Page 16 of Love Unspoken

Naya was always sweet. Hayes was the only one of us who actually talked to her. He'd stay in the kitchen with her while she cooked. I used to ask him why he was hanging out with a high school kid, and he said she was smart and interesting. Even then she wore sad plain clothes.

I'd mentioned it to Hayes, and he'd bitten my head off for it. "You know not everyone is rich like us, right? Her father is putting Nolan through MIT—because he's not eligible for need's based scholarship. They're not rolling in money. She takes care of the house and bags groceries to support her family. I don't think it matters what the fuck she wears. She's a rockstar in my book."

I'd been ashamed of myself. Maybe my resentment built then because she was so much better than I was.

She wasn't the first girl who had a crush on me. There had been others. But somehow I'd disliked her interest in me. Whenever she tried to talk to me, I politely shut her down. And after a while she didn't even try. Instead of being relieved, I’d been more annoyed.

I still saw her the few times she came from California to visit—and it was still there, that shy adoration. After she moved back to Boston, I saw her when she was at Nolan's old place to drop off or pick up something. We'd all be hanging out and she would get in and get out as quickly as humanly possible—but I still noticed her watching me with affection.

It was a week before Naya overhead my conversation with Ann that I'd seen her outside of work. Naya was picking up Magnus from Nolan's house. We were there for a dinner party, one she had not been invited to because she was once again babysitting.

Hayes had talked to her and asked her to join us for a drink. She had that look in her eyes again. It had made me uncomfortable as hell. She worked in my company; she couldn't look at me like I was the fucking love of her life.

"You okay?" Ann asked quietly so the others at the dinner table wouldn't overhear us.

"Yeah."

"Is she bothering you?"

"She works at Midas," I said nonchalantly.

"She makes you uncomfortable," Ann jeered.

"Yeah, maybe. Let it go, Ann."

At work, Naya would sometimes watch me with her big doe eyes, but she didn't try to talk to me until it was necessary. Hell, for the first couple of years at Midas, she barely greeted me. It was only when she was promoted by Ethan that I started to see her in meetings. That was when I reverted back to being the asshole I used to be when she was a kid—pushing her away, telling her as clearly as I could without saying the words that I was not interested in her.

When Ann mentioned that Naya had a crush on me, I hadn't been surprised to hear it. I didn't see her much socially anymore but when I did it was evident. Did I like it? Or did it still piss me off? I knew I wasn't indifferent to it. At work, she was professional. Apparently to the point that when I tried to be personal just now she'd ended the conversation.

None of this though explained why I picked on her at work. It baffled me just as it had Ethan and Naya's team. She probably wondered what she'd done to piss me off.

She's done nothing. Absolutely nothing!

I had to do better, I promised myself. I didn't have to become best friends with her, but I did need to treat her with respect. She deserved that.

After the meeting, I called out to Naya as everyone was filing out of the conference room. Her colleague, Mila stopped. She was the one who'd called Ethan and tattled on me. I didn't even know Naya and she were friends. But they were, and Mila was loyal to Naya. Apparently, her whole team was.

"Just Naya. Mila, you can go," I instructed.

Mila looked like she was about to say something, but Naya shook her head subtly, and Mila left.

Naya didn't move from her chair. She sat calmly with her hands on her now closed laptop. The conference room had glass walls, and I knew people would be watching to see what the boss would say to his favorite punching bag.

"Let's take this to my office." I rose and walked out, hoping she'd follow me. Of course, she would. This was work and I was the fucking CEO of the company.

What are you doing, Amias?

I didn't hold the door for her and just walked into my office and barked at her to shut the door behind her. I rested my ass against my table and pointed at a chair in front of me. "Sit."

She did as I told her to and put her laptop and papers on her lap.

"Ethan called me a few days ago and mentioned that you and your team think I'm too hard on you."

Her eyes flickered with panic for a hot second and then were serene again. How the fuck did she do that? How did she control her expressions so well?

"I haven't talked to Ethan since he went on paternity leave," she spoke softly, not looking at me. "I have no idea why he'd say what he did to you."

"Do you and your team think that?" I demanded.