CHAPTER 551: NEITHER OF THEM WAS THINKING STRAIGHT

Inside the underground garage, Clyde stepped out of the car, his expression dark and unreadable. Meanwhile, Micah was in a daze, too stunned by the way Clyde had sped the whole way.

So when Clyde yanked open the door and leaned over him, Micah reacted a beat too late.

Clyde unfastened Micah’s seatbelt in a swift motion and grabbed him by the waist, pulling him out of the car.

"Whoa... hey!" Micah yelped.

But Clyde didn’t stop there. He lifted Micah clean off the ground and tossed him roughly over his shoulder.

Micah’s breath got stuck in his throat, then anger shot straight through his head. "What are you doing? You son of a bitch! Put me down!"

He yelled, smacking Clyde’s back repeatedly and kicking his legs wildly.

His protest only darkened Clyde’s mood further. He brought his hand down sharply on Micah’s bottom.

Smack.

The sound echoed painfully in the garage.

Micah froze.

His mind went blank for two full seconds. His face turned completely red.

Since he was a kid, no one had ever done this to him. His mother never went further than a feather duster. For the love of god, what did this jerk do to him?

"You!" Micah choked, voice cracking in humiliation.

Clyde said nothing. His grip tightened on Micah’s legs as he strode toward the elevator, jaw locked, expression dark enough to scare anyone who saw him. He stepped inside and pressed the last floor.

Micah’s words circled in his mind. ’There was nothing between us in the first place. I can do whatever I want...’

How did Micah come to conclude that? Why even say these words? Did he want to hook up with someone else? Like that young man earlier?

The anger and jealousy clouded his mind. Micah’s earlier jabs and bitterness, however, completely slipped right past his memory. All he could think of was the cold part, the part that scared him. Clyde never thought that Micah’s words were related to his stare at Ilyas.

The elevator dinged. Micah snapped out of his trance. He tried to lean back, pushing Clyde away, and jump to the ground. But the elevator stopped and the door slid open at the lobby.

A woman stood there. Micah’s entire body stiffened. His red face turned deeper crimson. Without thinking, he grabbed onto Clyde’s shoulders, wrapping his arms and legs tighter around him, and buried his face into Clyde’s neck, hiding.

The woman stepped inside, looking intently at the two.

Clyde’s eyes turned to her coldly.

The woman jolted, immediately looking away.

Micah trembled in embarrassment. A grown man being carried like this. Oh God, oh god.

The elevator stopped a second time, and the woman practically sprinted out.

Micah sighed in relief. Yet, the embarrassment didn’t ease.

Every time, every damn time he was with Clyde, he ended up in some humiliating situation.

Micah cursed Clyde under his breath.

Clyde’s grip on Micah didn’t loosen even after the elevator doors shut again. If anything, he held him tighter, one arm locked across Micah’s waist while the other steadied his back. Micah clung to Clyde’s shoulders, not because he wanted to, absolutely not, but because if he didn’t, he would fall. His pride was already shattered enough for the day.

When the elevator reached the last floor, Clyde marched out without a pause. Micah bounced slightly with each step, feeling every stride in his bones.

"Put me down!" Micah hissed through clenched teeth, but Clyde didn’t even so much as give him a look. They reached the apartment door. Clyde pressed the keypad with quick, irritated force. The lock clicked open. He strode inside, passing the living room without stopping. Micah’s eyes widened.

"Hey! Where are you going? Stop!" Micah wriggled violently, kicking his legs. Clyde kept walking straight to the bathroom.

Micah was in shock, stomach dropping. "Wait... wait... what are you planning to do?"

Clyde pushed the bathroom door open, flicked on the lights, and set Micah on his feet. Before Micah could bolt, Clyde grabbed his waist.

Micah stared, startled, as Clyde turned the tap on and grabbed the headshower from its holder.

The water blasted out with a loud rush.

Micah’s brain lagged for one terrifying second. Then he jumped back like a startled cat. "What the fuck do you think you’re doing?"

Clyde didn’t flinch. "Cleaning you up."

Micah’s jaw dropped. "Huh? What? Why? Do you think I am dirty?"

"I saw it." Clyde’s eyes narrowed. "I saw you drape your arm around him." He took a step toward him, water still running, stream slowly filling the room. "Tell me. What else did you do with him?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Micah yelled. "You are the one who couldn’t take your eyes off him! What? Trying to wash off your sweetheart’s touch from me?"

Clyde froze for a half second, then stepped closer, closing the space between them. "Since the moment he stepped out of the car, you’ve been talking nonsense. What sweetheart? Aren’t you the one interested in him? Your manager tried to cover it, but in every picture, you were looking at him."

"Are you monitoring me?" Micah exploded. "I haven’t settled the score with you for throwing a manager at me right in front of everyone! Now you have the nerve to question me?"

Clyde’s expression didn’t change. "You don’t have the best track record. Why? Do you have something to hide?"

Micah shoved him backward. "You are the one to talk! You were literally drooling over him!"

Clyde stiffened. "Huh?!"

Micah jabbed a finger at him. "Don’t think you can get away with it! I caught you several times looking at him! You! The impassive man who barely spares anyone a glance!" He shook with anger.

Clyde blinked once, twice. He tried to recall his behaviour. Then the situation clicked together in his head. "You thought I was looking at him because I was interested?"

"Yeah, otherwise?" Micah said, scoffing loudly.

Clyde chuckled suddenly. The audacity of this brat. He had been glued to another man the whole afternoon, and yet here he was, accusing him of eyeing someone else.