Boundaries

Micah's head throbbed as though a jackhammer had set up camp in his skull. His throat felt parched, his mouth dry like sandpaper. Everything was dark, disorienting. He groaned, trying to piece together what had happened. 

Somewhere nearby, voices murmured. 

"Micah? Micah, can you hear me?" 

That voice—it was familiar, warm, and laced with worry. 

Micah blinked slowly, peeling his eyes open to the sight of Callum standing over him. The harsh light of his a lamp illuminated the man's face, his features softened by an expression of concern. He wasn't in his usual suit; instead, he wore a plain black T-shirt and jean shorts. 

Micah's voice was hoarse as he murmured, "Am I dreaming?" 

Callum's lips curved faintly, his worry giving way to quiet amusement. "No. This is real." 

Micah sat up gingerly, rubbing his temples as the pounding in his head began to ease. "Where am I?"

His eyes flicked to his bedside table, where his VR headset sat next to his glasses. He grabbed his glasses and slid them on, blinking as his room came into focus. He heard Callum say, "Your room," the moment it clicked in his mind, 'Holy shit, we're in my room!'

Which spiralled into the next question, 'What the hell was Callum Pierce doing here? In his room?'

His voice rose in pitch as his brain fully processed the situation. "What the fuck are you doing here?" 

Callum blinked, startled by the anger in Micah's tone. Micah was startled by the anger in his own tone. But he felt enraged. Like the spark of a flame near a gas leak. He hated getting angry; he hardly ever got angry. Yet here he was, fuming.

Callum took a step back, hands half-raised in a gesture of peace. "Micah, I was worried about you. I heard a crash, and then you went… unresponsive. I had to make sure you were okay." 

Micah's jaw tightened as a mix of embarrassment and frustration flooded him. "I didn't invite you in here." 

"Micah…" Callum's tone was calm, careful, but it only stoked the fire burning in Micah's chest. 

Behind Callum, Rosa and Elle hovered uncertainly. Rosa opened her mouth to say something, but Elle grabbed her arm. "We're going to go," Elle said quickly, tugging Rosa toward the door. 

"But—" Rosa started to protest, but Elle shot her a look, silencing her. 

The door clicked shut, and the sound felt deafening in the tense silence that followed. 

Callum inched closer to Micah, his voice soft but steady. "Micah, what's wrong?" 

Micah refused to meet his gaze, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. "You shouldn't be here." 

Callum tilted his head slightly. "Really?" 

Micah exhaled sharply, his frustration spilling over. "Callum, I have a boyfriend. You can't be here looking at me with your—your fuck me eyes." 

Callum's lips twitched, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You think I have fuck me eyes?" 

Micah's face burned, and he shot Callum a glare. "That's not the point!" 

Callum stepped closer, his expression shifting into something more serious. He knelt slightly, bringing himself to Micah's eye level. Gently, he reached out and tilted Micah's chin upward, forcing their gazes to meet. "Then what is the point?" 

Micah's anger faltered under the intensity of Callum's gaze, but he forced himself to stay firm. He brushed Callum's hand away, his voice wavering as he said, "The point is… you're my boss. And you… you make me confused. I can't afford to be confused right now. There has to be boundaries." 

"Boundaries," Callum repeated softly, as if testing the word. 

Micah nodded. "I don't understand you. I don't understand why you're so nice to me, or why my brain goes all fuzzy around you." His voice dropped, tinged with frustration. "And I shouldn't even be around you in the first place. Damian is going to hate me." 

"Is he opposed to you seeing me?" Callum asked carefully. 

Micah hesitated. "It's Damian. He gets jealous." He let out a shaky breath. "I want to go back to the person I was before you." 

Callum's eyes softened. "I see." 

Silence fell between them like a heavy, awkward burden. It wasn't lust. Micah had no desire to cheat on Damian, especially not with his boss. But Callum… Callum got under his skin in a way he couldn't explain. Even now, with Callum standing inches away from him, he could feel every individual nerve ending in his body. He felt like a completely different person when he was around Callum and he couldn't afford to feel that way. 

Callum straightened, his expression unreadable. "I understand," he said, softly. "But I still need to drive you home from work."

"Callum…" Micah groaned. Fourth-five minutes in a cool car with Callum defeated the entire purpose of boundaries.

"Please, Micah," Callum's voice was strained. "We can't have a repeat of… that night." 

Micah froze.With all that had happened since, he'd almost forgotten that a man almost sexually assaulted him on the street. Almost. He used to have nightmares about it until those nightmares were replaced with Prince Caelan's face; Callum's face.

Micah swallowed hard. "Fine."

Callum looked relieved. "Okay."

Micah huffed. "Good. We need boundaries. You… you can't come into my room anymore. And I can't game with you again. Accepting your gamer tag was a mistake." 

The words felt heavy as they left his mouth, like a weight settling on his chest. But it had to be said. Sitting under the sunrise with Callum, playing Duck Duck Donkey with him, those little moments where he found his body relaxing completely, like he knew he could be safe with Callum— those moments couldn't happen anymore. He had to put a stop to them and maybe, just maybe, those dreams would leave him alone. 

Callum's gaze lingered on him for a moment before he nodded. "Okay. Okay, I get it." He turned toward the door, his hand resting on the handle. "I came here to check if you were alright, and I'm glad you are." 

He hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder. "You should drink some water." 

Micah didn't respond, his throat tight. 

Callum opened the door, but before stepping out, he paused. "Oh, and Micah?" 

Micah's head jerked up slightly, his lips parting in surprise. "Yeah?" 

Callum's voice was soft but firm as he said, "One day, you will remember me." 

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Micah alone in the quiet. 

Micah stared at the door, his mind racing with questions he didn't have the energy to unpack. What did Callum mean by that? 'Remember him?'

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long, shaky breath. Whatever Callum had meant, it didn't matter. Boundaries. He had to keep those boundaries. 

So why did it feel like he'd just lost something important?