Page 116 - It Ends with Us

couldn ’t wat ch your sho w. I was n’t too upset becau se it mean t we would

probab ly just mak e out for an ho ur an d a hal f.
“Does your oven run of f gas or electricity?” he as ked.
“Gas ,” I sai d, a little confused that he was as king ab out our oven.
He kicked of f hi s sho es (whi ch were real ly just a pai r of my fat he r’s old
sho es) an d he star ted wal king toward the kitche n. “I’m going to mak e you
somethi ng,” he sai d.

“You know ho w to cook?”
He opened the refrigerat or an d star ted moving thi ngs around. “Yep. I
probab ly love to cook as much as you love to grow thi ngs.” He took a few thi ngs
out of the refrigerat or an d prehe at ed the oven. I lean ed ag ai nst the counter an d
wat che d hi m. He was n’t even looking at a recipe. He was just pouring thi ngs
into bowls an d mixing the m witho ut even using a meas uring cup.
I had never seen my fat he r lift a finger in the kitche n. I’m pretty sure he

wouldn ’t even know ho w to prehe at our oven. I kind of tho ught most men were
like that , but wat chi ng Atlas work hi s way around my kitche n proved me
wrong.
“What are you mak ing?” I as ked hi m. I pushe d my han ds on the islan d
an d ho isted myself onto it.
“Cookies,” he sai d. He wal ked the bowl over to me an d stuck a spoon in the

mixture. He brought the spoon up to my mouth an d I tas ted it. On e of my
weak nesses is cookie do ugh, an d thi s was the best I’d ever tas ted.
“Oh, wow,” I sai d, licking my lips.
He set the bowl do wn beside me an d the n lean ed in an d kissed me. Cookie
do ugh and Atlas ’s mouth mixed togethe r is like he av en, in cas e you’re
wonde ring. I made a noise de ep in my throat that let hi m know ho w much I
liked the combinat ion, an d it made hi m lau gh. Bu t he di dn ’t stop kissing me.

He just lau ghe d through the kiss an d it completely melted my he ar t. A hap py
Atlas was near mind- blowing. It made me wan t to uncover ever y single thi ng
ab out thi s world that he likes an d give it al l to hi m.
Whe n he was kissing me, I wonde red if I loved hi m. I’ve never had a
boyfriend before an d hav e nothi ng to compare my feelings to. In fac t, I’ve never
real ly wanted a boyfriend or a relat ionshi p until Atlas . I’m not growing up in

a ho useho ld with a great exam ple of ho w a man sho uld treat someone he loves,
so I’ve al way s he ld on to an unhe al thy am ount of di strust whe n it comes to
relat ionshi ps an d othe r people.