The first thing Emily felt in the morning was the pounding ache in her skull, as if her brain had been squeezed too tight inside her skull. She stirred slowly, her body heavy, sluggish and painful to even move, as if it had been submerged in something thick and suffocating. Her eyelids are way too heavy to open. She tried to open her eyes and finally did. Taking in the dim morning light filtering through a window.
She blinked groggily, trying to make sense of her surroundings. This wasn't her apartment. The bed was too large, and comfortable. The sheets beneath her were cool and soft, far more luxurious than her own worn-out blankets. The room unfamiliar. Panic shot through her.
"Where am I"?
She lifted her head, struggling to piece together the fragmented memories from the night before. She tried to move, but her limbs felt weak and uncoordinated, as if her body had betrayed her.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, Dizziness took over her already fragile body. She pushed herself up slowly, her hands gripping the edge of the bed to steady herself. Unable to control her movements. She tried to remove the blanket. That's when she noticed her clothes. Her eyes widened. She wasn't wearing the uniform she had on at the club.
"This is not my dress. What the hell is happening here?"
She noticed it was a man's cloth for sure.
Her breath caught in her throat as fear surged through her. She glanced to her right side, only to find a man, fast asleep, next to her. His head rested towards her. She tried to see his face but failed due to the position they were in.
She gasped, recognition hitting her like a slap.
"Oh god! What had happened? What have I done?"
She tried her best to remember everything that has happened to lead her in this condition.
The last thing she remembered clearly was being at the strip club. The heat, the sweat, the overwhelming sensation of her body burning from the inside out. She had been drugged. She recalled that much. Her memory blurred after that, like a nightmare she couldn't escape. She had begged for help, but everyone had turned away, except for…
**Him.**
He had been there. She remembered seeing his face in the chaos, the surprise in his eyes, the concern. He had come to her rescue.
But how had she ended up here? Why was he sleeping next to her? And why wasn't she in her own clothes?
Then she remembered her younger brother! Who was waiting for her to return home. She was in a hurry to leave this place.
Emily's throat tightened. Her hands shook as she tried to stand, but her legs gave out beneath her, and she collapsed back onto the bed with a dull thud. The noise must have startled the man next to her as he stirred, blinking groggily as his eyes adjusted to the morning light. He covered his eyes with hand and tried to look away.
When his gaze met hers, his expression shifted from confusion to alarm.
"You're awake," he said, his voice husky from sleep. He quickly sat down and moved towards her.
"How do you feel? Are you alright?"
Emily shrank back, her mind racing with a thousand questions. She felt cornered, exposed, and humiliated all at once.
"Who are you? What… What happened to me?" she asked, her voice shaking as she tried to remember anything from the night before.
Alex stood up from the bed and sat on a chair nearby, his hands raised as if to calm her.
"I am Alex Harrison."
"You were drugged last night. I found you at the club… You were in bad shape, surrounded by bad guys. I didn't have much choice. I had to bring you here."
He was panicking. He said all this in one breath.
Emily's heart raced. "Did we…Did you… did you do anything to me?" Her voice was laced with fear and confusion, her eyes darting between him and her surroundings.
"No! Absolutely not! You can rest assured!" He said in a hesitating tone.
She didn't know if she should believe him or not. But he was looking sincere and honest.
Her gaze flicked down to her clothes again, the realization sinking in like cold water.
She swallowed hard. "My clothes?"
Alex hesitated, his expression taut with discomfort. "I changed."
Her breath hitched, and she felt a sudden flush of heat. He had seen her. Her skin crawled with embarrassment, and she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, even though the oversized t-shirt already covered her like a reflex.
Seeing her reaction, "I didn't have an option but to do this!" He murmured.
She upon seeing his hesitating face, she directly asked her, "What the fuck actually happend to me? I remember only having a sip from that glass of wine! Why am I still feeling bad and sore all over?"
Seeing her confusion, he decided to say everything he could and adjusted his tone and position.
"Actually they gave you an aphrodisiac. You know its effects right?"
She was shocked beyond limit and looked at him and node. She had too many questions and he knew it.
"I know, I know what you are thinking but I can swear nothing happened between us!"
She only looked at him without saying any words like she wants to complete him first.
"I was there with a friend. And as we were drinking we saw you begging and shouting for help. I wanted to help so I went there only to find 10 men were surrounding you in a private room and you were….you were…. Top less, defense less, sitting in the ground, kind of begging to leave that place and saying you are hot, too hot. I just brought you out of there and kind of brought you here. This is my apartment."
Her eyes darted around the room. "Here? Why didn't you take me to the hospital?"
Alex exhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. Feeling guilty!
"I didn't want to make things worse for you. I figured… given the circumstances… that a hospital would ask questions neither of us wanted to answer. And you were practically half naked. I didn't know how to explain this to the hospital. I'm sorry if this was too much."
Emily's heart continued to race as she stared at him. He looked so out of place, standing in his rumpled clothes, his hair disheveled from sleeping beside her.
She wanted to ask many questions but couldn't bring herself to ask!
"I swear I didn't have any ill intentions!"
Alex ran a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable.
"Your clothes were ripped and I needed to cool you down. I didn't have any medicine for that here, so I put you in a cold bath to reduce the effects of the drug."
Emily stared at him, her mind reeling. Her cheeks burned with shame.
"I swear, I didn't look. I only did what was necessary."
She couldn't decide whether to thank him or feel violated. His words were sincere, but the vulnerability she felt in that moment was overwhelming.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Alex added softly, sensing her inner turmoil. "I just didn't know what else to do. You were burning up.".
"Thank you," she finally whispered, her voice barely audible. "For helping me."
Alex let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "You don't need to thank me. I'm just glad you're okay."
Another awkward silence followed. Emily's head throbbed, her thoughts scattered like pieces of a broken mirror. She needed time to process, to think about everything that had happened.
"I should get you something to eat," Alex said, his voice breaking the stillness. "You need to regain your strength. You've been through a lot.
Emily nodded numbly, her eyes still cast downward. She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Every part of her wanted to flee, to run far away from the embarrassment. But she didn't have the strength. Not yet.
Emily buried her face in her hands, trying to suppress the whirlwind of emotions.
"BTW, I don't yet know your name!"
"Oh! Am Emily, Emily Carter"
"Nice to meet you, Emily" he left the room.
"I'll never see him again. So it doesn't matter." She thought to herself.
There will be no aftermath of this.