I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Emery’s POV

40%

1365 Vouchers

I sat cross-legged on the wooden bench, my phone pressed to my ear and the wind playing with the loose strands of my hair. The rooftop of the art building was quiet, just how I liked it. It had become my escape spot lately. No swim coaches. No teammates. No freaking Atlas Lawson haunting my every thought.

Until now.

“So let me get this straight,” Laila’s voice echoed through the phone, loud and clear. “He went down on you… And you didn’t come?”

I groaned, dropping my head back dramatically. “Yeah.”

“You faked an orgasm?” she gasped.

“Yes, okay!” I snapped, throwing my free hand in the air like she was standing right in front of me, judging me. “I literally had to fake it. The whole arching-back, leg-twitch thing. Emmy Award worthy.”

“Yikes,” she muttered. “Was he that bad?”

I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me, my lips tugging into a pout. “No. That’s the thing. He’s not. Brandon’s a great kisser, he’s good-looking, he’s sweet… and his tongue is actually top-notch.” I paused, scrunching my nose. “But…”

“Mmhm,” she hummed knowingly. “But he’s not Atlas?”

I shot up straight, eyes widening, heat instantly rushing to my cheeks. “Ew, what?!”

“Come on, Em,” she said, dragging out my name. “You can be honest with me.”

I bit down on my lip, glancing around the empty rooftop like someone might be hiding behind the stairwell, recording me. My face was hot. “This has nothing to do with Atlas,” I lied, my voice a little too sharp to be convincing.

“Really?” Laila said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Atlas tongue-fucks you, you come twice, and then sweet ole Bran-Bran can’t even get a squeak out of you?”

“Oh my god, Laila!” I yelped, clapping a hand over my mouth like that would somehow muffle the embarrassment even though I was completely alone. My face was on fire. I dropped my hand and groaned, slumping forward. “Do you think I’m… broken or something?”

Her voice softened immediately. “What? No, Em. Look-everyone has different preferences. It’s not about you being broken. It’s about…” She paused, then sighed. “It’s about the Atlas effect.”

I blinked. “The… what now?”

“The Atlas effect,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You had the gold standard. Of course, it’s hard to settle for silver. Do you not remember sophomore year, Kira? She couldn’t shut up about how Atlas gave her, quote, ‘the best orgasms of her life.”

I tilted my head back, groaning into the sky like the clouds might swallow me whole. “Ughhh, please don’t remind me.”

“Sorry, but facts are facts,” she said with zero remorse. “It’s not that Brandon’s bad. It’s just… Atlas ruined you for normal

men.

I dragged my palms down my face, muffling a scream. There was silence my brain practically spiraling.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, okay? You’ll be…”

1/4

15:09 Mon, Dec 29 G G

Chapter 25

Suddenly, I heard muffled voices from her end.

40%

55 vouchers

“Shit, I forgot,” she muttered in a rush, followed by a loud thum and what sounded like someone shouting in the background.

I frowned, adjusting how I sat. “Everything okay over there?”

“I should probably let you go,” I said hurriedly, already hearing the chaos building behind her.

“No, no, we can keep talking if you want…”

More voices. Someone was clearly yelling her name now.

I chuckled softly. “Laila, seriously, go handle your roommates. In good.”

“You sure?”

“Positive,” I said, even though my chest felt weirdly heavy. “This conversation to be continued at night, okay?”

“You bet your ass,” she said, laughing. “I love you.”

I smiled, genuinely this time. “I love you too.”

Then the call ended.

The phone screen dimmed, leaving my reflection staring back ame for a beat too long. I sighed and leaned back against the bench again, resting the phone on my lap. The breeze grazed my arms, goosebumps prickling along my skin, not from the cold, but from the silence that settled around me like a blanket I didn’t want.

I tucked one leg under the other and looked back up at the sky.

Alone again.

Alone with my thoughts.

And unfortunately, one of those thoughts looked like a broody hockey captain with perfect cheekbones and hands that had once made me forget how to breathe. I closed my eyes and whispered under my breath.

“Damn you, Atlas Lawson.”

By the time I got back to the apartment, I was running on caffeine, chlorine, and pure willpower. After classes, an extra two hours in the library, and a swim session that nearly broke my spine, all I wanted was a shower, water, and maybe the sweet release of sleep. I tugged my damp hair into a messy bun, letting the strands that refused to cooperate fall around my face. I had on one of my old tees and a pair of shorts that barely covered anything, but I was too tired to care. This was my home. Sort of.

Padding into the kitchen, I reached for a glass from the upper cabinet, and that’s when I saw him.

Atlas Lawson. Sitting at the island.

Wearing glasses.

Round-framed, tortoise-shell, perfectly annoying glasses that made his already unfair face look like something straight out of a Vogue Magazine for smart hot guys who read Nietzsche forum.

God, I wanted to roll my eyes at how good he looked. But instea, my mouth betrayed me.

2/4

15:09 Mon, Dec 29 GG

Chapter 25

“You trying to channel your nerdy side?”

He glanced up and grinned.

Why the hell did he have to grin like that?

“They’re medicated,” he said, adjusting them with two fingers.

I blinked. “Wait… you wear glasses?”

Atlas nodded casually. “Yeah.”

& 740%=

55 vouchers

“Huh,” I muttered, reaching up to the cabinet again, standing on my tiptoes. “How is it that I’ve never seen you with them?”

“Because I wear contacts, silly,” he said, voice full of teasing warmth.

I ignored the flutter in my chest and kept reaching.

“Need help?” he asked with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine.”

“Right,” he muttered, clearly not believing me. And then, of course, he got up, walked over, and reached for the glass like it was nothing.

I didn’t move.

Because the second he stood behind me, his chest brushed my back, and I could feel his body heat like a damn furnace. He handed me the glass, and when I turned to take it, I made the mistake of looking up.

And just like that, I forgot how to breathe.

Because he was close. Like close-close. His dark hair a little messy from running his fingers through it, those ridiculous glasses sat on his face like they belonged there, and that stupid, perfect mouth…

Oh god.

My eyes dropped to his lips.

Why? Why did I look?

Images of his lips trailing down my stomach flashed through my mind, vivid and dangerous. The heat. The pressure. His voice telling me how good I tasted.

You’re dripping… so beautiful.

I swallowed hard.

“Emery.”

His voice was quiet. Soft.

My gaze snapped up and, crap.

He’d caught me.

I was full-on checking him out.

My cheeks flamed as I yanked the glass from his hand and turn away so fast I nearly slipped on my own foot.

3/4

15:09 Mon, Dec 29 GG

Chapter 25

“You trying to channel your nerdy side?”

He glanced up and grinned.

Why the hell did he have to grin like that?

“They’re medicated,” he said, adjusting them with two fingers.

I blinked. “Wait… you wear glasses?”

Atlas nodded casually. “Yeah.”

40%

55 vouchers

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify