Born in Sin [BOOK 1]

Chapter 12

Jacquelyn stole another glance at Neo who had been silent the whole trip. He just sat there in his seat fumbling his hyperlink in one hand and rubbing his thumb in circles on his chin with the other. His eyebrows were contorted in a worried expression and it was obvious he was clearly distraught. Tamara had taken a more leadership role and decided to plan what to do next, she had stepped out of the room making mad calls when she got the chance and writing emails while she waited for a signal to reappear due to their position in the Big Black.

They were still headed for the Physoldi home world, Neo still planned to drop her off. Thinking about it made her heart hurt. He looked so worried now, so scared almost. All she wanted to do was console him, but how could she? I should at least try...

Closing the lid on her thoughts, she got up and slowly walked up and around to Neo. He didn't even seem to notice her standing next to him until she carefully put her hand onto his shoulder. She felt his muscle tense under her hand but it soon relaxed, eventually she felt him slowly lean into her touch.

"The last time I saw him, I threatened him. I said that if he ever tried to find me, force me to come home that I'd kill him." Neo's voice sounded rough and dry. Jacquelyn flinched at the sound. "I told him I hated him, hated everything about him..." His voice trailed off when Jacquelyn shushed him, wrapping her arms around him.

"You can't think like that Neo. You were young then, and you had your reasons," she tried to console him, she gently rubbed his shoulders with her hands.

"How can I not? It's all I think about."

"Well for starters, from what I've heard, you were only 15, and you were being forced in what would have been an unhappy marriage," Jacquelyn tried to think of other reasons, Neo remained silent for her as she did.

"When you spoke your mind, you were hated for it, your family hated you for it," Jacquelyn squeezed his shoulders again as if she could physically squeeze him back into his usual self. "It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your betters, even more when it's the very people who raised you."

"I was a coward. I didn't want the responsibilities that came after the marriage," Neo grumbled.

"No, you were a boy who dreamed of something else."

"Vaulkarian princes don't dream of anything else."

"Maybe you were smarter than the others."

"Smarter?" He scoffed. "I was stupid. I should of just did what I was told, followed the rules. Maybe-"

Jacquelyn pinched his arm making him jump in pain.

"Stop it!" Jacquelyn huffed. Neo could only stare up at her with a baffled expression as he rubbed his arm.

"The Neo I know doesn't follow the rules, he doesn't do as he's told! He does what he wants because it's a life he wants, the only life he can live and feel welcomed and free. Yeah. Okay. You are stupid. You steal shit for fun and laugh about it later, you get paid to harass some people by planting fake objects on them and Gods know what else. But I can't see you doing anything else." Jacquelyn huffed. "You are as you are because that's who you've always been. The Neo I know-"

"The Neo you know? Please," Neo rolled his eyes and stood up to face her, slapping away her touch when her hands had still been on his shoulders. "You hardly know anything about me princess."

Gods help me, we're back to that again. Jacquelyn thought angrily.

"I know you enough," said Jacquelyn.

"Enough? You think Tamara can tell you some stories about me and you think you know me enough to say something like that? You don't know anything about me!"