Veronica's POV

"I am not a man who often expresses his emotions"

"You don't say?"

"But I was concerned for you, you scared the shit outta me"

I worked really hard to keep a smile from my face

I saw a ripple in his eyes, like a wave in the arctic ocean, causing  an iceberg to crack and in seconds his arm wrapped around my waist, clashing my body against his chest, his lips were an inch apart from mine. His hot, misty breath tickling my skin in the winter air.

'I-'

"Sshhhh" his first phalange sealed my lips together and I audibly gulped when his eyes travelled all over my face and stopped right at my lips. 

He slowly leaned in and that was when

 The moment was rudely interrupted by loud sound of furniture gliding over the wooden floor and sound of broom sweeping?. 

Was it all a dream?
Ughhhh
I knew it was too good to be true anyways.

It took me almost a minute to come out of my fantasy bubble and realise that someone was in the house. It obviously couldn't be Atlas because I knew he doesn't even know how a hold a broom, leave alone cleaning.

My first thought on hearing the sound again was 'I'm the Marie Kondo in here, who the hell is this person and how dare he steal my vibe', the second though made me jump up and quickly grab the baseball bat under the bed because I realised that someone must have broke in.

'Why would someone break in and start cleaning your place? Not everyone is like you y'know." Well that did make me halt in my steps but I took slow steady movements towards the living room.

My eyes went wide when I saw everything in its original place. The havoc I created yesterday magically disappeared, the flowers looked watered, fresh and healthy, my books were neatly arranged, the floor sparkled and was mess free and the room looked bright again. Who the hell did thi-

I flinched, closed my eyes and an let out an ear piercing scream when I saw a head pop up from under the sofa.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH"

Another scream resonated with mine after a few seconds which made me loosen my grip on the baseball bat and it landed right on my foot. I could instantly feel intense pain radiating from my toe.

"What the fuck did you do?" A loud voice boomed across the room and an arm immediately stabilised my waist. I traced the arm to see Atlas by my side, his mesmerising blank face and tightened jaw came into view, typical him. The only shocking, unusual thing I noticed about him was the concern dancing in his eyes that made me smile. Because the concern was for me, only me. It all felt like a deja-vu, I could feel myself drowning into his oceanic electrifying eyes. The person who was, or should I say still is, anaesthetised to feelings, emotions and affection is letting his guards down, 

Only for me.

"EARTH TO GOLD! Im asking you something! are you okay?" he clicked his fingers in front of my eyes and I vigorously nodded, my cheeks turning red when I realised that I momentarily zoned out and was smiling like a complete idiot. The pain that was numbed for a few seconds started shooting again that made my face scrunch.

"Oh my god! I swear I had no idea you were standing there and then I freaked out when you started screaming and that made me scream too. I am so sorry, can I get you anything?" A petite woman, probably in her 30s with warm brown eyes and waves tied way up in a tight bun, rushed towards me with apologetic eyes.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! SHE IS IN PAIN BECAUSE OF YOU, DON'T YO-" The poor woman nervously flinched. Although her head was ducked, she looked immensely terrified. I felt so bad for her. 

"Hey its fine, it wasn't your fault. I'm sorry for freaking you out like that. Can you pls help me sit there?"I cut Atlas off and they helped me  limp my way to the sofa where I sat and the kind lady dashed to the kitchen to fetch an ice pack. 

I violently grabbed Atlas's arm , making him kneel in front of me. 

"Who is she?"

"Househelp" he said in a duh tone.

"How could you bring her in without letting me know? you scared the forceps outta me!I thought som-"

"You would have freaked out if you saw the mess you created yesterday, besides, you don't have to be scared of anything or anyone as long as I am here." He whispered the last part.

This man is going to be the death of me.

I could feel the soothing cold desensitising my nerves, increasing the blood supply around that area, fresh new substances being replaced and the old toxins, waste chemical substances that cause the pain being washed out. Endorphins inducing the analgesic effect.

"Thank you so much for doing this, I know it must have been very difficult for you to single-handedly clean everything. I still cannot believe you did this in merely a few hours because it would have taken me days!" she nervously smiled and muttered a small 'no problem' when Atlas rudely dismissed her with a hand gesture.

She bowed.

What? Seriously? is he a prince or something? I scoffed.

I felt two pair of eyes on me immediately after that. Uh oh, did I just say that out loud? The lady slightly giggled and ran out before Atlas could start shooting daggers at her again.

He stood there, still looking at me before he bent and trapped me between his arms that gripped the either side of the sofa.

"You still don't know who I am do you?"

I shook my head because I couldn't muster up the energy to form words when he was this close to me, his eyes piercing mine like a hawk.

He slowly decreased the gap between us, his intoxicating cologne increasing my heartbeat.

"Google me".

With that said, he left, whistling his way out to his room. I let out a breath I didn't know I held.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was in my room, studying for a surgery tomorrow when a someone angrily started banging the door with a frequency of 2 bangs per second. I rushed towards the main door, so did Atlas.

"VERONICA ISABELLA LOCKWOOD! WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE, AND YOU BETTER OPEN UP BEFORE I BREAK THIS DAMN DOOR WITH MY IRON FIST"

I audibly gulped.

------------------------------------------

Cryotherapy - pain treatment that uses a method of localized freezing temperatures to deaden an irritated nerve.

HEYY GOLDIES!!!! I wish you a very happy new year. Hope this year brings in all the happiness, love, affection, care, light and warmth you truly deserve. I hope you keep shining, making everyone's day brighter.

Any idea who the person is? Also, do you also feel like Atlas is warming up or is it just me?😉

Hope you liked this chapter, stay tuned for the next one.

Have a great day/night✨
Always keep smiling💖
Stay safe💫