First Night

The thing about trying to leave your demons behind is that they’re excellent travelers, and Chloe Miller’s demons had quite an exquisite taste.

The summer she turned twenty-one, her parents went through a nasty breakup. Their fight for custody became ugly enough that Chloe decided she didn’t want to be with either of them.

She never expected her life to fit into two suitcases, yet here she was, standing on the front porch of the only place she could go to. Rachel’s house.

It was meant to be temporary. A fresh start until her parents worked things out.

But when someone answered the doorbell, Chloe knew it was only a matter of time before her new world burned to the ground.

The door swung open, and it wasn’t Rachel standing there to say hello.

It was her father, Harvey Fletcher.

His brown hair lay tousled to the side, with the first three buttons of his shirt undone. He pushed up his sleeves, revealing a round tattoo on his arm.

He stood there, confident in a way that made her spine tighten.

“Chloe,” he said, voice warm and dangerously gentle.

This is where everything went wrong. Or maybe, where it all began.

“Uncle Harvey,” Chloe finally breathed. “I didn’t know you were home.”

Harvey bent down and took the bags from her hands. Their fingers brushed, brief and accidental, yet an awkward chill settled low in Chloe’s stomach.

She straightened immediately, annoyed at herself for even noticing.

“It’s a Sunday,” Harvey said, breaking the silence that followed. “Come in. I’ll take you to your room. Rachel’s in the shower, but she'll be out in a minute.”

Calmly and quietly, Chloe fell in step behind him and followed slowly to a room by the end of the wide hallway.

It was an enormous house for just him and his daughter.

Chloe used to spend holidays here with Rachel and her parents when she was younger. But after Harvey’s wife passed away, his grief closed the doors of his home to visitors.

Being here again felt strange. Familiar, yet entirely different.

Once inside the room, Harvey set her bags beside the bed and paused by the doorway. Chloe took in the space. It was larger than what she was used to, and so was the bed.

“Is there anything you’d want to change?” Harvey asked, watching her run hands slowly over the furniture.

She shook her head. “No… this is perfect.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Harvey hummed softly and turned to leave.

“Uncle Harvey.”

He turned back, meeting her gaze.

“Thank you for letting me stay here,” she said, dipping her head slightly.

A small smile touched Harvey’s lips. “You’re family,” he answered. “You can stay for as long as you need to.”

The door closed with a soft click as Harvey walked out of the room. For a moment, Chloe just stood there. She turned slowly in a circle, taking in her room one more time.

"Just breathe Chloe," she whispered to herself. "This is only temporary."

A knock came barely thirty seconds later, and the door flew open before she could utter a word. Rachel dashed in and tackled her onto the bed.

"Chloe!" she smiled faintly. "God, it's been so long."

Chloe smiled. It was the first time she'd felt warm in weeks. "If I get one more Rachel tackle hug, I fear you'd knock the air out of my lungs."

Rachel pulled away and punted. "Okay, first. It's not a tackle if it's done with love."

Chloe raised a brow, amused.

"And second, you could have warned me you were going to show up looking like a wilting flower."

"Hi to you too," Chloe laughed despite herself.

Rachel hugged her tight again. "I can't believe you're actually here."

“I'm only here because of the size of this place. How is it just the two of you living here?”

They both laughed.

“Dad is pretending to be chill about everything. But he actually likes to have people around.”

Chloe looked toward the door. “He still seems distant.”

Rachel shrugged. “Just quiet on most days. Always busy with work, but he makes enough time to be with me.”

Chloe nodded, shifting uncomfortably on the bed.

Rachel stared at her, letting the silence speak for a moment before she asked. “How bad is it?”

Chloe exhaled slowly. “Bad enough,” she responded. “Both of them are being unreasonable.”

Rachel’s expression softened. “Well, until they work things out, you’re staying here.”

Chloe smiled, and although it didn’t reach her eyes, Rachel knew it was the best she could get.

“Anyway,” she rose from the bed. “Dinner is in fifteen minutes. Dad’s cooking.”

“Harvey cooks?”

“Only on rare occasions.” Rachel lowered her voice. “I think he’s trying to make a good impression.”

Dinner was simple, yet surprisingly good. Rachel did most of the talking, while her father listened and chipped in a word of advice now and then.

Halfway through his meal, Harvey set his fork down and dabbed his lips with a napkin.

“Your father mentioned you need a job?” he said to Chloe.

“Yes. It will look good on my college application.”

“I'll be in the office tomorrow. See if there's an opening.”

Rachel groaned softly. “Dad, she just got here.”

“It's only a suggestion,” he replied, his eyes briefly meeting Chloe's. “In the meantime, she can use the week to settle in.”

Chloe nodded. “Thank you, Uncle.”

Later that night, long after Rachel had returned to her room, Chloe tossed and turned on the bed, yet her eyes refused to stay closed. A faint light slipped through the curtain, casting a shadow at the far end of the room.

She pushed herself up, crossed to the side, and pulled the curtain just enough for her to look out the window.

The backyard was quiet beneath the moon.

And then she saw him.

Harvey stood near the pool, barefoot on the stone tiles. His shirt lay discarded on one of the lounge chairs. Chloe watched him step into the water, diving beneath the surface before rising again.

Her breath slowed. Droplets of water trickled down his skin, tracing lines along his body she’d never noticed before. And the bulge beneath his underwear. He was bigger than what she’d ever seen.

Her mind warned her to look away, the throbbing between her legs causing her to shiver slightly. But she stood rooted by the window.

The night air shifted, and Harvey turned slightly.

Chloe stepped back swiftly from the window and let the curtain fall.

“What am I doing?” She thought to herself, pressing a hand against her chest.

She returned to the bed and slid beneath the covers, pulling them up higher than necessary. But when she finally shut her eyes to sleep, that ungodly image followed her.