as Atlas's lips pulled into a soft smile. Our breaths mingled with the others still regaining our breaths from the last kiss. A smile stretched my lips when Atlas's lips opened and then closed again.

"Speechless?" I asked, a laugh bubbling from my lips.

He laughed, too, "No, I'm trying to find the perfect thing to say,"

I let out a small laugh, my hand on his face tracing the line of his jaw and the curve of his cheekbone. He pressed his hand over mine and my eyes met his. The soft smile on his lips brought a smile onto my lips.

"Eden," He breathed, "Fuck falling in love, I think I'm already there."

A small chuckle left my lips and he pulled me closer to him. When he pressed his lips to mine, my thoughts didn't disappear like they usually did. One thought in my head kept repeating over and over and over again in my head.

He might love me.

I sucked in a breath when Atlas placed his hand on my thigh, pulling me closer to him. As an intense warm feeling swarmed in my stomach, I pulled Atlas closer. His lips against mine were a feeling I don't think I could live without. The electric feeling it shot down my spine made my limbs go limp. The way his lips slid against mine made my heart rate boom in my chest.

When he pulled back, I let out a sigh and he laughed against my lips. I smiled and sat back, turning around so I could lean against him. He pulled me to him and let me get comfortable against his chest. I picked up my drink and sipped from it, the coldness of the drink a stark difference to the temperature in my body.

As Atlas softly brushed my hair back, I glanced up at him. "I have something to show you,"

His eyebrows rose softly and I nodded, picking my phone up and opening up Spotify. The song I wanted to show him was the last thing I listened to so I hoped there weren't any ads.

I pulled the buffer back and pressed the play button. When Sugar by BROCKHAMPTON started to play, I stared at the album cover completely enveloped in the moment I was in right now.

Spendin' all my nights alone, waitin' for you to call me

You're the only one I want by my side when I fall asleep

Tell me what I'm waitin' for

I breathed out a content sigh, smiling up at Atlas whose eyes were closed, a soft smile on his lips. He looked so beautiful, it made my body ache. It made my heart want to leap out of my chest. My head was spinning and my eyes were swimming. I felt as if I was high.

When he finally looked down at me, his hand brushed over my cheek. My eyes fluttered closed and a small smile stretched my lips.

"Do you ever think about what'll happen after we get home?" Atlas asked and when I opened my eyes, I found myself lost in the sadness, in the beauty, and in the universes in his eyes.

I nodded, "All the time,"

I moved around so that I was facing him a little. He brushed my hair back absentmindedly as he chewed on his bottom lip. I was entranced by him.

"Sometimes I think about what it would be like to just go back home. Back to school, back to the formalities, back to the forced smiles..." He said, lost in a bad thought.

"I just want to stay here and live in such blissful ignorance." He continued, his fingers that were softly brushing against my cheek and my ear, driving me to the brink of insanity.

"But we can't," I said, the finality in my words like a stab in the heart. I hated how there wasn't another choice. After high school was college and after that was work and after that was marriage and kids and after that was getting old.

I wanted to stay here with Atlas entrapped in this little romance for the rest of forever. That was stupid an naive of me, as usual.

Atlas nodded, "What happens to you when you get home?"

I frowned, dropping my head, "I tell Leah and Julia that I'm moving. Leave you and the others. Tell Mom and Dad that I hate them for putting me through this. I'm so proud of Lydia, I am, but I don't want to have to leave. I was practically born in that house."

I laid my head down on Atlas's chest, letting out a small sigh. I looked up at him, softly, "What about you? What happens to you?"

He was quiet for a long time as we listened to the last few lines of the song playing overhead. His hand entwined with mine and he squeezed it gently. I watched as he planted a kiss to the back of my hand.

Back and forth

I'll take that if that's all you askin' for

With my legs up on the dashboard

Only thing in my pocket is my passport, pa-passport

So, do you love me, love me, love me?

Do you love me, love me, love me?

Do you love me, love me, love me?

Do you love me, love me? Oh

"I--" He started, but stopped for a second. I frowned at him, waiting for him to tell me something like he'll probably finish high school and get into a good college, but he didn't.

"My Mom wants to send me to this school in Boston." He started to say and at that moment, I wanted to cry. Not for me, but for him. The last thing he needed right now was his stability pulled from underneath him and that's exactly what she was doing.

"Why?" I asked, helplessly.

He shrugged, a small smile on his lips, "Why do parents ever do shit like that?"

All I could do was stare at him. "They want me to get a better education. I slacked off a lot last year so they're hoping this school will be able to whip me into shape for college."

I frowned, "Well, is that what you want?"

He glanced down at me, shaking his head a little, "I don't really have a choice,"

I nodded, "Did you tell Jude and Dawson?"

He nodded, "Yeah, they've known for a while now."

As I placed my head down on Atlas's chest again, I let out a small laugh. "What?" He asked.

I shook my head, tears clouding my vision. "We're setting ourselves up for failure, you see that, don't you?"

He laughed softly, pulling me closer to him, "Yeah, I'm fully aware."

I buried my face into his chest, "Have you ever felt this way for someone else? Feel like you don't care if you'll lose them in the end, all that you care about is that you get a few days of being in love with them."

I felt him shake his head, "Never, this is all new to me,"

I look up at him, a small smile on my lips with tears in my eyes, "Really?"

He nodded asking me the same question. I thought hard about it and shook my head. With Keldan, there was something, but it wasn't anything like what we had right now. With Keldan, I was always scared when I was kissing him. I never knew why, but I always felt that whatever we had would crumble so fast because... we were two very different people. "Never,"

He smiled, pressing his lips to mine for a second. "Good," He whispered against my lips.

I picked myself up a little and looked down at the water underneath us. As the street lights turned on above us, I smiled at Atlas, "How deep do you think the water is?"

He smiled looking down and shrugging, "Where we're sitting? I'd say like four feet,"

I nodded, standing to my feet, a small smile on my lips, "Good,"

I quickly kicked off my socks and shoes, smiling at Atlas who was watching me in curiosity. I considered taking off my sweatpants, but decided that it would be weird to be half naked in public like this.

I sat back down on the edge and slipped into the water. I let out a strangled gasp as I was dipped into the frigid water. Behind me, Atlas laughed. I shot him an irritated look, a small smile on my lips.

When my body started to adjust to the cold, I let out a small sigh and turned to Atlas. I smiled at him as I adjusted the drawstring of my pants.

"Get in," I said, reaching my hand out for him to take. He shook his head.

"I may be in over my head with you," He started causing a stupid smile to stretch the corners of my lips. I frowned as he finished, "But I'm not stupid. You're going to get sick, Ede."

I blinked at the new nickname he called me by. It wasn't a new nickname; Lydia was the first one to use that with me and then Julia and Leah started to use it until everyone was either calling me E or Ede.

But when Atlas said it, I felt my body quiver and my organs turn into soup. And even though I was standing in freezing cold water, my body felt warm all over.

"Did you just call me Ede?" I smiled at him.

He blinked, confused as to why I was asking the question. As he stared at my lips and looked into my eyes, his cheeks reddened slightly, "I wanted to try it out,"

I nodded, turning around slightly, "Try it out more. I like it when you say it."

He let out a small laugh and by the time I turned around again, he was climbing into the water with me. My cheeks reddened at his bare chest and I found it hard to look at anything else. With my face burning a hundred degrees hotter than it should've, he walked over to me and I looked up at him.

Our bodies were hovering near each other, but we weren't touching... yet. His muscles were flexed as he adjusted to the frigid water and I found myself entranced with every part of him. When his hands disappeared under the dark waters and wrapped around mine, I let him.

I watched in a haze as he picked my hands up and placed them on his biceps (since I was too short to reach his shoulders). His eyes met mine as his arms slid around my bare waist. I shivered not from the cold but from the heat radiating off his body and surging through mine.

He pulled me closer to him, my chest against his and his breath warm against my cheek. My grip on him tightened and I didn't miss the smile that stretched his lips at that.

"We don't have much time left," I whispered to him. This was a conversation that Atlas and I needed to have. We were both aware that whatever this was would end. I just wasn't sure if he was aware it was so soon. Whatever words we would exchange right now, were for Atlas and I.

"I'm not sure about you, but I want to spend every moment we have together, not second-guessing ourselves. Whatever comes to mine, we do it because all we'll have after this summer is our memories."

Atlas frowned for a second before he smiled, softly, "Eden, is this your way of making me agree with everything you want to do?"

A small laugh tumbled from my lips, "Yes,"

His smile widened at that and he pulled my chin towards him, our lips connecting softly. My eyes fluttered closed as his lips moved gently against mine.

When he pulled away a fraction, a small breath left my lips. I smiled softly as Atlas pressed his forehead to mine, "Wherever you go, I follow."

A giddy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and I wrapped my arms around his neck and he laughed, pulling me into a hug. As I wrapped my legs around his torso and he held me to him, I was sure I'd never feel anything like this again. I planted a kiss on the side of his neck and his arms tightened around my waist.

"I want to meet Jace," I said, laying my head down on Atlas's shoulder. At my statement, Atlas laughed.

"What?" I asked, my lips pulling into a smile.

Atlas shook his head, "He'll get too attached to you. More than I am right now."

My cheeks burned red as I picked my head up. His eyes fluttered up to meet mine and I smiled at how for a change, I was taller than him. I pressed my lips to his, "More than you are right now?"

He nodded, his eyes falling closed as my lips hovered over his. I smiled at the way his hands tightened around me and I brushed my lips against his. His eyes fluttered open, annoyance washing over his features. I let out a small laugh and let him turn around and place me down on the ledge. He stood between my legs, his arms still on my waist.

"I have a question," I asked to which he nodded,his eyebrows raising as he waited for me to say my question. "Are you straight?"

A small laugh left his lips and my lips stretched into a smile, "I find it impressive how fast your mind works,"

I smiled proudly and watched as he shrugged, "Yeah, I think so."

I frowned, "Think so? Have you kissed a boy before?"

He smiled up at me and tilted his head to the right a little, "Why are you so curious?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I was just wondering, y'know?"

He nodded and eventually nodded, "Yeah, I have. Once last year."

My eyebrows rose, "Really?"

He nodded, planting a small kiss on my jaw. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. He planted a kiss on my shoulder next.

I smiled, "Well, I don't know how, but you just got hotter."

At that, Atlas laughed, the vibrations he released reverberating in the pit of my stomach. A shiver ran through me as a breeze that wasn't warm enough passed us by. Atlas pulled back and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Cold?" He asked and I rolled my eyes at his taunting smile.

He stepped away from me and I took that as my queue to get up and I watched as he lifted himself out of the water. I looked away, a complete hot mess as he took his shorts off and started to squeeze them dry. I followed his lead and hoped to God that he didn't look over here.

Of course, by the time I was done, Atlas was already looking at me, a relaxed smile on his lips.I rolled my eyes to hide the redness in my cheeks and he held out his hand for me. After I picked up the bag full of stuff and grabbed my drink, I took Atlas's hand.

As we walked back the way we came from, he glanced at me, looking at me a little longer than he had all night. I didn't mind at first, but when he tripped on the sidewalk, I laughed.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" I asked, blushing softly, "You'll accidentally kill yourself,"

He smiled, "You look better without any makeup on,"

My eyebrows rose, "I barely wear any makeup,"

He shook his head, "No, you do. You darken your eyebrows or something and you clear up the faint freckles you have on your cheekbones."

I frowned, touching my cheekbones in confusion, "I don't have freckles,"

He smiled, stopping and pulling me in front of him. He raised his hand to my face and tapped five different spots on my face. I laughed softly, moving his hand from my face.

"They're like five different beauty marks on your face," He said, "Barely noticeable, but there."

I smiled, rolling my eyes softly. I pulled him along with me, "You're very observant,"

He smiled, softly, "Only to things that are worth observing,"

I smiled at him and hooked my arm around his, letting him lead me back to the apartment we were staying in. All throughout the walk, he told me about his room back home that looked like it belonged to a 15 year old boy. The walls were covered in a total of about 124 posters and each shelf was covered in dozens of trophies from his childhood.

He told me about his pets that he used to have while he was growing up. He had a pet fish, Hampton, when he was eight, it died in less than a month. He had a hamster that died a year after he got it; his name was Jefferson. And lastly, he had a dog when he was 13 named George that they gave up for adoption since they found out his Mom was allergic.

He told me about his fascination with the constellations as he stared up at the sky and told me about his love of mixing foods together. I made him promise me that he'd cook for me one day.

He did.

Throughout his stories, I couldn't help, but smile like an idiot. I wanted to know everything about him and he was making it easy for me. I was scared that by the time I got home, he'd leave me and all the memories I thought would stick forever would disappear.

I squeezed his hand gently, "Write them down,"

He frowned at me, "What?"

My smile widened, "Write down all these stories and memories for me. I-- I want them."

He stopped and frowned slightly. Then a smile stretched his lips, "Only if you do the same,"

I nodded, quickly planting a kiss on his cheek and running up the steps with him following close behind me. He was doing things to me and I was completely fine with it. It was getting harder to breathe when I was without him. It was getting darker without his hand in mine.

I hope you guys liked this chapter! Sorry it took so long to get an update out, but I hope you enjoyed it HAHA so, what'd you think??

AND SHIT THANK YOU FOR 50K WHAT THE FUCK I LOVE U GUYS

Also, I just want my readers to know that if you want to do something with someone, go out and do it. Don't ask yourself if you'll regret it later or if you'll get in trouble for it later. Just jump right in because every one of us should live in the moment. I don't want any of you to miss out on beautiful things that could happen to you everyday just because you're overthinking. If you take my advice, I'll take it too.

Live in the now, babes. Love you.