Page 66 of Addicted

At this point, Liam was down to his last eight pills, one of which he had to take soon since he was running on fumes. Because he’d driven to Owen’s, his morning dose had been out of the question and he was feeling the lack. His tolerance had risen fast, making the lifespan of each pill horribly short, so the one he took last night before bed was a distant memory. And he was staying until dinner, and hopefully past that, so the pill he was taking now would be long gone by the time he had to drive home.

“Do you mind if I use your bathroom?” Liam jerked his thumb at the door that led into the condo.

Giving Liam another quick considering look, Owen nodded. “Sure. I haven’t even shown you the place or asked you if you wanted something to drink. Sorry, I get focused when I do car maintenance.”

“It’s fine.” Smiling up at Owen again, Liam reached out and grasped his hand. Owen started but then warm delight quickly washed over his features, easing the lines in his forehead and around his mouth.

Owen tugged him toward the door. “Do you want anything? I have juice, milk, beer, and water.”

“Water is fine.” Liam allowed himself to be pulled inside. The door at the back of the garage opened into the kitchen, which was larger than a galley kitchen but not large enough to accommodate a table and chairs; those were in a nook off to the side that bridged into a bright and airy living room, complete with high ceilings and a large picture window that took up most of one wall. A hallway branched off behind it, where Liam guessed the bathroom and bedrooms were. The condo was downright ritzy with its updated appliances and fresh white walls, and while those walls were bare because Owen was still settling in, it felt homey.

“This place is really nice.” Liam gazed around in awe as Owen let go of his hand to pour him some water from a pitcher he took out of the fridge.

“Thank you, Liam.” Owen handed him the glass. “I bought it after I got my severance and sold the house. If either of those hadn’t happened, I’d probably be living on the street right now.”

“Your severance?” Liam echoed. He’d heard the word before but he wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.

“Sharon’s best friend owned the firm I used to work for. I knew once she left that they’d try to force me out and I was right. They spent the next few months trying to make my life hell hoping that I’d resign so I kept records of what they did as well as copies of all my stellar performance reports, so I could prove retaliation. Freddy - my lawyer - had a friend look over everything and she made a call to the firm about how easy it would be to sue. So, they made me a generous offer. A severance.” Owen poured another glass for himself, taking a sip. “But, after I settled, my old boss used his influence and connections to shut me out of any future employment in my local field.”

“That’s awful.” Liam clenched his fist, wanting to stomp down to Owen’s old office and smack the owner.

“I’m not going to lie. It was. I was already going through so much and on top of that work was miserable. I couldn’t catch a break but the money helped. It helpeda lot. And I hated that job so I was more than happy to leave.”

“You did?” Liam couldn’t imagine working for so long at a place he hated. He didn’t have the mettle for that. The Pointe had some issues but he genuinely liked working there.

“It was Sharon’s idea for me to get into financial advising. She said I had the opportunity to make the kind of money I deserved…or the kind of moneyshefelt she deserved. And it did pay exceptionally well but my colleagues were super competitive backstabbers on a good day. I never fit in. Most firms aren’t like that but I’d had enough and already decided to look for something different when John called. And the rest is history.“ Owen flapped his palm around him, taking in everything.

“Do you like it here?” Liam peeked out the kitchen window at a generous back deck with a sizable grill and green egg-shaped smoker in the corner.

“I do. I wasn’t so keen on moving because I wanted Michael to come back to his own house.” Owen swallowed, looking away as he carefully put the glass down on the counter. “But Sharon and I weren’t in a good place the entire time we lived there so when it sold all I felt was relief. Actually, it went to relatives of the couple who bought your house.”

Liam gritted his teeth. He knew another family lived in his home but it would always behishome. “I miss it.”

Owen strode across the kitchen, gathering Liam into his arms. “I know.”

The embrace calmed any threat of rising emotion and Liam sunk into it, nuzzling Owen’s chest. Liam didn’t know how long they stayed like that before Owen eventually pulled back.

“The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right.” He brushed Liam’s cheek with his fingertips and then pointed the way.

“Um, okay.” For a minute Liam forgot why he needed to be told where the bathroom was then let out an “Oh!” and scurried toward the hallway as Owen chuckled.

The tidy bathroom was white with light blue trim and the tub that sat across the back was spacious enough to have Liam wondering if it could fit two. Maybe if Liam rested between Owen’s legs, leaning back against his wet broad chest...

Pushing the thought away so he wouldn’t have to use the bathroom for nefarious reasons, Liam leaned against the sink, removing a small bag from the inside pocket of his wallet. He’d brought four pills with him. Depending on how long he stayed he might need two and it was good practice to bring spares.

Shaking one tiny tablet onto his palm, he stared at it. Things had changed. In the beginning, he was excited about each dose, ready for his mood to crest upward, but now Vicodin was a cage and with each pill he took he could feel the bars closing in. He didn’t want to take this dose but he had to. And he felt slightly guilty about bringing drugs into Owen’s house but he had no choice. It was either drive high or go through withdrawal over dinner and neither of those were an option.

But soon he’d be free.

He must have stared for too long because Owen knocked on the door. “Liam, are you okay in there?”

Liam jumped at the sound, the pill in his hand tumbling to the floor. Shoving the bag in his pocket, Liam scrambled, quickly picking the tablet up and swallowing it dry with a grimace, hoping that the floor was as clean as it looked.

“Y-Yeah!” He coughed, the pill slightly stuck in his throat. “Just a minute!”

He flushed the toilet for authenticity, then went back to the sink, wetting down his hands and patting his face, trying to make himself look more presentable. Quickly drying himself with a hand towel he opened the door to find Owen standing there, Liam’s glass in hand.

“Thanks,” Liam reached for it, hoping he wasn’t shaking too much, and took a few sips, forcing the pill down further and willing it to kick in soon.

---