Our World

chapter 20: ari

chapter 20

~ari~

      Atlas is still fast asleep by the time I wake up, which is no surprise since it's the weekend and he doesn't have a shift scheduled at work today. He's always up early, so I'm happy he's taking the chance to sleep in for a bit.

       I can't help but stare lovingly at Atlas, feeling so happy that he had accepted my proposal last night. I've been wanting to propose to him for a while now, but I wanted to at least wait until the two year mark of our relationship. Which, I guess, did mean proposing on our two year anniversary, but I couldn't help it.

       I don't even know if we're going to have a long or short engagement, and I don't mind either way. I just wanted Atlas to know that I'm one hundred percent going to always be committed to him, no matter what.

       I stay in bed a bit longer before getting up to make some breakfast for the two of us. Atlas has been very stressed from school and his recent encounters with his family, so I want to make sure he has a completely relaxing day today.

       I just hope he doesn't have a buttload of assignments to do because he really needs the break. Or if he does have assignments to do, I hope he just does some of it. I know he normally likes doing his assignments as soon as possible, even if he has time to do it later.

       Atlas ends up waking up and getting out of bed while I'm making breakfast. He walks up to me, standing behind me as he wraps his arms around me and rests his forehead on my shoulder. "Morning," he mumbles.

       I smile at Atlas's embrace. "Morning. Did you sleep well?"

       "I did," Atlas says. He lifts his forehead off of my shoulder and instead places his chin on it. "I'm very happy."

       "I'm glad," I say. I turn around to face Atlas, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Let's get married tomorrow."

       "I'd rather have a proper wedding," Atlas says.

       "We can have a proper wedding tomorrow."

       "Highly unlikely."

       "Don't worry, I also want a proper wedding."

       Atlas smiles at me before pressing his lips onto mine, wrapping his arms around my neck. I can't help but kiss him back, but not for too long since I'm in the middle of cooking breakfast and don't want to end up burning the food.

       Once we pull away from each other, Atlas sits down at the kitchen table to wait for breakfast. "Do you have any schoolwork to do today?" I ask.

       Atlas shakes his head. "Surprisingly, no. I just have to do some reading from a textbook, but the reading isn't long so I can do it tomorrow if I really want to. And I might do some sketches for our group project, but nothing too big."

       "That's good," I say. "You need the rest. If you do decide to work on some sketches, I can help you. Well, I hope I can help since I probably have no idea what would be considered good or not."

       Atlas smiles at my offer. "It will be nice to just have someone to bounce ideas off of. I'll think of all the technical aspects of the building sketch and you can tell me if it looks good aesthetically or not. But it's only if I decide to work on it. I haven't had a day off in a long time so I just might want to enjoy it."

       "We can enjoy it together, if you know what I mean," I say, winking at Atlas. "We need to celebrate our engagement, after all."

       "If I do know what you mean, that I also know that we celebrated it together last night," Atlas points out. 

       "There's nothing wrong with double the celebration."

       "Whatever you say."

       Atlas decides not to do the reading for one of his classes, at least not right now. As soon as Atlas finishes eating, he puts his plate beside the sink before walking to the living room and flopping down on the couch. "Wake me up when I next have class," he says.

       "So... Monday?" I ask.

       "Yes, exactly. Glad we're on the same page."

       I have finished eating as well, so I also put my plate on the counter before I walk over to the couch and lie down on top of Atlas. "You know, the bed is a lot comfier than the couch," I point out.

       "The couch would be a lot comfier if you weren't lying down on top of me," Atlas says. He gently slaps my arm. "Get off."

       "Awe, but I want to snuggle," I say.

       "Then let me lie down on top of you. You're heavier than me because of all your muscles."

       I switch our positions so Atlas is the one lying on top. I decide to tease him and say, "Well, this doesn't happen often."

       Atlas immediately understands that I'm making a sexual joke, so he lightly slaps my arm again. "Stop it."

       I smile at Atlas before I lean up and gently press my lips onto his before pulling away. "So I know we don't have to be in any rush to plan our wedding, but do you know what season you would like to get married in?"

       "Mmm... Probably spring," Atlas says. "It's not too hot, but it's also not too cold. It will be the perfect weather to get married. Not that I necessarily want an outdoor wedding, but it will be nice for pictures or if we just want to get some fresh air."

       Since we're in late winter, it's definitely too late to plan a proper wedding, so it's likely we won't get married for another year, or possibly more. But like I said, I'm okay with that. As long as I know I will be marrying Atlas sometime in the future, I'm fine waiting however long it takes.

       "And that's also if you want a spring wedding," Atlas says. 

       I run my hands through his hair. "I don't mind what season or weather we get married in, so if you want a spring wedding, we'll plan for one."

       Atlas smiles at me before he kisses my cheek, then rests his head on my chest. "I can't wait to marry you, Ari."

       "I can't wait to marry you too, Atlas."

__________________

since this is my last update for any of my books before the new year, i want to wish you all a happy new year! big changes are coming for me since i'm going to be starting my final semester in university, so i'll be graduating this year! i'm nervous, but also very excited! i hope i can find a job that suits my degree (a major in creative writing and a minor in english).