Errol
The drive to Atlas's was about as quick as expected... not really quick at all. He lived further away from the city, but with a few good tunes, I barely noticed as I was pulling into his long ass driveway.
I hadn't really worked out the details of whether Atlas expected me to stay here, or if we were driving to my place. When I messaged him saying I was here, he just responded by telling me to ring the doorbell like a normal person.
Call me crazy but I was not a fan of ringing any doorbells. Like please explain to me why someone couldn't just open the door if they already knew I was out there. No, instead they had some weird facination with me waking up the whole damn household to announce my presence like a fucking pizza delivery man.
Clearly this particular topic got me heated.
Nevertheless I pulled myself out of my convertable and made my way towards the front of the home.
I was nervous, like more nervous than usual, but I wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Atlas was coming over to my place, I was actually checking his out for the first time. The ball was quite literally in my court in regards to judging, so I couldn't place why it felt like the other way around.
The door to Atlas's home was massive. You couldn't see it in all it's glory from the driveway, but as I walked up the well lit steps, I stared in awe. I hadn't really noticed when I picked Atlas up the first time, but now that I had a front row seat, Atlas's home was without a doubt architecturally sound. I was suprised by the attention to detail with the stained windows, and arched tops. Atlas must've had his eyes on this before he lost his sight, because I refused to believe this home wasn't specifically picked out by him, for him.
I hesitently placed my finger on the fancy looking door pad, waiting to hear the bell ring through the home like you could usually do with most homes, but this wasn't the case. I went to push it again, thinking I had missed it the first time, but before I could, the door opened up on its own. "Welcome." A monotoned voice said to me through speakers from somewhere at the entrance. I felt my body jump slightly from the unexpectedness of it all.
"Atlas?" I called out, walking slowly into the home as if there was the possibility I had entered someone elses place. That was a pretty stupid thought on my part considering I had literally been here before, and Atlas didn't have nearby neighbors.
"Hey! sorry, I'm in the kitchen." Atlas replied. I did my best to follow the sound of his voice, turning down the long corridor to a kitchan that was about the size of Texas.
"Listen... I'm not going to downplay the size of my penthouse... but this is kinda insane." I told Atlas, looking around at the state of the art kitchen that either had one meticulously clean owner, or it had never been used.
"The kitchen was one of the main reasons I bought the place." Atlas admitted. "Of course, now I don't use it nearly as much, having lost my sight, but Nyra likes to cook pretty elaborate dishes every once in a while to make the place feel more useful. Her words, not mine. I think pouring a bowl of cereal in here every morning is quite a bit of action."
I chuckled at that as I took a seat on one of the kitchen barstools that were perched by the large island located smack dab in the middle of the kitchen. Atlas was in the process of scooping some mint chocolate chip ice cream into a large bowl, and I looked on in facination.
He was wearing a loose fitted bright yellow graphic t-shirt, with a name of a band that I didn't recognize.
I just couldn't understand this man's obsession with the color yellow.
Judging by some of the paint and clay stains on it, he probably wore it for work. He paired that with some loose fitted black joggers. Everything was always loose fitted on this smaller framed man, which honestly looked comfortable as all hell on him. It made me regret the dress pants I had chosen to change into before leaving tonight.
I watched Atlas worked on pushing the metal scoop deep into the tub of ice cream, before scooping another large portion into the bowl. It was like his hands were touched by the gods or something. I didn't understand how he could be so gentle and precise without seeing, but I reminded myself not to constantly bring it up around him.
I'm sure he had a pretty decent reminder of his lack of sight every day, I didn't need to be the cherry on top.
"I can feel you staring you know." Atlas spoke, tilting his head up in my general direction to acknowledge me with a smile. "Would you like some?" Atlas asked.
That made me pull my eyes away from him almost immediately, as my face started to heat up with embarrassment. If Atlas could feel every time my eyes were on him, I'm positive he thought I was fucking weird by now.
"Sure." I replied, not knowing why. I wasn't big on sweet things but somehow that mint chocolate chip looked like some of the best ice cream I'd ever seen.
Atlas finished scooping a decent amount, before he turned and set the tub back in his freezer. Just seconds later, I heard the familiar pattering of paws as Dash joined us in the kitchen.
Dash was a beautiful golden retriever, with one of the healthiest coats I might've ever seen on a dog. Whatever Atlas was doing, he had to be taking the best care of that dog. I almost forgot that he was a service animal, as I felt the need to go pet him, but I stopped myself before I could act on impulse.
"Looks like Dash is ready to join the party." Atlas joked, as he set the scooper in the sink, and grabbed two spoons. Then he slid the bowl towards me, and walked around the kitchen island to join me on another barstool.
"How long has he been your service animal for?" I asked Atlas. I tried to wait patiently for him to get situated on the stool, but I was already scooping up my first spoon of ice cream.
"A couple years..." Atlas paused a second to think about it. "Maybe going on two or three? It took some time for us to get paired and used to each other, but now I can't imagine a life without a furry body rubbing up against my leg constantly." That part made me chuckle, because Dash pulled up right next his owner like that was his queue. "He's way more than a service animal to me now, and try to make sure he knows that too." Atlas finished as he tilted his head to smile down at his companion.
I found myself staring again, and forced my focus on the bowl of ice cream.
"He doesn't really do a lot when we're home, because I've memorized this home like the back of my hand," Atlas explained to me as he felt for the large bowl next to me, and pulled his own spoon out of it. "But for all he does out there in the shitty gritty world, it's more than enough for him to warrant some rest. He still follows me into most rooms just in case I do need help."
I glanced over at Atlas again, not doing a great job of keeping my eyes off him. He had such a relaxed smile tonight, I wanted to capture it right in my memory. I brought a spoon full of ice cream to my lips, and audibly moaned once the rich flavor hit my tastebuds.
"Goddamn." I whispered more to myself, but Atlas definitely heard it and laughed.
"There's something real special about this flavor and this particular brand. The mint is not too overpowering, just refreshing enough to quench every craving, especially on hot summer days. The dark chocolate chip 'chunks" are more like chips, allowing you to savor more of the mild mint."
I took another spoonful as I listened to Atlas speak. And then another. And then another. I had to force myself to physically push the bowl towards Atlas before I cleared the motherfucker all on my own.
"Please have some before I inhale the rest." I insisted, causing Atlas to chuckle again as he dug his spoon into the bowl. When he brought a more respectful sized spoonful to his lips, the face he made had to have mirrored mine. A quieter moan escaped his lips as he savored the treat, making sure to lick the spoon clean.
If I wasn't staring before, I definitely was now.
Atlas was just going to have to deal with it honestly, because my mind had damn near no control over how often my eyes drifted back to him.
"I'm not big on sweet things, but there's always room for some good mint choco ice cream." He settled on, taking another moderate spoonful before he pushed the bowl back in my direction. I smiled at the fact that we both didn't really have a sweet tooth. It made me wondering what kind of things he did like.
"Yeah I'm not really big on sweet stuff either, but this is next level." I agreed.
The next thing I said was almost muffled by Atlas asking me another question at the same time.
"Do you like savory things?" I asked him.
"Would you like a tour of the place?" He asked me.
We both said yes.
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