Page 76 of Addicted

Liam froze as he stepped into the living room for the bright sun shone through the picture window, highlighting Owen, who stood by the couch holding Liam’s pants in one hand.

And his bag of pills in the other.

All the color drained out of Liam’s face as his heart sank into the floor. He’d forgotten that he hadn’t put the bag back into his wallet. He’d put them in his pocket and they must have tumbled out.

“Liam.” Owen turned his head, eyes cold. “Are these yours?”

Liam took a step back, not knowing what to do. This couldn’t be happening. They had just declared their love for each other. Things were going to be perfect. And now he was going to lose it all.

“I…” He was too stunned to form words, to try to explain.

“You lied to me.” Owen clenched the pills in a shaking fist, his voice frighteningly low and calm.

“I d-didn’t-” Technically Liam hadn’t lied, he had misunderstood the questions that Owen had asked, but everything he’d been doing still stood under the umbrella of deception.

“They were right,” Owen muttered, more to himself than Liam. “Youareon drugs.”

“They?”Liam’s blood went cold. Owen’s suspicions were warranted because he’d gotten close to Liam. But others had seen through the mask?

“Finn and Marci. Marci thought that you were depressed but Finn knew. And we’ve been fighting because ofyou. Because of this!“ Owen shook his hand with the pills, the calm in his tone falling away as fury lined his face. “How long have you been doing this, Liam?How long?”

Tears filled Liam’s vision, spilling down his cheeks. Finn and Marci? If they could see that he was an addict, could sense he was off, then everyone else probably could too. There was no coming back from this.

In the space of five minutes this had gone from one of the best days of his life to one of the worst. He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t sure if he could get Owen to believe him and that made him panic. Darting across the room, he ripped the pants from Owen’s hand and put them on in a flash, then stuffed his feet into his sneakers by the door, and ran.

“Liam!”Owen’s voice echoed after him but Liam pumped his legs as quickly as he could, tearing down the street until he left the complex. Darting through the parking lot of a neighboring strip mall, he slipped around the back. Thankfully, it was early enough that there weren’t too many people around, only a few trucks bringing deliveries, so no one noticed him hopping the fence that lined the property and disappearing into the small patch of woods behind it. Going in far enough until he didn’t hear the roar of the road, he stopped and slumped against a tree.

The chasm inside of him came to life, cracking open through his skin, and his chest squeezed. He’d lost everythingagain. No more Owen. No more job; he couldn’t go back to The Pointe now, especially when all his co-workers knew that he was a mess.

He gasped for air, slumping to the ground and shivering, feeling like he was going to die. But he wasn’t scared of death. What else did he have to lose?

Although his pills had fallen from his pants, his phone had somehow managed to stay put and it chimed over and over. Ripping it from his pocket, Liam shut it off, tossing it next to him as he struggled for air, his sternum clenching. The panic attack seemed to go on forever and Liam felt like hot garbage as the lack of Vicodin made all his symptoms worse.

He needed another dose, maybe two or three. If nothing mattered anymore then he might as well numb his mind with pills. He had no reason to stop now.

Reaching for his phone he turned it on, cringing at all the missed calls and texts from Owen. But between them was an email alert from his bank. His fingers moved of their own accord, tapping the screen, and the panic he’d barely managed to keep at bay started up again.

His rent check had bounced. He thought he’d transferred enough from his inheritance money but he’d fucked that up too. And he had to fix it immediately or he’d be kicked out of his apartment. His phone was too old for the bank app so he had to get across town to the ATM, which would be difficult considering that his car was still in Owen’s garage.

Now he’d have to spend even more sacred money from his parents to call a cab. Liam wheezed, feeling lower than low.

It took over ten minutes for Liam to calm down enough to attempt to get a ride and another fifteen for the cab to show up. He didn’t want to use rideshare for fear that Finn would be the driver. He’d already clocked Liam as a drug user and would probably dump him on the side of the road or right back at Owen’s house where they could both yell at him. When the cab came, the driver gave a cursory nod and left Liam alone. By the reflection he caught in the window, it was no surprise. His eyes were puffy and red, there were tear stains and dirt on his face, and he was disheveled, wearing a shirt three sizes too large with hair that had dried into a rat’s nest. He wouldn’t want to converse with himself either.

First, he needed to go home and take the last of his pills. Then he could go to the bank. Giving the driver his address, he slumped against the seat and stared unseeing out the window at the passing greenery. This was all his fault. He should have been more careful. To be honest, he shouldn’t have done drugs in the first place. All the things that he was sure wouldn’t happen to him when he’d started using were coming to fruition. He was now an addict; he was hemorrhaging money and he’d lost his job and relationship. His method of avoiding pain had only increased it, leaving him with nothing and no one to blame but himself.

With his vision swimming from holding back tears, Liam didn’t notice that the cab had pulled up across the street from his complex until the driver cleared his throat. Liam paid with the little cash he had left in his wallet which had also managed to stay in his pocket. It was like the pills had been out to get him, like the bag had taken on life and flounced around in front of Owen, knowing the damage it would cause.

Hand on the door handle, Liam was about to step out when he noticed Owen’s car in the lot. Sweat broke out across his forehead. Why was Owen here? He’d left multiple voicemails and texts but Liam couldn’t bring himself to face more recrimination. And he certainly couldn’t look into those angry blue eyes again.

“Can you drop me off at the corner?” Liam asked in a shaky voice. The stoic driver gave a sharp nod, taking Liam out of the parking lot’s line of sight. Once Liam was on the sidewalk and the cab was gone, he carefully sneaked down the street, going around the far side of the building and using the back door. Climbing two flights as silently as possible, Liam turned into the hall and caught a glimpse of broad shoulders and blond hair. Quickly whipping back around the corner, he braced himself against the wall. Owen hadn’t been waiting in his car. He was right outside Liam’s door. Shivering so hard that his insides quaked, Liam covered his mouth with both hands, trying not to puke on the shabby carpet. He’d gone far too long without a dose and was stepping into withdrawal territory. He needed to get inside and take a pill but he couldn’t do that with Owen being a watchdog.

Taking a few deep breaths, Liam pushed off the wall and left the way he came in, walking a few blocks down. He had no other choice; he had to text Zach. Brushing the lockscreen away, Liam’s eyes ran over the list of calls and texts from Owen, stopping on the odd notification that stood out in the middle of them.

Aunt Diane had called. It was like she had a skill for contacting him at the worst time. He was afraid to listen to her message but as he headed toward his bank, running a hand through his hair to try and smooth it out, he took the plunge, pressing play.

“Liam. I was hoping you’d pick up but I guess you’re too busy at your job.”Her tone was clipped and haughty as usual, her sneer apparent as she said the word ‘job.’“Just a reminder that Laurence and I will be in the area in a few weeks so we’ll have to pick a time and date to meet at the bank. Let’s have this go smoothly. Call me back.”

There was only so much stress Liam could take and his aunt had tipped the balance, her message making his gut twist as the beeps of a heart monitor began to echo in his mind. Darting into the bushes on the side of the road, Liam vomited, heaving until the sound stopped, until he was retching bile, not caring if anyone except Owen saw him. Once he could catch his breath he stumbled upright, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and resisting the urge to toss his phone into the street. He still needed it to contact Zach.

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