Chapter 14
WYLDER
Neo doesn’t want to talk. Whenever I try, he refuses to answer me. He ignores me or sometimes just places his hands over his ears so he can’t hear me.
I fucking hate it. Hate that he won’t just tell me what’s wrong.
I want to communicate like adults, but he’s not letting me.
I hate that I’ve come to enjoy the little things he does for me during the day.
The coffees. The food. Reminders to take breaks.
Taking over when he can see I’m getting too stressed.
Now that he doesn’t do them anymore, I notice.
I fucking notice.
The only thing that changes over the next week is Neo’s mood. With every day that passes, it grows darker. His smiles become rarer. It’s like he’s drawing in on himself, closing the door on the sunlight within him and refusing to let it shine.
I don’t like it.
I can’t stand it.
He even pretends I didn’t ask him to pass the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner. He just leans over and gives them to Harley, like I don’t exist.
It’s the worst holiday I’ve ever celebrated. Which, growing up with a father like mine, is saying something.
After yet another day of monosyllabic answers, sad glances, and far too many feet between us, I’m at my wit’s end. I have to do something. Neo’s unhappy. He’s unhappy.
I won’t allow it.
I need to become a sleuth. A Sherlock. Never did like that guy. He was far too slow, too bogged down by details.
I rub my eyes.
Maybe I do need to be that loathsome detective.
Fuck.
I stand up and step into the hallway, reaching up into the coat closet but not finding my hat.
Hell.
It seems I’m not the classic Sherlock after all.
I know where to start though. I took the wrong approach by confiding in Samson. He barely knows Neo and is as terrible as I am at matters such as these.
Luckily, there’s someone in this house who does know him. Someone who’s managing to make a relationship work with a Buckingham.
The craziest of us all.
It doesn’t take me long to track Ansel down. He’s in the cinema room, sprawled across Cade’s lap. From how they scramble up hastily, they certainly weren’t paying attention to the film on the screen.
I wince, making a mental note to ask Dotty to do an extra-thorough clean of the leather seats. “Sorry to interrupt the canoodling. Can I speak with you?”
“Now?” Cade asks in exasperation. “I kind of have a situation I need to take care of.”
“I’m sure you can last ten minutes without an orgasm.” I roll my eyes. The two of them are constantly fucking. I can’t imagine being that needy for another person.
Can’t you?
I clear my throat. “Besides, you’re not the one I want to speak to.”
“You want to speak to me?” Ansel’s brows hit his hairline. “Did I do something wrong?”
I don’t like that that’s what he assumes. Unlike his friend, Ansel has been the perfect guest whenever he’s spent time here. “Of course not. I would like to speak to you in private though.”
The last thing I need is Cade getting wind of me having fucked things up with Neo. He’ll never let me live it down.
“Sure.”
Ansel heads to the door, but doesn’t make it more than a few feet before Cade grabs his arm to stop him. “Hold up a sec, butterfly.”
My brother glares at me over his boyfriend’s head. “He’s not doing any work for you or The Firm. And if this conversation is connected to Umbra in any way, you can forget it right now.”
I tut. Cade takes protectiveness to the extreme.
Given how we found Ansel that night in the warehouse, I don’t blame him.
I’m not wired in the same way though. It’s better to understand and utilize the strengths of those around you, even those you love.
“I know your rules. Don’t worry, this isn’t about work. ”
“Color me intrigued,” Ansel says, ducking out of Cade’s hold. “Don’t worry, Titan, I’ll be right back.”
I lead us out to the gardens. Fresh air didn’t help last time, but there’s less chance of being overheard out here.
“So, what’s up?” Ansel asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Is this about my bestest friend? The one I’d die for?”
I round on him immediately. “Has he spoken to you? Do you know what’s wrong?”
“Whoa.” He holds up his hands, eyes wide. “Simmer down, big guy. Neo hasn’t said anything.”
“Fuck.” I rub a hand over my face. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Ansel says with a small smile. “It’s kind of cute seeing you all worked up over him. You’ve never been like this before.”
“Of course I have,” I snap. I start to pace, trying to burn off some of the restless energy that’s lingering under my skin. It’s been there ever since my date with Neo. “He works me up constantly with all the bullshit he pulls.”
“Not like this.” Ansel’s eyes are bright with amusement as he watches me stalk up and down the path. “This is different.”
“It is. He isn’t pranking me anymore.”
“And that…bothers you?”
I jerk my head indecisively. “Yes and no. I don’t mind not finding the toes of my socks cut off or my bed full of jam, but I do mind that he’s not talking to me.”
“He’s not?”
“No.” I stop and face him, the energy giving way to fatigue. I haven’t been sleeping well recently, lying awake in case Neo decides to show his face. “He’s been odd with me ever since our date.”
“Ah, the date.” Ansel nods slowly. “The arcade was a nice touch. He’s always loved those. Lost himself in those for hours…”
I take a step closer to him. “So he has spoken to you.”
Ansel shrugs a shoulder. “Kinda. He mentioned that the two of you went out, that he requested it through The Firm, but that was it. I thought it was strange at the time, but I figured maybe he didn’t want to encourage everyone’s teasing.”
I grunt. “Neo doesn’t give a shit about that.”
“True,” Ansel sighs. “I should’ve known better, really. Neo doesn’t shut up at the best of times. Thinking about it now, it’s definitely weird he didn’t say more.”
“So, you don’t know what’s wrong with him?”
“Nope.” Ansel studies me closely. “But that’s not what’s important right now.”
“What?” How can he say that? Neo’s upset, and that’s more important than anything else.
“I’m more concerned about why you care,” Ansel muses. “So what if Neo’s upset? What does it matter to you?”
I practically splutter in indignation. “It…it matters! Something’s wrong, and it’s something I did. I know it. I have to fix it.”
Ansel doesn’t break his stare. “But why?”
“Because I have to.” I tug at my hair in frustration. “He’s not happy, and I can’t stand it.”
A slow smile works over Ansel’s face. “Holy shit. You like him.”
I flinch. It’s one thing to admit it to Samson, but Ansel? It’ll have my brothers on my tail before I make it to my office. “Don’t be ridiculous. I care about him as my employee.”
“Yeah, okay,” Ansel says. I don’t need to be good at reading people to know he’s being sarcastic. “If you say so.”
“Will you help me? I can’t go another day with him ignoring me. It’s messing everything up.”
“All right, walk me through the date,” Ansel says. “Tell me everything.”
I do, careful not to miss a single detail. I even admit that I shared secrets with Neo, but not what they were.
I’m not comfortable opening up to anyone other than Neo.
“He was fine until the diner,” I conclude miserably. “I don’t know where I went wrong.”
“Neither do I, if I’m being honest.” Ansel bites his lower lip, his gaze somewhere in the distance. “Unless…unless you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“If that’s the case, why is he ignoring me?”
Ansel nibbles at his bottom lip. “I can’t betray his confidence.”
“So you do know something.”
“Not about you or your date, no.” He fidgets with the edge of his sleeve, speaking carefully. “But I know him. He doesn’t like to get close to people.”
“That’s not true. Up until our date, he was attempting to live in my lap.”
And sleep in my bed.
And suck me off like he was made for it.
Ansel continues to fidget. “Emotionally, not physically. Neo doesn’t like to let people close to him because he expects them to leave.”
“That’s not what’s happening here. We aren’t in a relationship or anything. It was one date. A date he requested via The Firm.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
I growl, starting to pace again. “I don’t understand.”
“No,” Ansel says sadly. “I don’t think you do. What do you want, Wylder?”
“I want Neo to be Neo again.” I sigh. “I want things to go back to how they were before the date.”
“For him to be annoying the shit out of you?”
“If that makes him happy, then yes.” I throw my hands up in the air in frustration. “I’m flying blind here. You’ve got to give me something.”
“I’ll give you two things. First, you need to accept that things might never go back to how they were.”
I stop to stare at him. “Why not? Nothing’s changed for me.”
Hasn’t it?
“If you say so.” Ansel smirks like he can hear my inner voice and agrees. “But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed for him.”
That’s not true. Even if Ansel’s right and Neo can’t let anyone close, there’s nothing to suggest he even likes me that way.
Aside from the two times he sucked your cock, obviously.
I rake my hand through my hair. “Fine. What’s the second thing?”
“If you want Neo to stop ignoring you, take a leaf out of his book. Get in his space. Refuse to let him ignore you. Annoy him until you have his attention.”
I open my mouth to say I can’t do it, that it’s not socially appropriate.
But then Ansel speaks again. “Trust me. This will make you happy in the long run. Both of you.”
I don’t give a shit about my own happiness, but I’ll settle for Neo’s. “Fine. I think this is a terrible idea, but I’ll give it a go.”
I return to my office ten minutes later with Ansel’s advice ringing in my ears.
Neo doesn’t look up at my arrival. He focuses on his laptop like I don’t even exist.
I clear my throat, but he doesn’t react. I glance at how far away he’s sitting, so unlike a few days before when our chairs were so close the arms stacked on top of each other.
“I’m back,” I say, and he sighs, his clacking pausing for a second before picking back up.