The Shadow Side [ManxMan] (short story)

Chapter 2

The next few days went by without any problems and I managed to catch up on sleep. I had planned to go to the same club with Damien, hoping to have some fun. Just as I was finishing getting ready, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I was surprised to see Antony's name flash across the screen. I answered and waited for him to speak. "Hey, sorry for not messaging you sooner. I was busy with work. Do you want to hang out tonight?"

"I was getting ready to go back to the club with my friend... Maybe you could meet us there?" I asked as I passed a hand through my hair, trying to look presentable.

"Sounds good. I will be there shortly." He answered before hanging up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and left my apartment quickly. When I arrived in front of the club, Damien was already waiting for me and I greeted him with a hug.

"I invited Antony to join us. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, he finally messaged you back?" He asked and I nodded as we entered the club.

"He told me he was busy with work... I will see what happens tonight." I sent him a quick message letting him know we were near the bar. "Any news from the guy you spent the night with?"

"No and I'm not expecting any. It was just a one night stand." He answered with a wink in my direction. Just as I was about to answer, Antony arrived and kissed my cheeks as a greeting before doing the same with Damien. "I will let you two talk." He added with a smile before going on the dance floor.

I called the barman and ordered two drinks before handing one to Antony. "So, what do you do for a living?"

"I work as a chief in a little restaurant not too far from here. La Patate Chaude, you might know it?"

"I've been there a few times. The food is good."

"I could invite you for dinner one evening." He answered with a smile, showing his perfect white teeth.

"I would love it." I smiled back, sipping on my drink.

We ordered another drink and went on the dance floor, dancing together on various pop songs. He was an easy going guy and I was having an amazing time. "Do you want to finish the evening at my place?" He asked near my ear loud enough so I could understand him through the music.

I nodded and gave him a thumb up so he could understand me and he took my arm into his, leading me out of the club. As we were heading toward his apartment, I sent a quick message to Damien to let him know where I was and not to wait for me. As soon as he closed the door behind us, he started to kiss me and I put my hands on his back, pulling him closer.

"Do you want to spend the night here?" He asked in a husky voice between kisses. I stared at his shiny blue eyes and nodded. "I will cook you something for breakfast..."

I smiled into the kiss at these words and followed him in his bedroom. I couldn't wait to taste his cooking but, at the moment, it wasn't my priority. As he closed the door of his room behind us, I stopped in my tracks as I heard a faint child's laugh. I looked at my reflection through the dark windows and was surprised to see it laugh. I blinked and shook my head, not understanding why it was happening again.

"Is everything alright?" He asked from behind me, making me turn around to face him again.

"I... Yeah... I... I'm fine..." I answered with a frown, briefly looking at my shadow but didn't see anything weird. My mind was probably playing tricks on me, once again.

I kissed him, hoping he wouldn't try to bring my strange behavior up. I smiled into the kiss when I felt him wrap his hands around my hips as he carried me to the bed. I passed a hand under his shirt, touching his abs before removing it as he pushed me against the soft covers. As he was undressing me, I heard that peculiar child's laugh again but did my best to ignore it. I didn't want to ruin the mood or have him think that I was crazy...

♂+♂=♥

As I laid next to Antony, my mind wandered toward the laugh I heard earlier. I couldn't understand why it happened and what caused it. At first, I thought it was because of the alcohol or the lack of sleep but now I knew it wasn't the case.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom for a few minutes?"

"Sure. It's just outside of my room, on the left." He answered as he removed his hand from my lower back.

I thanked him before getting up and left the room, not bothering putting my clothes back on. I easily found the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I put my hands on the sides of the sink and looked at my reflection in the mirror. As nothing was happening, I sighed and shook my head: I was definitely losing my mind. Just as I was about to leave the bathroom, I heard a giggle making me turn my head back to the mirror. My reflection waved and smiled at me. I quickly walked back in front of the mirror and placed a shaking hand against the cold glass in front of me. At this moment, my double started to change: his smile disappeared, his eyes became darker and he slowly opened his mouth showing a mouth without any teeth. I removed my hand hastily and stepped away. I could feel my heart beat at a crazy pace and passed my tongue on my teeth to reassure myself. That was official, I was losing my mind and I would probably need to talk to a specialist. I opened the door and, just before leaving the bathroom, looked one last time at the mirror. Everything was back to normal and I went back to the bedroom, trying to pretend everything was alright.

"If you weren't naked, I would have thought you had left..." He joked and I smiled slightly as I went back next to him. "Is everything alright?"

"I didn't think I took so long, sorry." I told him with a faint smile. I hoped he couldn't see my hands shaking slightly and I did my best to hide it from him.

He kissed me as an answer and I kissed him back, trying to push what happened in the bathroom in the back of my memory. After a few kisses, he wished me a good night and kept his arms around my waist. I watched him fall asleep and looked at his chest slowly rising up and down. I was on my guards but, as nothing happened, I ended up closing my eyes and falling asleep with my head on his shoulder.

When I woke up, I felt exhausted and my head was pounding making my vision slightly blurry. After a few seconds, it went back to normal and I got up slowly. "You can take a shower while I start preparing the breakfast." Antony told me as he put his underwear on.

I nodded and watched him head into the kitchen before going in the bathroom. I held my breath as I entered into the small room, remembering all too well what happened a few hours ago. Slowly, I turned my head toward the mirror and sighed in relief as nothing happened. I stepped in the shower and quickly washed away the reminiscences of this evening before drying myself. With one last look in the mirror, I left the bathroom and went to the bedroom to put my clothes back on before joining Antony in the kitchen.

The delicious smell of food made my stomach growl and I stopped next to him to see what he was preparing. "I didn't know what you wanted for breakfast so I made pancakes, omelet with slices of bacon and scrambled eggs. I hope you're hungry."

"It smells amazing. I can't wait to taste it." I replied with a smile as I watched him while he finished preparing everything.

When he was almost done cooking, I took the decision to help him and set the table. He put the plates full of steamy food on the table and my mouth watered at the sight of it. It looked as good as it smelled. And I hoped it would taste just as good. He put a little of everything on my plate before doing the same for him. He then handed me a cup of coffee and I thanked him as I added some sugar in it. We then began to eat in silence and I appreciated every bite I took. It was delicious and it almost made me forget the horrible moments of the night.

"You're really an amazing cook." I told him once my stomach was full.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope it means you will spend other nights here in the future." He replied and his smile seemed so sincere that I smiled back. I wouldn't mind coming back, especially if he cooked me something the day after.

I helped him with the dishes before leaving his apartment with one last kiss. Except for what happened in the bathroom, I had a really good time and I enjoyed getting to know Antony. Now, I had to go back home as I had stuffs to do here...