LOGINWhat Fear Leaves BehindDANIELThe words lingered between us long after neither of us spoke.Rain hammered against the windows, filling the silence Neo refused to break. I looked away first. My chest rose and fell unevenly as I dragged a hand through my hair, the other still hanging stiffly at my side, fingers locked around the grip of the gun.I wasn’t sure whether I was trying to calm myself down… or stop myself from saying something we’d both regret.Neo took a step closer. His gaze dropped to the weapon still in my hand.I stepped back, jaw clenching hard.“Don’t.”“Don’t what?”“Don’t keep looking at me like that.”“Like what?”My heart rate spiked.“Like you understand what almost happened tonight.”He held my gaze, never looking away.“I think I understand better than you think.”“No.” The laugh that left me was short and bitter. “You don’t.”Thunder rattled the windows. The sky outside had started to lighten, the first thin edge of daybreak cutting through the storm. I hadn’
One Mistake NEODaniel had told me to stay put, but the voice I just heard belonged to a girl. Young. Soft.She couldn't have been more than a teenager.Peeking out of the corner, I found Daniel with his gun raised, pointing at a small figure slowly making her way out of the darkness.I was right. It was a teenager, roughly sixteen. Her big blue eyes blinked at me as I emerged from the corner and stood behind Daniel. She clutched what I believed to be a letter in her hand, with dark clothes and boots, looking like a goth Barbie. “Neo,” she repeated, her hand going to her mouth and her eyes watering. Water dripped from her hair and clothes to the floor. “You didn't reply to any of my letters.” “Neo,” Daniel growled, his voice sharp and hard. “Get out of here.” His hand remained outstretched with the gun. “Put the gun down, Daniel.” I was at his side now, and could see the muscle in his jaw tighten and his hand flex. “She’s just a child. She’s not harmful.”“You don’t know that.”
After MidnightDANIELNeo wasn’t himself the whole day. Though he convinced me he was fine. I knew he was lying just from looking at his face and how quiet he’d been.I hated how useless I was then—hated how I could only sit back and watch. The faint sound of a piano came from somewhere outside my room, a soft note that drifted to my ears and made me sit up in my bed. Grabbing my phone from the nightstand, I checked the time. 2 AM.Only one person could be behind the piano at this time of the night. Curiosity and concern tangled together, pushing me to my feet and out of my room. The house was quiet. Then the piano started again, this time a bit louder as I followed the sound. It was coming from deeper in the house. East Wing. The music room I’d only glanced at once during the walkthrough. I didn't turn on any lights. Flaps silent on the floor, I moved down the hall, past the windows that showed tiny cracks of lightning in the night sky. The double doors to the music room stood
The CEO’s Smile DANIEL“Neo,” Vivian started, just as Neo turned on his heel and headed to the door where I stood. He was pissed like never before. Behind all the laughter and kindness was this side I’d never seen. There was one thing for sure. Music was everything to him. I followed behind him quietly, reminiscing on Vivian’s whole demeanor the whole time. She didn’t seem surprised. It was almost as if she was expecting his reaction. Justin’s words flooded my mind at once. Someone in Neo’s team wasn’t as they seemed. “Can you fucking believe it?” Neo yelled, slapping a hand on his forehead and holding his waist with the other. He paced the small space of the hallway. I didn’t know how to sympathize with people or even comfort them, but I wanted to understand him.“Do you want to talk about it?” I said, testing the waters. Maybe it was a bad idea. But I still wanted to hear him talk. He finally stopped pacing and glanced at me, taking in a deep breath. We found two seats waiti
My VoiceNEOSeeing Daniel all gentle and caring tugged at my heartstrings. The man who could intimidate an entire room looked completely lost when it came to taking care of me.“You getting in or not?”He hesitated for one more second before dipping his legs in the water and getting in. He leaned his head against the edge of the tub and sighed softly, watching me.“Do you regret it?” I heard myself ask, my fingers parting the water lazily. I didn't look up, but I could feel the intensity of his eyes on me.“No. Not ever.” He replied calmly, voice soft. “I only regret not taking my time with you,” he added. “I don’t like that you’re hurt.” It was small. But I heard it. That tiny crack in his voice at the end. My eyes slid back to his as I made my way to the other side where he sat. Turning around, I pressed my back to his chest and sat between his legs.He shifted back a fraction, and my lips pulled up slightly. “Relax, I'm not made of glass.”Only then did his posture soften a bit,
No RegretsDANIEL For the first time in years, I woke up before my alarm and didn’t immediately reach for the gun in the nightstand.Instead, I looked down.Neo was asleep against my chest, one arm thrown lazily across my stomach like he’d claimed me sometime during the night and hadn’t bothered giving me back.His hair was a complete mess.One of his legs was tangled with mine beneath the sheets, stealing most of the blanket in the process.I should’ve moved him.Instead, I found myself watching the slow rise and fall of his breathing.He looked… peaceful. Nothing like the man who smiled for the cameras or joked his way through interviews.There were no walls here.Just him.My thumb brushed absentmindedly across his back. It caught against familiar raised skin.The scars.I stopped.The last time I’d noticed them, he’d frozen like I’d touched something far deeper than flesh.I’d wanted to ask.I’d chosen not to.Even now, with him asleep in my arms, the question lingered on the tip
At The RooftopDANIELI shouldn’t have let him walk off alone.I knew the moment he stood up from that table, he was seconds away from falling apart. Neo hid things well. He must have had years of practice, but his eyes always gave him away. Everytime.And right now, they were glassy and distant, a
What I Shouldn’t Feel NEOThat was the plan. Get laid, forget, move on.Simple enough. Except it was pushing past midnight, and I was still here, wide awake, staring at the ceiling like an idiot.The more I tried not to think about him, the harder it got. Every sound from the next room made it wor
Barely BreathingDANIEL’S POVThe ride to Oxford Street was quiet, just like any other ride I’d had with Neo. He had his phone in hand, texting Sasha, probably to tell her we were close. Outside the window, lights shone brightly in greys and gold. It was late afternoon, but the lighting still stood
Some Things Don’t ChangeNEO’S POVSasha stirred her coffee slowly, the spoon clinking against the glass. “You still take it black?” she asked, smiling like it was an inside joke.“You mean coffee? Some things just don’t change,” I replied, although too many things had.Watching her now felt strang







