It Ends with Us, #2
It Starts with Us
by Colleen Hoover
Contents
Chapter One: Atlas
Overview
Atlas deals with a minor break-in at Bib’s, where the only stolen item is croutons, and Atlas’s empathy for hunger leads Atlas to refuse involving the police. The incident reveals Atlas’s past hardship and his tendency to protect desperate people rather than punish them.
At the same time, Atlas is preoccupied with seeing Lily again after a year and a half, especially now that Lily is no longer married. Atlas’s hope and anxiety over Lily’s promised text reintroduce their relationship as the chapter’s emotional focus.
Summary
Atlas arrives at Bib’s after a break-in and finds ass whole misspelled in red spray paint on the back door. The insult reminds Atlas of his mother’s way of saying the word, and Darin jokes about whether the vandalism was aimed at Atlas personally because Bib’s is Atlas’s restaurant.
Darin suggests a disgruntled employee may be responsible, and Atlas briefly considers Quartz, a former dishwasher Atlas fired for unsanitary work. Brad then reports that nothing valuable seems missing except the croutons prepared the night before. Because the thief apparently stole food rather than equipment, Atlas decides not to call the police.
Atlas explains that Atlas once broke into a restaurant and stole a turkey sandwich because Atlas was hungry, so Atlas does not want someone arrested for taking croutons. Darin worries that the thief might return or target Atlas’s new restaurant, Corrigan’s, and reminds Atlas that Bib’s security camera is still broken.
Atlas receives a text and immediately hopes it is from Lily, but it is not. Atlas thinks back to running into Lily earlier that morning for the first time in a year and a half. Their brief sidewalk conversation left Atlas hopeful because Lily is no longer married and seemed open to exploring what could be between them, but Lily has not texted as promised.
Atlas opens Lily’s contact information, reflects that Atlas had left the choice to contact him with Lily because her life was complicated, and changes her name in his phone from Lily Kincaid back to Lily Bloom. Darin and Brad notice and ask about Lily, but Atlas shuts down the questions after confirming she had a girl. Atlas then asks if Theo is coming in, deciding that if Atlas discusses Lily with anyone, it will be Theo.
Who Appears
- AtlasRestaurant owner; refuses to report a hungry thief and anxiously hopes Lily will text.
- Lily BloomAtlas’s former love interest; recently seen by Atlas and no longer married.
- DarinBib’s employee or colleague; urges Atlas to file a police report and fix security.
- BradBib’s worker; inventories the restaurant and reports that only croutons were stolen.
- TheoExpected to come in Thursday; Atlas considers confiding in Theo about Lily.
- QuartzFormer dishwasher fired by Atlas for unsanitary dishwashing practices.
- Atlas’s motherRemembered through an insult that echoes the vandalized phrase on Bib’s door.