From the corner of my eye, I see my office door open again a few minutes later. Icarus stops there when Apollo raises his hands and waves him away.
The man sighs and leaves.
I continue reading on my screen, but I’m interrupted again minutes later by the door opening.
This time, Drako waves Icarus away—and he obeys.
The third time my assistant tries to enter, my friends finally refuse to stay quiet about my behavior.
“Care to explain why you’re acting like a complete asshole?” Apollo asks, forcing me to lift my eyes from my computer screen.
I find Apollo, Drako, and even Atlas staring straight at me.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m literally trying to put out a fire here.”
“Bullshit,” Apollo scoffs with a dismissive wave and a click of his tongue. “You’ve dealt with way worse without getting this pissy.” He leans forward. “Is this lack of sex? When was the last time you got laid, Nero?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Apollo! Sex is not the solution to every problem in the world!”
“Typical answer from someone who doesn’t get enough sex to know he’s wrong,” he mutters. “Seriously—what’s really goingon? We’re here to help, but we can’t do that if you keep being a control-freak asshole. And I’m starting to worry about Icarus. The last time he tried to come in, he looked like he was about to turn green.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” I admit, dropping back against my chair. “It’s just—”
I pause, reluctant to admit it, because I know my friends well enough to understand how merciless they’ll be about it.
“It’s the third day in a row I’ve had to cancel on Nina, and it’s driving me insane.”
The silence that follows my words is nothing but a prelude to chaos—I have no doubt.
“You’re voluntarily admitting you’re being an asshole because you wanted to see your girlfriend and couldn’t?” Drako is the first to speak.
I don’t bother correcting him by saying Nina isn’t my girlfriend. That would only make him more determined to say she is.
“You know you could just… not make plans with her, right?”
“Exactly,” Apollo jumps back in. “Just say you’re dealing with a fucking fire and that you’ll see her once things calm down. I’m sure she’d understand—unless, of course, your problem isn’t disappointing her, but the fact that if you don’t see her, you don’t get laid.”
“Except for the sex part,” Atlas says, shooting a judgmental look at his twin, “I’m forced to agree with them. And you know how much I hate that.”
“That’s it. You’re all leaving,” I announce, completely ignoring the fact that yes—they’re right. All three of them.
I could—no, Ishould—stop making plans with Nina only to cancel at the last minute, because I won’t be able to leave the farm on time.
And yet, just thinking about that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
I don’t want to start my day knowing for a fact that I won’t see her at the end of it.
They all ignore my dismissal.
Drako narrows his eyes at me as a mocking little smile curls at the corner of his mouth. He stands up from the couch and plants his hands on his hips.
“Careful, Nero. You’re starting to act like a lovesick idiot—and God knows I don’t know if I’d survive a gift like that. I’d never sleep again, thinking of all the ways I could torment you over it.”
“Out,” I say, using only that word.
Apollo laughs loudly, still seated on the couch.
Atlas watches me carefully, but being the only one among my friends with actual common sense, he chooses to stay silent and stands—also the only one willing to do what I asked.
