus on something else. Like, oh my gosh! We’re done! We’re graduating next week!” Tracey pops to her feet and does a little jig, trying to pull me out of my head. “You’ve worked harder than absolutely anyone I know, Atlas and you made it.”

I did, didn’t I? A small smile forms on my face as I silently tell my mom that I did it. She always wanted to see me graduate and I hope she’s looking down on me, happy with where I am now. “Yeah, we’re graduated,” I say, realizing that I have the whole world at my feet.

“What do you think you’re going to do?”

“A man at the event handed me his card. He owns a vet clinic apparently.”

Her eyes widen until I’m sure they’re going to pop out of her head. “You met Shawn? Like THE SHAWN FORD?” She squeals, jumping up and down as she pats my shoulders. “Atlas, did you even look up his vet clinic? It’s a fucking resort. Like every fucking animal you could ever dream of. Wait, shit. Remember that fieldtrip we had during senior year of undergrad?”

I don’t understand what she’s getting at but I nod anyway. It was one of those free trips where we weren’t required to write a report after, mostly because a benefactor paid for all of us to attend. “Yeah?”

“That’s his.”

There’s no way I met the man who owns Reptilian Springs. That place was like something out of a magazine, showcasing many different animals, more than just reptiles. Exotic birds, mammals, and the occasional cat and dog located in the attached shelter. All of those stupid facts I had learned over the years would be perfect for a guide to know. And now with my degree? I have the knowledge to keep them safe and healthy as well.

I scramble for my wallet from my bag and unearth the business card that Shawn gave me. Tracey snatches it and I move to stand beside her, our heads pressed together as we stare at the card. “You really did meet Shawn. I’m jealous but you also deserve absolutely everything in this world. Oh my god, you’re going to love it there!” Her words are cut off by a honk, both of us looking up at my beautiful broken car sitting by the curb. My heart jumps at the view of Raphael sliding out of the driver’s seat and throwing me a small wave.

“Bye,” I yell at Tracey and take off to my car, Raphael catching me before I collide headfirst into the hood of my car. “Umph.”

His arms band around my back as he stuffs his face into the crook of my neck. “Hey, little one. Happy to see me or just the car?”

“Both,” I huff, trying to pull out of his arms to see my baby that’s been missing from the parking lot for the past two days. Raphael tightens his arms around me, laughing at my antics. “Yes, happy to see you. You fixed my car?”

“It was ready a little sooner than planned and I thought you might like to drive it to the wharf.” Raphael releases me, leaning back against my car as he watches me run around it, touching and giggling that it’s fixed.

I make it back around to Raphael before leaning up on my tip toes to kiss his lips. I place my hands on his arms folded across his chest, using it as purchase to pull me up farther. “Thank you so much. Fuck, I didn’t think. Thank you.”

“That’s more like the welcome that I was waiting for, little one,” he purrs against my lips. The kiss is sweet and slow, Raphael not bending down to give me better access. “Now, we still going on that date?”

I nod furiously and throw my hand out for the keys, grinning when they fall into my outstretched palm. “Yes and I know just where I’m going to take you.”

Raphael groans I round the car and pull open the driver’s door. “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”

“You won’t! I promise.” I’m lying, however. I’m making up for that night he made me come in my pants. Because as luck would have it, Raphael isn’t a fan of trying new things. Especially fish. And he makes the funniest faces when he places them in his mouth. Granted, the few weird flavored chips I’ve brought for him to try he’s actually enjoyed. This will probably be no different. “Ready?”

I glance over to see Raphael strapped in, holding the seat belt like an old man. “I’ll have to be. Just don’t drive too fast.”

“Okay, granpa,” I mutter but not quietly enough because the heat in Raphael’s expression as I turn the car on nearly has me heading home rather than the restaurant.

We park at the end of the wharf, my excitement manifesting in little hops as I nearly drag Raphael out of the car. We didn’t die even if I hit a few turns a little too sharply. Don’t blame me for enjoying having my baby back with me. The bill is probably going to kill me but I wouldn’t trade having my car back for the world. Not even a new one.

Raphael grabs my hand to slow me down, pulling me into his side and I remember that these moments should be cherished. I wrap an arm around his waist and he mirrors the movement around mine. “How are you, little one? Really. I feel like we jumped into this and so much has happened in the last week.”

“I’m good. There’s a lot of things to work out but I like where it’s all headed.” My mind dwells on my living situation or lack thereof, as well as the café and whatever else comes after graduation. I’m sure Shawn will give me a chance but that’s beside the point.

Raphael leans down to kiss my head as we walk down the wharf, heading for the little shops along the way. We stop before a quaint little shack that seems out of place, Raphael’s hold on me tightening when we step inside. “What’s here?”

“Seafood! It’s like a little place I used to come with my mom when she was alive. She’d always get the pasta and I’d get the boiled clams.” I point to an open table, rushing toward it with Raphael in tow. He slides in across from me at the booth, eyes wide as he tries to get a handle on this place. Not only does he seem out of place with his fancy suit, but I also think that maybe this isn’t the right venue for him. “We can go somewhere else, Raphael. I didn’t-”

“Atlas,” his voice drops an octave and he leans across the table, the conversation suddenly turning serious. “I’m not uncomfortable. I’m shocked that there’s so much here that I haven’t seen. I’ve lived far longer than you, Atlas, and I’ve never known that this place existed. I also love that it’s a comfort to you, that you brought me to a place that your mother did.”

A wide smile spreads across my face as I reach for the menu and start explaining the different entrees, Raphael nodding until I stop at the mussels and he chooses that one.

“Have you ever eaten mussels?”

“No.”

“Then why-”

“Because you mentioned it was your mother’s favorite. And I’m sure whatever your mother chose was good.”