Broken

Chapter 34

At Atlas' apartment, Atlas looked at Thea with his brows furrowed in confusion.
"Mac?"

"Yea." Thea who was seated on the other sofa turned to face Atlas and replied with a nod, "Killian doesn't talk about it but I can sense there's something there."

"Mac doesn't look like someone who's easily harmed, more like someone who causes the harm."

Thea's head titled to a side as she glared at him accusingly,
"Really?"

"What? I'm not judging." Atlas said, "Just stating facts."

"Well, same goes for you." Thea muttered under her breath,

"What's that?"

Thea snapped her gaze to her brother's,
"Nothing, I'm saying every single person becomes who they are because of something they've been through."

Atlas looked at Thea thinking about how on the nose that was. He thought about how one event could change the course of one's life because of a single decision made. He wondered what would be of him and Emily if that night hadn't turned out the way it did. If instead of being stunned about what was about to happen, he grabbed the steering wheel tighter and steered them to safety.

"Don't you think so?"

Atlas was lost in thought he didn't hear her.

"Atlas?"

Nothing.

"Atlas?!"

"Yes." Atlas snapped his gaze from the nothing he was staring at to meet Thea's curious gaze,

"Are you alright?"

Atlas nodded and hummed a 'yes' in reply,
"What were you saying?"

Thea studied him for a second knowing she'd lost him for a moment,
"Nothing." She said, still unnerved by what just happened, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Thee, I'm fine."

"But that's the thing." Thea said, "You're not fine."

Atlas didn't know how to answer that,
"But I will be."

"And you won't be if you don't find someone to talk to."

"I'll be fine."

"Well, until then, try not to wreak havoc on my relationship."

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"Atlas, I love you, but you need to find something more entertaining than looking for ways to sabotage my relationship with Killian."

Atlas sighed and looked away,
"I'm just...trying to protect you."

"From what?"

"Getting your heartbroken." He looked at her speaking louder than he intended,

They looked at each other for a moment before Thea sighed.

"Atlas, everyone experiences heartbreak." Thea said, "Right now I can't imagine not being with Killian and if we end up breaking up down the line, then so be it." Pause. "Everything does happen for a reason."

"That's new."

Thea smiled,
"Killian says it a lot." Pause. "He believes whatever happens that isn't part of what we planned, it's just God redirecting our paths to something better. Even if it means taking the difficult road."

"It looks like he's gotten you to believe as well."

"Maybe. The way he takes a bad situation and finds the good in it is just a really interesting way to look at life with a new perspective; the Godly perspective." She said with a smile and a far away look,

"I'd say the unrealistic perspective."

Thea looked at Atlas with a look that said 'are you kidding me' which made him smile,
"The Atlas I left in London would have thought that was a wonderful thing."

"A lot has changed."

"I know. Which I'm guessing is why you've gone from being a protective brother to a brother who would go the lengths to sabotage my relationship to, and I'm paraphrasing, 'save me from heartbreak'."

"I'm still the same protective brother and I'm looking out for you."

"What happened, Atlas?"

Atlas felt a clench in his chest as Thea stared at him with sad eyes.

"You've gone from being the optimistic big brother to the pessimistic one." Thea felt the lump in her throat begin to grow as her eyes slowly welled up with unshed tears, "I miss you."

"I'm right here, Thee."

Thea pushed off the sofa and went to join Atlas who opened his arms which she went straight into. She placed her head on his chest and shook it.
"You're here but still so far away."

"Everyone changes over time." Atlas said, "There's no growth without change."

Thea sniffed as the tears ran down her face and fell onto Atlas' shirt.

"Didn't you just say something about things happening for a reason."

"Yea?"

"Well, maybe this is like that." He said, "Maybe this is that difficult road you were talking about."

"I hope so."

Atlas placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Maybe Mac is also on that road." Thea smiled to herself, "Because she looks like she's having a really hard time."

"More like giving everyone a hard time."

"Which is what I told you a moment ago, she's been through something life-altering...just like you."

Atlas snorted a laugh,
"Mac is nothing like me."

Thea pulled back just a little to see his face,
"Why do you say it like that?"

"I'm not saying it anyhow, I'm just saying she looks comfortable where she is right now."

"And you're not?" Thea frowned,

"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you saying."

Atlas sighed,
"How did we get back to discussing Mac?"

"Because I think you're both in the same boat." Thea placed her head back on his chest,

"I thought we were on the same road, not in the same boat." Atlas was confused,

"So, you agree that your situations are similar?"

"Oh," Atlas groaned, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Thea chuckled quietly but Atlas could feel it rather than see it which made him smile,
"All I'm saying is maybe you two aren't as different as it might seem."

Atlas closed his eyes and nodded but then remembered she couldn't see him,
"I hear you."

"Good."

Atlas frowned and thought if that was all he had to say to get her to stop talking about it, he would have said it at the start of this conversation.