Oh Shit!!!

Xavier stirred, shifting slightly as he tried to find a comfortable position. For a few seconds, he remained still, enjoying the warmth of the bed while his mind slowly caught up with his surroundings.

Then he turned over.

A man was sleeping beside him.

Xavier's gaze traveled from the unfamiliar pillow to the broad shoulders resting beside him, and then to the handsome face partially buried in the pillow. The sight brought back fragments of the previous night, and his cheeks warmed as he remembered exactly how he had ended up in this room.

Raul.

The man he had willingly followed to a hotel after promising himself that he would have one night of freedom before returning to the miserable reality waiting for him at home.

Xavier swallowed and slowly turned his head toward the window.

The curtains were slightly parted, allowing sunlight to spill into the room.

It was morning.

His eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”

He scrambled into a sitting position, throwing the covers aside as he looked around for his phone. The device was still on the bedside table, exactly where he had left it the previous night. He grabbed it and pressed the power button, but the screen remained black.

For a moment, he stared at it in disbelief before remembering that he had deliberately switched it off. “Oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit!”

He quickly turned it on.

The moment the screen lit up, his stomach dropped.

His mother had called several times.

There were also messages waiting for him, and he didn't need to open a single one to imagine the kind of trouble he was in.

“Oh, I'm finished. I'm actually finished.”

His mother was going to kill him.

No, worse. She would probably have him dragged home, lock him inside, and arrange the wedding before he could even think about escaping again.

He pressed a hand against his forehead, desperately trying to think of a way out of the situation. He had meant to leave early, before Raul woke up, but somehow, he had slept through the entire night.

How was he supposed to explain this?

More importantly, how was he supposed to face the man sleeping peacefully beside him?

Xavier glanced at Raul.

The man hadn't moved. His breathing remained steady, and his expression was so relaxed that Xavier couldn't help feeling a little envious. While he was practically having a breakdown, Raul appeared to have not a single worry in the world.

Of course he's sleeping peacefully. He's not the one whose mother is about to tear the city apart looking for him.

Xavier bit his lip to keep himself from making a sound as he climbed out of bed. He gathered his clothes from where they had been left the previous night and hurriedly put them on, struggling with his shirt because his hands wouldn't stop moving.

Once he was dressed, he looked back at the bed.

Raul was still asleep.

Xavier hesitated.

He couldn't simply disappear without saying anything, could he? They had spent the night together, and although he had insisted that it would be a one-night stand, leaving without a word felt a little too much like running away.

Unfortunately, running away was exactly what he needed to do.

He couldn't stay and wait for Raul to wake up. He didn't even know what he would say to him if he did.

'Good morning. Thank you for last night. Unfortunately, my mother is probably preparing my funeral, so I have to leave.'

Xavier nearly groaned at the thought.

He turned toward the bedside table, intending to leave some money behind. After all, Raul had paid for the hotel, and Xavier didn't want him to think he had taken advantage of his generosity. He opened his wallet, then paused when he remembered that he had no idea how much the room had cost.

After a moment's thought, he pulled out his contact card.

It wasn't a perfect solution, but it would have to do.

He spotted a small piece of paper beside the lamp and picked it up, searching for a pen among the things on the table. Finding one, he bent over and quickly wrote a note.

'Here is my number so I can reimburse you for the room. Thank you.'

He stared at the words, wondering whether they sounded too cold. After everything that had happened, perhaps he should have written something more thoughtful.

But what was he supposed to say?

'I had a wonderful night, but I hope we never see each other again?'

That sounded even worse.

With a frustrated sigh, Xavier placed his contact card beneath the note and adjusted it so Raul would notice it when he woke up.

He took one last look at the sleeping man.

For a brief moment, Xavier remembered the way Raul had looked at him the previous night, and the hot night they just had.

His heart gave an inconvenient little flutter.

'Stop it, Xavier. You have bigger problems.'

He turned away before he could change his mind, slipped his phone into his pocket, and hurried out of the room.

He didn't stop until he reached the hotel lobby.

Only then did he allow himself to take a proper breath.

He had survived the night.

Now he just needed to survive his mother.

---

By the time Xavier arrived home, he had rehearsed at least a dozen excuses, rejected every single one, and settled on the hope that his mother might be too exhausted to question him.

It was a foolish hope.

The moment he stepped through the front door, he knew he was doomed.

His mother was standing in the living room, her arms folded across her chest and her expression dark enough to make him consider turning around and walking straight back outside.

His father stood near the window, looking considerably less angry, although the crease between his brows suggested that he hadn't slept much either.

Xavier stopped in his tracks. His mother took a slow step toward him. “Where have you been?”

Xavier forced a smile that felt painfully unnatural. “Good morning, Mother.”

“Don't you dare good morning me!” she snapped. “Do you have any idea what you've put us through? Do you know how many times I called you? Your phone was switched off all night, and nobody knew where you were!”

Xavier lowered his gaze, gripping his phone inside his pocket. “I can explain.”

“Then explain!” Her voice rose. “Go on, Xavier. I'm waiting.”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

'What could he possibly tell her? That he had gone to a bar with his best friend, met a handsome stranger, and spent the night with him because he wanted to experience something for himself before his parents married him off?'

He could already imagine the expression on her face.

No. He wasn't ready to die today.

“I was with Jayden,” he said at last.

His mother stared at him. “Jayden?”

“Yes.”

“And you couldn't answer your phone because you were with Jayden?”

Xavier hesitated. “My phone was off.”

“I know your phone was off! I want to know why!”

“Mother, I—”

“Do you have any idea how worried I was?” she interrupted, pressing a hand against her chest. “Your father told me not to force you into this marriage, and I listened. I gave you time to calm down, but what did you do? You disappeared without a word and left us wondering whether something had happened to you!”

Xavier noticed the exhaustion in her face. Beneath her anger were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair, usually arranged was slightly disheveled.

Guilt crept into his chest.

He hadn't intended to frighten them. He had only wanted one night away from the life they were trying to force upon him.

But the memory of what had driven him out of the house the previous evening remained too fresh to let him apologize without reservation.

“You can't expect me to accept a marriage I never agreed to,” he said quietly.

His mother's expression hardened. “So you think running away will solve everything?”

“No, but neither will forcing me to marry someone I've never met!”

“Xavier,” his father warned gently, stepping away from the window.

But Xavier had already lost the ability to hold everything inside.

“You both made this decision without asking what I wanted. You simply told me I was getting married, as if my opinion didn't matter. What was I supposed to do? Smile and thank you for deciding the rest of my life for me?”

His mother's lips tightened. “This marriage is important to our family.”

“And what about me?” Xavier asked, his voice trembling despite his attempt to remain calm. “Does what I want matter at all?”

For a moment, the room fell silent.

His father looked at him with an expression Xavier couldn't quite read, but his mother showed no sign of backing down.

“You will not speak to me as though I'm your enemy,” she said coldly. “Everything we do is for this family, including you. One day, you will understand that.”

Xavier let out a humorless laugh. “Maybe. But today isn't that day.”

He turned to leave, hoping to escape before the argument became even worse.

“Where do you think you're going?” his mother demanded.

“Upstairs. I'm tired.”

“You are not finished talking to me!”

“Then we can talk when we're both ready to have a proper conversation.”

“Xavier!”

He kept walking.

He heard his father call his name, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around. If he stayed another minute, he might say something he couldn't take back.

He climbed the stairs, entered his bedroom, and shut the door behind him.

Only then did he allow his shoulders to slump.

His entire body felt exhausted, and his mind was still crowded with the memories of the previous night. He sat on the edge of his bed, buried his face in his hands, and let out a long breath.

He hadn't expected to feel a strange pang of regret at the thought that he might never see Raul again.

Xavier dropped his hands and stared at the floor.

“This is exactly why I shouldn't have done it,” he muttered.

But even as he said it, he knew he didn't entirely mean it.

And that was what worried him most.