Chapter 265: Whenever you are ready
"... do you remember now?"
Lola’s eyes shook as her mouth parted, but no words came out. Her brows crinkled as she studied him in the dimness. And for some reason, all the previous nights he had been on top of her flashed before her, uninvited.
All of them reminded her of that one memory that kept haunting her in her sleep.
That silhouette, same intensity, same... everything.
No, how is that... possible?
Atlas tilted his head to the side, brows rising in intrigue. Slowly, he sat on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on her other side.
"Do you?" he asked again, arching a brow when she shook her head. "No?"
Lola slapped his hand away as she abruptly sat up. "No. Remember what? I remember... nothing."
"..." His mouth curved down as he watched her panic take over. She brushed her hair away and looked everywhere except at him. Understandable. She had been on a quest to find the man she had been with that night, unaware that he had been close—very close.
Then, all of a sudden, the truth came.
Even so...
"This is frustrating, Lola," he said calmly, grabbing her arm to get her attention. "Is it the truth you really want to know? Or something else that could feed your anger toward whoever could’ve done this to you?"
Lola gulped, lips pressed into a thin line. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "Atlas, that’s impossible."
"What’s impossible?"
"That you... me... no, no, no. Whatever you’re doing—"
"A man can visit a shameful place, such as the red district, to survive a night of heat, and neither is it impossible for a woman." His tone remained calm, eyes holding hers sternly. "People make mistakes all the time; people make impulsive decisions every second."
"Not... you," she blurted under her breath, shaking her head. "Not you."
"Why not me?"
"Because you’re... you." Lola bit her tongue. "You’re Atlas Bennet."
She gulped, letting out a shallow laugh as she reached for his hand. "Atlas, whatever game this is, let’s stop now, okay? I don’t like this type of game, and if it’s foreplay, it’s not cutting it."
"I’m not joking—"
"Still, let’s stop." She squeezed his hand, nodding at him. "Let’s stop. I don’t think I can talk about this now."
"Why?"
"Why?" Her brows knitted as she searched his eyes to see if he was serious. "Because I need time to process it. I’ve been looking into this all these years. It cannot be that easy."
Silence fell as they stared at each other. His mouth parted, but before he could speak, Chacha and Second’s voices rang out in the room.
"Mommy?"
Lola perked up and tilted her head toward the door. There, the twins peeked their heads in while their bodies remained hidden behind the wall.
"Yes, babies?"
"Can you sleep with us tonight?" the children asked innocently. "With our little cousins?"
Lola glanced at Atlas before nodding. "Of course," she said, flinging her legs out. "How about I move to your bedroom tonight?"
"Yey~!" the children chimed, skipping away to spread the word to their little cousin.
Before Lola could follow, Atlas rose and grabbed her shoulder. When she stopped, he waited for her to look back. He didn’t speak immediately, studying her face for any reaction.
"Atlas..." she trailed off as his grip on her arm tightened.
"Are you upset?" he asked, raising his brows. "If... what I claim is true, do you hate me?"
Lola didn’t answer immediately, just staring into his eyes. She couldn’t tell exactly what those usually indifferent eyes were conveying, but she knew it was something she didn’t want to know.
"No, Atlas," she whispered. "If anything, I’m... I’m relieved if it really is you. I just need time."
Silence fell once more before he finally let her go. Lola walked out of the bedroom while he watched her.
A deep exhale escaped him as he sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his eyes on the door.
*****
Lola watched Slater try to put the quadruplets to sleep, knowing it would take forever. While he lulled one to sleep, another crawled away, nearly falling off the bed. A third was already sucking his toes, while the last one just stared at Lola, as if reading her entire life.
As for Chacha and Second, they cuddled with her, watching Slater work his "magic."
"Uncle Best, we told you that’s not how you put them to sleep," Chacha mused. "You should listen to us sometimes too."
Second nodded. "We can show you if you want!"
The haggard Slater looked at the twins, then at the three babies on the bed with Lola. Gazing down at the child in his arms, all he saw was a giggling baby.
"Sis, why are you even here?" Since he couldn’t get upset with the children, he sought the easiest target. "Aren’t you here to help me put these guys to sleep? Did you come here to zone out?"
Lola snapped out of her daze, looking at everyone staring at him. "Ah..."
"Uncle Best, our Mommy is very tired today," Second frowned. "You’re the one who volunteered to take care of our little cousins. Are you passing the responsibility to Mommy now?"
Chacha frowned too. "Well, I guess not all the best are the best forever. There’s been an Uncle Best all these years, but there hasn’t been an Auntie Best. Mommy is already the best for me! But if she becomes Auntie Best, I approve."
"Wait—what?" Slater darted his eyes between them, gasping in disbelief.
"Right, Mommy?" The twins turned to Lola.
Lola pursed her lips, staring at the twins with a subtle smile. She reached out to cup their cheeks and smiled softly.
"Let’s just help Uncle Slater, okay?" she hummed. The twins nodded quickly.
Much to Lola and Slater’s surprise, putting the quadruplets to sleep wasn’t as difficult as Slater had made it seem. The two adults watched the bigger children flip Thirdy, pat his bottom several times, and suddenly, he was asleep!
Like clockwork, Chacha and Second just flipped the children, slapped their bottoms, and, like magic, the children were sleeping.
Lola: "...."
Slater: "If it’s that easy, why didn’t you tell me before?"
Hearing that, the twins giggled. "Because it’s fun to watch Uncle Best sing and dance!"
*****
"I swear to God... these children are going to be the death of me," Slater slumped in the corner of the room, where a new couch had been placed since the arrival of the quadruplets. "I love them to death, but I’m also only human."
Seated on the same couch was Lola, but she just rocked her head. When he turned to her, he realized she didn’t seem to be listening either.
"Sis, what’s wrong with you?" he asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "First, you rushed out so early in the morning without even eating. And now, you’re like this."
Slater paused, blinking a couple of times before he gasped. "Don’t tell me you already told my brother about what that man did to you?"
"No." Lola puffed her cheeks, hugging the cushion. "I want to get a glass of water, but I’m sure your brother is downstairs, ready to ambush me."
"Wow."
"Hmm?" she arched a brow. "What?"
"I’m just astounded that you believe in my brother so much. I mean, if he really wanted to ambush you, he would’ve come here and dragged you away," he shrugged. "But my brother’s been waking up choosing peace, so you’ll be fine."
She shook her head and listened as he spoke again.
"So, what’s wrong?" he asked. "If you haven’t told him about your concerns the other night, what’s the matter now?"
Lola cast him a side-eye, opening her mouth, but then shook her head. "It’s nothing, Slater. It’s just... there are a lot of things I have in mind, and my thoughts are all over the place. I’m just trying to collect my thoughts."
Because if it was true that the man she spent that night with was Atlas, then... doesn’t that mean she lost their child? Just thinking about it weighed on her heart heavier than she expected. Not that she had many expectations, but this was something that had never crossed her mind.
"Just... what are the odds, right?" She whispered, earning a hum from Slater.
"What odds?"
She glanced at him and smiled wearily. "Nothing, Slater. Nothing."
*****
Time passed as usual, and as the night deepened, the silence grew heavier. Atlas, who had been up late, finally called it a night. Glancing at the empty side of the bed, his jaw clenched slightly, and he turned his back to it.
But just as he closed his eyes, all he could see was the look in her eyes earlier.
[If anything, I’m... I’m relieved if it really is you. I just need time.]
He couldn’t tell if she said those words to avoid worrying him or if she truly meant them. Either way, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had made a very impulsive decision that could unravel everything.
Amid his thoughts, Atlas felt a sudden weight on the other side of the bed. His eyelashes slowly fluttered open, sensing slender arms wrapped around him from behind. He glanced over his shoulder, only to see Lola smiling at him.
"Thought you needed company," she whispered. "As long as I wake up early, the twins won’t know I slept here, right?"
"Didn’t you say you need time?"
"I do, but sleep doesn’t count as talk." Lola pressed her body against his back. "Let’s just rest for tonight, Atlas."
Silence followed her remark before he carefully turned to face her.
"... okay," he said, holding her safely in his arms. "Whenever you’re ready. For now, you sleep."
Her mouth hooked into a smile as she stared into his eyes before melting into his embrace. "Thank you."