7

~Darlina's POV~

I glanced up as I was drinking a smoothie on the couch about two hours after Atlas had disappeared to his room, curled up on the couch with the throw blanket. "You're awake." I chirped at Emmett, who was sleepily walking into the living room. He seemed to have just gotten out of the shower because he was no longer wearing what he'd fallen asleep in last night, and he didn't smell like alcohol anymore.

Emmett spared me a glance, a frown on his face that told me that despite how he looked now, he was very much feeling the hangover from having so much to drink last night. "Unfortunately." He responded in a grumble, causing me to smile slightly in sympathy.

"There's two breakfast sandwiches for you in the kitchen, if you want them." I told him, then paused and tilted my head in thought. "Well, I guess they're more like lunch sandwiches for you now."

Despite my teasing, which he promptly ignored, he perked up at my words. "Food?" He asked, already turning towards the kitchen. I sipped on my smoothie, licking the coldness of it off my lips. "You may want to heat yours back up, because they're probably cold at this point." I called after him, assuming that he heard me even though he didn't respond. My assumptions were proven correct when I heard the sound of him looking for a pan in the kitchen, just as noisy as ever.

Leaving him to his own devices, I went back to sipping on my smoothie and focused on the movie that was playing on the TV, The Princess and The Frog. I'd always loved this movie.

As I was watching it, another set of footsteps entered the living room and I looked back, my eyes landing on Atlas' large frame. His tattooed arms were still on display with the tank top he wore, as were the tattoos on his legs with the basketball shorts he had on. I couldn't help but to stare, never having seen someone who was so covered in them. Really, it seemed like he was tattooed everywhere but his face.

Atlas' eyes cut to me suddenly, causing me to realize that I had been staring at him for too long. Embarrassed, I whipped my head around and nervously sucked on my straw, my head elsewhere as I stared at the television. It wasn't like I was trying to stare, or to make him uncomfortable.

Honestly, I just liked his tattoos. They looked very nice on him, I thought, and suited him well, even if he was intimidating looking with all that ink.

The spot beside me dipped as Emmett suddenly plopped down next to me on the couch, a plate in hand. I looked over at him and frowned when he suddenly leaned closer, my eyes widening in surprise at the sudden change in proximity. Still, I didn't push him away, knowing he wasn't going to do anything weird.

"You okay?" Em asked in a quiet voice, concern lacing his tone. I nodded and glanced up at him, not wanting him to worry or get the wrong idea. "Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked with a smile, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Emmett raised an eyebrow and looked from me towards Atlas, who was entering the kitchen. "You two seem very uncomfortable with each other. Is something wrong?" He wondered, furrowing his brows.

Surprised, I looked at him with wide eyes and shook my head. "No, no." I insisted, shaking a hand adamantly. "I guess we just are trying to adjust to one another. You said he's not much of a people person, and he intimidates me bit, so when you're not around neither one of us really knows what to do..." I explained, shrugging.

His lips parted in understanding and he pulled away, nodding his head. "I see." He hummed, a thoughtful look on his face as he took a bite of his sandwich. I bit the inside of my cheek and went back to watching the Princess and the Frog, sipping on my smoothie absentmindedly. A few minutes passed before Atlas joined us in the living room, sitting on the opposite couch so he had more space to himself.

Emmett's eyes immediately darted over to Atlas and I knew he had something on his mind just from the look on his face, but I didn't dare to say anything. I just kept my eyes on the TV, not looking his way until he elbowed me in the side, almost causing me to spill my smoothie. Surprised, I gasped and looked at him in disbelief, very aware that it had been intentional. "What the heck was that for?" I grumbled, frowning at him.

Amused, his mouth tugged up at my clear frustration. Despite that, he ignored my question and instead glanced back at Atlas again. "Do you guys want to go out tomorrow?" He asked, gaze flicking between the tattooed man and I.

A little confused, I cocked my head to the side at the suddenness of it all. "Tomorrow?" I echoed, frowning. "Where?" I wondered. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at me. "Anywhere, really." He said, and then he paused, looking towards Atlas again. "Actually, you probably need new clothes, don't you? Even the tank top you've got on barely looks like it fits." He stated with an amused snort, gesturing to the thin tank top that stretched across Atlas' tattooed chest. It was tight enough on him that I could see the bulge of his muscles beneath the fabric.

"Shut up, dick." Atlas grunted, to which Emmett just snickered. "I'm being for real. You have like, three outfits that fit you." He responded, stretching an arm over the back of the couch. Though it looked like it pained him to admit it, Atlas reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, running his fingers through his loose hair as he shifted so his thighs were spread a bit wider. I rolled my lips into my mouth and glanced at the television, unsure why it flustered me so much when he sat that way.

"I don't exactly have money though, and it's harder to find a job that'll take me now with my record, so I don't have income yet, either." Atlas stated, causing me to frown at his words. I cast my gaze back over to him again and then up to Emmett, who was watching his friend with a displeased frown on his face.

"We can split the cost." I said, nudging Emmett roughly with my elbow, just as he had done to me. He flinched, scowling down at me due to my action while I just peered at Atlas, who looked surprised by my offer.

Once Emmett realized my intentions, the scowl quickly fell away. "Yeah, man. Hell, even if Li didn't want to split the cost, you know I'd still pay for you." He said, causing me to smile ever so slightly. One of the things that I had always really admired about Emmett was his willingness to show his love for people. No matter who it was, if he cared for them, he wouldn't hesitate to show it.

Atlas looked very unsure with the offer we were giving him, causing Emmett to look at me as if I somehow knew what to say to help in this situation. I just raised my brows at him. Unsure what to say, I hesitated before I began speaking. "Emmett just wants to help you, Atlas. Besides, I'm sure we both know that he wouldn't offer to if he didn't truly want to." I said, watching as he raised an eyebrow and then spared Em a glance, lips pursed.

"Fine." He muttered reluctantly, causing Emmett to whoop happily in excitement. Throwing an arm carelessly around my shoulder, Emmett pulled me into his side in a hug as he grinned at Atlas. "Good!" He practically cheered. He proceeded to ruffle my hair, causing me to exclaim in disbelief and attempt to push him away from me, which went ignored by him.

"Tomorrow, then." Emmett said with a satisfied smile. "We'll leave at one PM., so be ready by then."