Chapter 300: Close, Closer...
Clyde lay flat on his back, eyes tracing the dark outlines of the ceiling. But his gaze darted subconsciously toward the figure beside him.
The faint glow of moonlight crept into the room, just enough for him to make out the soft rise and fall of Micah’s back a few inches away. That small curve of his spine, the barely there movement with each breath, it was strangely calming, almost hypnotic. Heat radiated from Micah’s body like a low-burning heater, warm enough that Clyde could feel it even without touching.
He was out of his element. Completely.
He had never shared a bed with anyone, no siblings to pile up with on cold nights, no close friends, no nephews clamouring for attention, not even a nanny who stayed the night when he was young.
His personal space had always been his own fortress. It wasn’t just his preference. Those strange nightmares had made him keep everyone at arm’s length.
Yet here he was, lying just close enough to imagine Micah’s warmth on his skin.
If it had been anyone else, he would have chosen the other room without hesitation. But Micah had wanted him here. And Clyde, despite the plausible reasoning, found himself incapable of refusing.
Yeah. Whatever Micah wanted, he would do that.
His chest felt lighter than it had in days, maybe weeks. The tangled mess of lies, misunderstandings, and half-kept truths between them had finally been unravelled tonight. Clyde had braced himself for rejection, for Micah’s anger would erect a wall between them forever. But Micah had forgiven him. Against all odds, he had stayed.
Maybe choosing to speak here, away from the city, had been a good call. In this quiet place, surrounded by mountains, Micah couldn’t slip away without facing him. Without hearing him out.
Still... Clyde couldn’t ignore the truth. He had cornered him into it. Not physically, but with precision, using the same cleverness he had always wielded in business and negotiations, except this time in someone whose trust mattered more than any contract. He had forced Micah to face Clyde’s mistakes head-on, to resolve them here where there was nowhere to run.
His forearm came up, draping over his eyes as if to hide his own thoughts.
Today had been... exhausting. Thrilling. Dangerous. All at once. He had gone from learning the truth about Micah’s feelings, to laying bare his own wrongdoings, to feeling that they were on the same page. But they hadn’t spoken of anything beyond that. No talk of dating. No promises of relationships.
And maybe that was for the best.
Just confirming the other person had feelings for the other was a massive step for both of them.
Micah was still so young. It was too early for him. And besides, Micah’s family circumstances were too complicated. He needed to help him first to deal with it before anything else.
And then there was Darcy.
Clyde exhaled through his nose. He doubted Micah had the faintest idea that the dark-haired boy harboured feelings for him. And Darcy? He didn’t know that Micah’s kindness wasn’t born from romantic interest, but from something else entirely.
Ah. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Both of them would be hurt tremendously.
What if Darcy used Micah’s guilt and forced him? The thought of Micah trapped by that kind of manipulation twisted his insides into knots. He should warn Micah. But how? Micah became instantly defensive whenever Darcy’s name came up, protective in a way that made it nearly impossible to get through to him.
Clyde’s fingers brushed his lips without thinking. He remembered what he had done. Kissing Micah’s forehead wasn’t something he had planned. It had been instinct. A sudden overflow of emotion that demanded an outlet, but one he didn’t dare let stray too far. A forehead kiss was safe. Gentle. But even so, it had felt almost too intimate.
Clyde didn’t think he would be able to sleep. Didn’t dare. Scared of those nightmares coming out and hurting Micah. But as the minutes passed, the steady rhythm of Micah’s breaths put him under a spell until he drifted off without realising.
****
Micah’s first awareness was discomfort, tightness in his chest, and the sense of being trapped under something heavy. His lungs burned like he had been holding his breath too long. Almost suffocating. A groan slipped out before his brain caught up.
He tried to push it away, but his hand collided with something warm and wet.
"Oh, you’re awake."
The voice came low, deep, and husky, right against his ear. It vibrated in a way that made his stomach falter.
Micah froze. His brain blanked for a second.
Then, before he could even pull his hand back, something soft and wet traced over his fingers.
Micah jerked as though shocked, his entire body trembling. His eyes shot open.
Clyde’s face was there, right before his eyes. His sharp features softened by the dim light, his eyes heavy-lidded and fixed on Micah like he was something worth devouring.
Micah’s breath caught in his throat. And then, the man leaned closer, his mouth closing the distance inch by inch until his lips hovered inches away from Micah’s own, Micah’s heart jumped. His body reacted before his mind did, shoving hard against Clyde’s shoulder. "Get away from me!" he yelled.
The scene shattered. Clyde’s weight vanished, the warmth gone in an instant.
Micah shot upright, his chest heaving. The glaring sun made him blink rapidly, his gaze darting around the room. He was alone. Completely alone.
A twisted blanket lay crumpled in his lap, his hands still gripping the fabric.
Micah’s mind lagged for a second before he realised what had happened.
The sound that ripped from his throat was somewhere between a groan and a scream, muffled as he pressed the blanket over his face. "Ahhhhhh!!!!"
It was a dream! A dream! Micah felt his soul drain from his body, drying from the inside out from mortification.
What the hell was that?
How much... how much... must he want Clyde to kiss him for his subconscious to cough up that? Dreaming about it? Huh?
Had he lost his mind? Why would he want that? Ahhh... he kicked the blanket away, flopping forward to punch the mattress with both fists in horror.
Thank every star in the sky Clyde had not been here! What if he thought it was still a dream and blurted out something humiliating?
His gaze dropped to his hand. The one that had been, well, licked, in the dream. His skin was dry. Clean. But he still could feel it, the sensation of...
No...no...
Micah shook his head violently and dropped face-first onto the mattress.
This was too much. Way too much. Even in the quiet of the empty room, he could still hear that low, rough voice in his ear. That slow, deliberate way Clyde had said...
Oh God!
What was happening to him? When had his brain become this traitorous?
Without thinking twice, he scrambled out of bed, the sheets tangling around his ankles before he kicked them aside. He shot straight for the bathroom. The door slammed behind him with a sharp bang.
Author’s note:
I leave the rest to your imagination. 😈😈