Taste of Iron

Fourteen: Main Characters Of A Romance Novel

Fourteen: Main Characters Of A Romance Novel

The one thing that Atlas could truly appreciate was good food. And Emil had been right. There were no leftovers in anybody's plate, and part of Atlas wanted to go talk to the chef and discuss recipes.

Eating with Emil and his friends had been...interesting, to say the least. They weren't quite what Atlas had expected, though to be fair this was his first time hanging out with a bunch of criminals so he didn't really know what the bar was.

He wouldn't go as far and say that he had fun with them, but it wasn't bad either. Taylor was goofy as hell, and had a charming innocence to him that made Atlas want to ruffle his hair, though he wouldn't dare do that. Esteban was quiet most of the night, only pitching in to speak when he was asked a direct question. The others didn't seem to mind, they were probably used to it.

Ava was the one Atlas felt he could relate to the most. She was clearly the clever and rational one, and the amount of times he shared a knowing look with Ava whenever Emil said something nonsensical made it seem like they were almost getting along too well.

Emil didn't let Atlas pay, which he should've seen coming. He insisted, but Emil said that Atlas had cooked for him way too many times so this was his treat. Atlas could only sigh. He had indeed, made food for him a lot but that was literally at the restaurant that Emil owned, with ingredients and equipment that Emil paid for. So it wasn't really the same thing.

"We were thinking of hitting a club later. You guys in?" Taylor asked. Emil glanced at Atlas, who frowned slightly. Running into his friends at dinner was one thing, but going out with them...

"Some other time, maybe. We have work in the morning," Emil declined.

"¿Mirar todo el día a la persona que te gusta ahora se llama trabajo?" Esteban muttered.

Ava burst out laughing as Emil shrugged casually, not denying the allegation. Taylor looked at the three of them in confusion, as always.

"What did he say?" Taylor asked.

"Nothing," Emil replied.

"He asked if staring at your crush all day is called work now," Atlas translated. Emil whipped his head towards the chef, looking at him in awe.

"You speak Spanish?" Emil questioned with a happy grin.

"I took it in high school," Atlas mumbled, feeling a little embarassed. Both by Esteban's statement and the attention on him. "Also...Duolingo."

"That's so cool! Cada cosa sobre ti hace que me gustes más," Emil stated.

Atlas blinked. The two were staring at each other, with Atlas looking flushed and Emil smiling widely without a care of the world. He was flabbergasted at Emil's tendency to say whatever was on his mind, despite who might hear it. The crime boss was openly flirting with him and declaring his feelings in front of all his friends, as if he couldn't give a shit about their presence.

"Maybe I should download Duolingo too," Taylor spoke, breaking the silence.

It was finally time to leave, and Atlas watched with the strange feeling he still hadn't grown accustomed to, as Emil said bye to the waitress. He hadn't realized just how hard he was glaring at them, until his eyes met Ava who passed him a smirk. Atlas looked away, embarassed that he had been caught.

Once they were in Emil's car, neither of them spoke as the man started driving. The silence wasn't awkward. On the contrary, it was quite peaceful. Atlas looked out the passenger side's window, staring at the buildings and people that they were passing by. He loved the city lights. He always had. Something about them brought him such tranquility, as if reminding him that the world was bigger than what surrounded him.