Sin and Sinner

10

~Darlina's POV~

I fumbled around with my car keys as I exited work on Tuesday night, a huff leaving me when my small car chirped with a press of the button on my car keys. I got in and began to head back home, sighing happily when I parked my car in it's spot in front of the apartment building.

The apartment was silent when I stepped in, causing me to frown slightly. Emmett was probably still at work and I had no idea where  Atlas was, but I assumed he was gone because most of the lights were off. I shrugged my shoulders and turned on the lights in the living room before going to my room, kicking off my shoes before I entered my bathroom to take a shower.

Once I was freshly washed, I got out and found a comfy pair of pajamas to put on. I tugged on a pair of soft white shorts with frill along the edges and a cropped lilac tank top, covering my feet with a pair of fluffy socks afterwards. Leaving my hair down despite its still wet state, I spritzed on a bit of perfume and applied deodorant before I hurried to the kitchen in search of a snack. I'd skipped my lunch break today and breakfast as well, so I had yet to eat anything and was feeling hungry.

A hum left me as I decided to make myself some ramen, waiting rather impatiently for the water to boil while I stared at the small pot with my hands on my hips. While I waited I began to look through the fridge, grinning happily when I found the can of Pepsi that I had hidden in the back of the fridge last week. I had half expected it to be gone because Emmett had a horrible habit of always drinking my soda if he could find it. It seemed I had hidden it well enough this time for him to not notice it there.

When the water finally was boiling I dumped in the noodles and the seasoning packet, beginning to use a fork to mix them together after the noodles softened some. I suddenly heard the sound of footsteps enter the kitchen and glanced over my shoulder, wondering how I hadn't heard the front door open.

Atlas leaned against the counter as my eyes landed on him and I absentmindedly stirred the noodles. He was dressed in a pair of his new sweatpants and a dark blue tee, his dark hair falling into his face a bit. I blinked and moved the pot of ramen to a different burner to let it cool down a bit, shutting off the stovetop before I turned to face him. "Have you been home the whole time?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

He nodded and finally looked at me, but then he promptly looked away after a quick scan over my figure. "Yeah." He said, the clear way he was avoiding even looking my way making me frown, unsure if I should be offended by this. "I've just been napping a little, but I woke up because I smelled food." He explained in a mutter, peering at the floor. I crossed my arms and furrowed my eyebrows. "Is there any reason you're acting like you'll die if you so much as look in my direction?" I wondered, unable to help the slight snippiness of my tone.

And it was clear he heard it because he cocked up a brow as if surprised by it. "Your, um, clothes..." He responded simply, causing me to look down at my pajamas with a confused frown. "What about them?" I asked, lost. "I always wear pajamas like this at home. You can even ask Em."

That caused his eyes to flick up to mine and he stared at me as if he thought I was lying, or perhaps just joking. He looked at me for a few more seconds before he glanced over the length of my body again, slightly shaking his head to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay." Atlas relented after a moment, causing me to smile.

I gestured behind me to the pot of ramen noodles. "It's not much, but I made some ramen if you want any. Em probably won't be home for a while, so I wouldn't worry about waiting to eat anything until dinner." I told him, turning away to grab myself a bowl from the lower shelf in the cabinet. Curling my fingertips around a second one, I looked over at Atlas again. "Do you want any?" I asked.

At his nod, I took out a second bowl for him and filled both of them, handing him his after grabbing two forks. The two of us quietly ate together in the living room while I kept the TV on for background noise, both of us sitting on opposite couches.

Since I finished my food last, I quickly washed the dishes and returned to the living room, a bit surprised when I saw that he was exactly where he was when I'd left. A part of me had expected him to leave the second he was finished eating, seeing as he usually did that whenever he and I were left alone together.

However, it seemed my pleasant surprise was short lived because he rose from the couch the second I entered the living room again, causing me to frown. I hesitated and turned around before he could leave, grabbing gently at his wrist. "Wait," I blurted, not quite thinking about what I was doing. He stopped and turned to look at me, the intensity of his stare making me quickly release him from my grasp.

Yet even so, I managed to convince myself not to look away. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked hesitantly, furrowing my brows.

He pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about?" He frowned, seeming genuinely confused. I paused and stared at him silently, trying to decipher whether he was being genuine or not, but I couldn't be quite sure either way. "You're always trying to avoid me, even when Emmett is around, and you never really say anything to me. I mean, the only time you have spoken more than a few words to me was during an argument." I pointed out, unable to help myself from sulking. My eyes cast down to the floor and I stared at it as if there was something of interest on it. "Do you just not like me?"

A silence rang out at that question, almost loud enough to make me cringe away. That seemed like an answer in itself.

Even so, I didn't quite understand what I had done or why he disliked me, so I felt a bit hurt. I thought I had been nothing but nice to him and yet he seemed to want nothing to do with me whatsoever. I'd hoped he and I could be more like friends than distant roommates, at least for Em's sake, but it was clear that he had no intentions of that happening.

Upset, I nodded my head reluctantly in feigned acceptance. "Okay." I said softly. I bit the inside of my lip and twisted my fingers around one another. "Um, I'm going to go watch a movie now." I practically whispered, flicking my dark eyes up to his bright ones.

And though he looked a bit conflicted, but didn't try to stop me when I left.