Painfully Clear

Jase sits back in his chair, taking a long sip of coffee that, Atlas knows from experience, is scalding hot and should be burning through his tongue right about now.

Fosher, Gary, and Reefer are there as mediators, although only Reefer knows anything more than his name.

Jase is giving him a once over and doesn’t look very impressed. Atlas isn’t shocked, he realized long ago that he’s pretty low on wattage when it comes to Flight7.

“Well?” Jase says, gesturing for him to begin with a sweep of a hand. To begin what, exactly, is Atlas’s biggest concern at the moment. He must look as confused as he feels, because Reefer kicks him in the ankle.

He panics, and goes with what he knows. “You and Luke,” he says, and it clearly was not the best opener, Reefer visibly flinches, but he can’t back track now. “That must take a lot of patience,” oh god, oh god, he’s a dead man. “I mean, I thought about it, but who hasn’t?”

Jase has murder in his eyes. “What?”

Fosher, Gary, and Reefer are nodding along, almost unconsciously, and Jase turns on them.

“Well it’s true,” Gary says defensively. “I mean, please, you didn’t know?”

“No,” Jase says, “I think it’s safe to say I didn’t.”

“He’s brilliant,” Atlas says, “and gorgeous, in a I’d slit your throat as soon as look at you way.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Jase says, “Fosh, you didn’t.”

“He’s right, everyone has, or does, or whatever.”

Jase makes a strangled noise high in his throat.

“Where is Luke, by the way?” Reefer says.

Jase stares at him in a ‘do you honestly think I am ever letting you near him again?’ sort of way.

“Alright,” Reefer says, “never mind.” He stares down at his coffee, considering it.

“Thought about it,” Atlas says, trying to quietly end this disaster he’d inadvertently created. “But there is no way I could grow old with him or anything like that, because he would drive me insane, but you feel free to and…”

It’s very cold, all of a sudden, and Jase stands abruptly, scraping his chair against the flagstone. Atlas blinks, and he’s watching Jase’s retreating back, people scattering before him.

“What?” he says, looking at the others, “what?”

“Luke isn’t going to grow old,” Fosher says gently, “with anyone.”

“I don’t understand,” Atlas says.

“That’s painfully clear,” Gary says, and he just looks so angry.

“He’ll be lucky to see twenty-five,”

“But that’s only…six years from now,” Atlas says.

“Six years,” Fosher says, “we’ve only known him for five.”

0---

A return to 2007 Additions.