It Ends with Us, #2
It Starts with Us
by Colleen Hoover
Contents
Chapter Eight: Lily
Overview
Lily and Atlas reconnect over FaceTime, moving from flirtation into a deeper conversation about work, exhaustion, Ryle’s jealousy, and their shared teenage past. Atlas formally asks Lily on a date, but they agree to take their relationship slowly because Ryle’s reaction remains a serious complication.
Lily reads Atlas a journal entry that reminds both of them how vulnerable they were as teenagers, and Atlas reveals that his restaurants have been vandalized by someone he suspects may be a troubled youth. The chapter strengthens Lily and Atlas’s emotional bond while setting up their first real date and reinforcing Atlas’s compassionate instincts.
Summary
Lily waits anxiously for Atlas to call after their charged lunch encounter, worrying that hiding him in a closet earlier may have offended him. When Atlas initiates a FaceTime instead of a regular call, Lily is embarrassed by her bedtime skin-care routine, but Atlas reacts warmly and flirtatiously, easing her nerves.
The conversation shifts to their adult lives. Atlas tells Lily about Corrigan’s, his new fine-dining restaurant, while Lily admits that running the flower shop and raising Emerson as a single mother has left her exhausted and uncertain about her work. Atlas asks Lily on a date, and Lily accepts, but Atlas then asks whether Ryle will be a problem if Lily and Atlas become involved.
Lily explains that Ryle specifically dislikes Atlas because Ryle read Lily’s teenage journals and became jealous of Atlas’s importance in Lily’s past. Atlas is frustrated that Lily still has to account for Ryle’s reactions, but Atlas accepts the reality and agrees that Lily and Atlas will move slowly.
Atlas asks Lily to read from one of the journals, hoping to know what Lily thought of him when they were teenagers. Lily reluctantly reads an entry about going to Atlas for comfort after her parents fought, recalling how Atlas calmed her without words and how young they were when they faced so much hardship. The memory deepens the emotional intimacy between Lily and Atlas.
Prompted by the memory, Lily asks what has been bothering Atlas. Atlas reveals that both of his restaurants have been vandalized, but he has not reported it because the culprit seems young and possibly destitute, reminding Atlas of his own youth. Lily is moved by Atlas’s compassion for the person harming his business.
Emerson wakes and begins crying, forcing Lily to end the call. Lily and Atlas try to plan a date; when the next night does not work because of Atlas’s restaurant event and Lily does not want to introduce Emerson yet, they settle on the following Saturday. Atlas says he will FaceTime Lily again on Sunday, and Lily ends the call giddy and hopeful.
Who Appears
- Lily BloomWaits for Atlas, opens up about exhaustion, Ryle’s jealousy, and old journal memories.
- Atlas CorriganFaceTimes Lily, asks her out, shares restaurant stress, and shows compassion for the vandal.
- EmersonLily’s baby daughter; wakes crying and ends Lily and Atlas’s call.
- Ryle KincaidAbsent but central complication; his jealousy makes Lily cautious about dating Atlas.