NIGHTMARE AND A ONE-NIGHT STAND.

Chapter: 1

*****

Asher's heart was racing as he scooped Emily into his arms, whispering a hurried "shh" before shoving her into the cupboard. It was a game they played, one that kept her safe and him alive… somewhat. The door creaked, and he froze, holding his breath. The sound echoed through the dimly lit house like a warning bell.

"Mily, stay quiet," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Don't make a sound." His eyes fell into Emily's who clung to him like a second skin, the fear in her eyes mirrored his. “It'll be alright, Mily, I promise.” She nodded but her body shook in fear as he held her in that tight space.

Just a little more and he will have to get out to confront their father.

“Make it stop, Sasha…” she hiccuped and Asher's heart broke for his sister.

The bedroom door creaked, and Asher's heart sank. He had to protect her as the big brother, and he always did his best to shield her from this hell.

Suddenly, the room began to spin, and Asher's vision blurred as he slowly crawled out of the cupboard. He stumbled backward, his legs giving out beneath him. The sound of their father's footsteps grew louder, and he knew he was running out of time.

“Asher!” His father bellowed, the same time a hand grasped his shoulder, and his eyes snapped open. He sat up with a jolt, his eyes wandered around the unfamiliar room first before landing on an equally unfamiliar face, chiseled features, piercing blue eyes, a messy mop of black hair, and a large scar embedded into the right side of his face. A flaw to what would have otherwise been the most perfect face he had ever seen.

"Hey, you okay?" the stranger asked with raised brows, “you were shaking a lot, and sweating bullets,” he added, his voice laced with concern.

Asher's mind reeled as he struggled to scramble out of bed, he was still confused, shaken from that nightmare, he needed a moment to recollect his emotions before he tackled his present situation with this strange man, but first, he had to find Emily.

“Mily?!” He called and started to pace around the space. He immediately ran toward the closet and yanked the doors open. “Mily!” He called again as he ran around the room.

The man who sat and watched on the bed couldn't take it anymore and so he got out of bed and approached Asher, he embraced the man from the back and held him so tightly that Asher couldn't move a muscle. “Shh,” he cooed into Asher's ears. “You're with me… just me…” He continued to soothe into his ears. Asher began to calm down and then a sob took over, shaking his frame strongly as the man held him in place.

Once he had calmed down enough, he pulled away from the man and looked around the room again… the room was unfamiliar, and the events of the previous night were hazy. Then he remembered celebrating his graduation from the academy, and meeting someone at a bar...but the details were sketchy.

“Shit!” He snapped and turned to look at the man who stood naked before him, and slowly he took sight of his own nakedness. With a surge of adrenaline, Asher ran further away from the man. He doesn't for the life of him remember the details of last night but with their nudity, he certainly doesn't need a soothsayer to tell him what they had indulged in the previous night. His gaze fell into the stranger's once again, the man watched him with an intensity that made Asher's skin crawl.

"Who are you?" Asher demanded, trying to keep his voice steady despite the turmoil raging within his mind.

The man’s expression softened, and he extended a hand. "I'm Kaidën. We met last night." He said, his voice cold just like the sea blue of his eyes. “Don't you remember?” He asked.

Asher's gaze lingered on Kaidën's hand before he turned away, his mind racing with too many questions. What had happened last night? And why did he have the feeling that his life was about to take a drastic turn?

He swallowed, his hand moving in drastic motions as he tried to speak, “Did-” he swallowed again, whenever he became so nervous he began to stutter. “Did… Did we have se-sex?”

The man's eyes seem to hold a glint now, one that sent a chill down Asher's spine. “So you don't remember?” He repeated, completely ignoring Asher's question.

Knowing the man wasn't going to answer him, not like he even needed to, the evidence was clear in the way they had woken up in the same bed, completely in the nudes. He shouldn't have even asked that question.

Asher's gaze wandered around the unfamiliar room, taking in the sleek, modern furniture and the city skyline visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had no recollection of how he got there or what had happened the night before.

"Wh-where are my clothes?" Asher demanded, trying to keep his tone neutral.

Kaidën nodded toward a chair in the corner of the room, where Asher's clothes were neatly folded. "You might want to take a shower first. You're not exactly...fresh." The man said as if he was mocking him.

Asher's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, this man doesn't seem to be the type who listens to people. He placed his hand on his crotch and walked over to the chair to retrieve his clothes. “Ba-Bathroom?” He asked, his gaze glued to the rug at his feet.

“Door on your left,” the man replied as he casually walked over to the other side of the room.

Asher nodded and headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The shower was hot and refreshing, but it did little to clear his foggy mind. As he dressed, he caught glimpses of himself in the mirror. His eyes looked sunken, and his skin was pale. He seemed...haunted.

‘Just what had he done last night?’ The question loomed large in his mind as he stood before the mirror. A thought came to mind and he gently took his hand and placed it on his ass, then he massaged it, hoping to feel any form of pain or soreness, it was his first time after all, so shouldn't it have hurt or be hurting still? He wondered, as he rubbed his entrance for any sign of whatever it was he had foolishly indulged in last night, but there was nothing, not a slightest of pain.

‘Maybe they didn't do it?’

He thought as he took his first step away from the mirror. When he emerged from the bathroom, Kaidën was sitting on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee. He looked up at Asher and smiled, but it seemed forced.

"Feel better?" Kaidën asked.

Asher shrugged, unsure how to respond. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, what should he say, what should he do? He can't ask any more questions, because the man before him wouldn't answer and with that, he kept his suspicious gaze on the man.

Kaidën set his coffee cup down and stood up. "I'll make you some breakfast. You must be starving… or at least a hangover soup, you were pretty wasted last night.”

‘Who fucks a drunk person?’ Asher wanted to snap at him, but instead he bit the inside of his cheek and stayed put. He had to get out of there, yet his stomach growled at the mention of food, but he hesitated. He didn't know this man, and he didn't know what he wanted with him.

As Kaidën got up and headed for the kitchen, Asher took the opportunity to glance around the room again, and once his gaze landed on the door, he made a mad dash for it. With one last glance at the door the man had disappeared into, his mind racing, he turned and rushed out of the room, leaving Kaidën calling behind him.

"Asher, wait!" Kaidën's voice echoed through the hallway, but Asher didn't look back. He had to get out of there.

He stumbled through the unfamiliar apartment, desperate to find the elevator or any means to get out of there. His heart pounded in his chest, and his head spun with questions. What had happened last night? And who was Kaidën, really?

*****

Finally, Asher saw the elevator and made a beeline for it. His fingers shaky as they pounded into the buttons and when it opened, he got in. Pacing back and forth all the way until the elevator doors opened and he got out and rushed out the front door, gasping for air. He stood there for a second, breathing heavily and trying to call his mind back into focus. Who in the world forgets their first time? Unless nothing had happened between them, Asher didn't wish to be the first man who experienced his first only to wake up the next day and completely forget about it.

“Fuck!” He groaned and straightened his posture. He needed to get to the station. He was already running late for his first day, the day he was supposed to mark his first as a sworn officer. He glanced around the bustling streets, looking for a taxi. He turned around to take in the apartment building he had rushed out from as if the hounds of hell were after him. For a moment he thought the man would come bounding after him, but he didn't and Asher appreciated that.

He hailed a cab and jumped in, giving the driver the address of the police station. As the cab sped through the streets, Asher fell back into the seat and shut his eyes, his mind replaying the events of the morning. He had to push aside his confusion and focus on his new role. Today is an important day, one he had worked hard for.

“Is everything alright, sir?” The cab driver asked and Asher met his gaze through the rearview mirror.

“What?” He asked, confused.

“You keep grunting,” the man said, and Asher, who didn't even realise it, forced a smile.

“Ah, I'm sorry, I'm fine, thank you.” He told the man, looking out the window shyly as he brushed his fingers into his hair.

“The police station, yes.” The man said and without looking Asher nodded.

“Yeah, yeah…”

As the ride went on, and his eyes chased taillights of passing vehicles, his mind wandered back to the previous night. He remembered walking into the bar with his colleagues, celebrating his graduation from the police academy. The music was loud, and the drinks were flowing. Asher had let loose, laughing and joking with his friends.

But then, he saw him–Kaidën. Tall, dark, and handsome, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through him. The first thing that attracted his gaze was the large scar on the man's face. Was it a deformity? Asher had remembered wondering, but of course he wasn't going to ask. The man met his eyes gaze then from across the room and Asher felt a jolt of electricity run through his body.