Page 53 of Addicted

“I guess?” Liam looked away. Zach must be proud of himself. He’d gotten Liam’s attention with a free sample and was now receiving a decent portion of Liam’s weekly paycheck. He’d created a repeat customer, one that was now tethered to him. It was a solid business model if you had no morals and Zach’s niceness seemed to leech out of him the more they saw each other, as if it was the bait that had slowly reeled Liam in. Hook, line, and sinker.

“Welcome to Vikeland, where the monkey on your back turns into a gorilla.” Zach grinned but the curl of his lips was more sinister than anything. He took a quick look at his phone, frowned, and then put it away. “Sorry, Princess. Gotta go.” Giving Liam a half-hearted wave, he left.

The door hit the frame again, and Liam cringed. Right now, most of his high school friends were at The Pointe celebrating August’s wedding. They were making their way through college, doing internships, taking summer classes, so close to their degrees, on the right track in their lives. Despite Owen’s words, Liam couldn’t help but compare because, even if some of them had problems, they weren’t alone in a dirty bar bathroom buying pills from a sketchy dealer, addicted to drugs.

It was moments like these that he wished he’d been in the car with his parents.

Can I take you out for breakfast before work? I’d like to talk.

Blinking sleep from his eyes, Liam stared at his phone, not used to Owen texting something that wasn’t a joke. The sentence seemed serious but also like he’d just asked Liam out on a date so Liam was simultaneously giddy and cautious. They did need to discuss things but doing so right before work was sooner than Liam had expected. He was glad that he’d gotten more pills and some sleep. Once his morning dose kicked in he’d be stable enough to keep from being an overemotional fool again; however, a small part of him felt that even if he was a crying mess at breakfast Owen wouldn’t care. He’d only comfort him, take care of him, and that made warmth blossom in Liam’s chest. Enough warmth that healmostdidn’t need his first pill. But he did.

Shuffling in his cocoon, Liam turned over, trying not to slap his knees into the wall, and pulled his other hand free of his blanket nest.

Sure. Where?Liam tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong.

Owen sent him a smiling emoji along with an address that turned out to be Vice and Virtue - the coffee shop Liam had been leaning against last night. An hour later Liam was standing in front of it once more as the smell of fresh roast and baked goods drifted out onto the street and tickled his nose.

His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t had any food since early yesterday, but he wasn’t sure if he could eat. He was nervous and not nearly high enough. He’d taken one of the last fives he had left and it was dribbling in, starting to work its magic, but anxiety was overriding most of its fluffy buffer.

The inside of the shop was kitschy, with witty art signs on the walls and pastel furniture, and Liam quickly spotted Owen at a small table in the back corner, far away from the register and most of the other customers. He’d already gotten a coffee and croissant but the latter lay untouched on his plate. Maybe he was as nervous as Liam was. In a gray suit with a white dress shirt and a green and blue patterned tie, Owen looked dapper as he always did but Liam could see there were circles under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept. Those eyes latched onto Liam as he approached and Owen stood, adjusting his suit jacket and gesturing for Liam to sit.

“Thank you for meeting me here. Are you doing all right?”

Liam nodded. It was nice that Owen cared but he was still embarrassed about his total meltdown and wanted to move past it.

“Can I get you anything?” Owen’s voice was a little higher in tone. Hewasnervous. Hopefully, it was due to him wanting the conversation to go well and not because he was going to let Liam down and fire him. Liam tried not to grimace at the thought and looked up at the menu above the register.

“I’ll take a hot chocolate and one of the blueberry muffins,” he said after a moment, returning his attention to Owen. Their eyes met, their lingering gazes more honest now, and Liam felt that warmth in his chest again. There was an earnestness in Owen’s stare, and Liam began to get lost in it. Seriously, it should be illegal to have eyes that blue.

Someone dropped a spoon on the floor and the clatter made them jump.

“I’ll, um, I’ll get that for you.” Owen’s smile was sheepish as he made his way to the counter and returned quickly, handing Liam his order. Fiddling with the wrapper around his muffin, Liam was unsure what to say, how to begin.

“I’ll lay my cards on the table,” Owen stated, a hint of sweat on his brow. “I feel like last night might have been a mistake because I took advantage of you-”

“N-No I-” Liam stuttered, beginning to shake, but Owen put his hand up.

“Please, just wait until I finish.” At Liam’s nod, he took a deep breath and continued. “But this is the culmination of something I’ve been struggling with for a long time. I have feelings for you. And I’m struggling with that because I’m an old man in the middle of a bad divorce who is losing his son and I’m not exactly a catch. But I find you wonderful and I’d love to date you. I know there are things we need to discuss, like our working relationship. Also, my court date is next week, and depending on the outcome I might need some time to settle Michael in or…to process.” Owen’s expression was open, vulnerable. “And I’d like to apologize for my behavior last night. I did not act like the gentleman you deserve.”

Liam felt crumbs in his hand. He’d squished his muffin; there were blueberries on the table. Was his jaw on that table too? Because it felt like it was.

He must have been silent for too long because Owen’s generous eyebrows drew together. “Liam, please say something.”

Liam opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “Um…you’re…you’re not old.”

Owen chuckled but there was still a crease in his forehead. “That’s nice to hear?”

“And, don’t say you’re sorry.” Liam needed to grab hold of this moment for all it was worth and, right on cue, his first dose rushed through him, or maybe it was happiness; it had been so long since he’d felt happy that it was hard to tell. “I wanted it too. All of that. I mean,yes.“ For the first time in a long time he smiled, truly smiled, and Owen returned it, reaching across the table to grab one of Liam’s crumb-littered hands. Owen’s palm was warm and large, enveloping Liam’s fingers and Liam flushed to the roots of his hair.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that.” Pink appeared across the bridge of Owen’s nose, right below the bump, and he was still smiling but there was a hint of anxiety in his gaze. “I need to ask. If I get custody of Michael will that be a problem for you?” Liam understood why Owen had to double-check. At least their budding relationship was going to happen after custody was determined so Liam wouldn’t affect the outcome, but he was still taken aback by Owen’s use ofifand notwhen.Was Owen losing hope?

“Not at all, I love Mikey. Unless it will be an issue for you? I know you’ll have to explain things to him.” Liam bit his lip.

Owen shook his head. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it but he’s a good kid, he’ll be happy to see you again. And you don’t mind giving me a few weeks to get things sorted out?”

Of course, Liam didn’t mind because he needed that time too. While Owen was dealing with the outcome of his divorce and custody battle, Liam would be going clean and making himself worthy of Owen’s feelings. But he still hadn’t properly wrapped his brain around everything. It felt like he was dreaming and it made him bolder, more forthcoming than he usually would be.

“I’ve waited this long, what’s a few more weeks.”

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