Page 55 of Addicted

“This is a temporary room for me to finish this project,” Liam reiterated. “If you want, you can have it when I’m done.”

“Pass. The coat closet at my apartment is bigger than this” She grinned at him. “So how much longer is this going to take? I miss you downstairs. We have a few new people on the floor and they’re great but they’re not you.”

That made Liam feel warm again but it was different from the warmth he’d felt with Owen. Marci’s made his smile widen and his cheeks burn; it made Liam want to hug her. Owen’s warmth felt like sweet molasses spreading through his chest; it made Liam want to kiss Owen slowly. Very, very slowly.

“I’m hoping a few more weeks? Maybe?” He wasn’t sure. He was going in the right direction but he had no idea how many days it would be before the tables were empty. Right now, most of the surfaces were covered and everything needed to be digitized; plus, he knew he’d need an extra five days somewhere in the middle so he could detox but he was starting to suspect that it might take longer. He’d upped the strength of his dosage and the seven point fives did punch a little harder, spinning him up more, but they fizzled out in the same amount of time that the fives did. He’d been hoping for longevity rather than strength and ended up feeling sicker every day so he probably needed to taper off before stopping altogether.

“Booooooo,” Marci scanned him up and down like she was trying to see inside and his hackles rose. She’d been checking in on him more regularly since his panic attack in the storage room and while she hadn’t seen it herself and was told he’d been sick, she wasn’t stupid.

“You look like your stomach is treating you better today.” She seemed satisfied with whatever she saw and Liam was relieved but still on alert. And for good reason, Marci wasn’t done. “So now you can tell me what’s going on with you and Owen.”

“N-Nothing is g-going on.” Liam reminded himself never to play poker. Between the blushing and stammering, he was doing a bang-up job of denial.

Marci honed in on him like she was a hawk and Liam was a rabbit. “Right mmm-hmm. You both had fuck hair when I knocked on the door a few days agoandyou’ve been positively beaming ever since then. Either Owen finally confessed his love or you’ve been taking happy pills.”

“What?” Adrenaline blasted through Liam’s system as she scraped a little too close to the truth.

“Come on, spill.” She nudged the chair with her leg.

“Liam?” They both had their back to the door so Owen’s voice startled them. Marci jumped and Liam swung his chair around so fast that he got dizzy.

Sunlight streamed in from the window at the end of the hall, lighting up Owen’s hair like a halo as he stood in the doorway with a box under his arm. He stepped into the room and the broadness of his chest, the girth of his arms, made the space feel smaller than it was. They stared at each other for a bit too long, long enough for Marci to clear her throat with a knowing smile. She certainly had the proof she needed now.

“Is that the laptop?” Liam asked softly and Owen started, glancing down like he forgot he was carrying something.

“Yes! It finally came. It has some extra bells and whistles and the biggest hard drive I could find so it took a few extra days.” Owen presented the box to Liam who took it gingerly, surprised by how light it was.

“Nice!” The mischief in Marci’s eyes had doubled. “Can I have one of those too?”

Owen smirked at her. “Do you want to help scan in all these files? We could always use extra hands.”

“Nope!” Marci retorted and they both laughed. Liam attempted a smile but was too busy moving the box to his chair, which was the only empty surface in the room. Marci touched her headset and listened.

“Sure, Kate, I’ll be right there.” She pulled the microphone away. “I guess that’s my cue. Later, gentlemen!” Sliding along the edge of the table she squeezed past Owen and left.

Liam moved some files aside and transferred the laptop to a table, feeling Owen’s stare on his back. Within seconds that stare was replaced with large warm hands that turned Liam until he faced Owen. The size of the room meant that they were standing very close, with barely an inch between them, but Liam wasn’t complaining.

“You’re not straining yourself lifting, are you?” Owen brushed a strand of hair behind Liam’s ear. “Please make sure that you drink enough water and take breaks.”

Liam couldn’t put into words how lovely it was to have someone care about his well-being again. Blushing for the thousandth time he tried to put his feelings into his eyes. It must have worked because Owen smiled, his own gaze soft, tender.

“Do you like the laptop?”

“Yes! It’s wonderful, thank you. But it’s yours too?”

“Sure it is.” Owen reached for Liam’s hands, holding them in his own and they basked in each other until Owen let out a breath. “I’m taking two personal days next week. For court.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Liam could feel his brow furrowing. It was strange having anxiety for someone other than himself.

“Help Marci and Dylan hold things together here. That would take a lot off my mind.”

“Are you sure I can’t do anything more?” Liam moved a little closer, until their chests were touching, his face leaning up toward Owen’s, earnest.

“You’re already doing it,” Owen’s expression was sad and a little vulnerable. It called out to Liam and, without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Owen, squeezing him into a hug. Usually, he would overanalyze something like that but it felt right. It was what he wanted whenever he was feeling down - someone to hold him, to assure him that things would be okay. Owen had given that to him the other night so it was time to return the favor. After a sharp inhale, Owen wound strong arms around Liam, resting his chin on the top of Liam’s head, his breath ruffling Liam’s hair.

It was peaceful, like there wasn’t a wedding hall around them, like they didn’t have any problems staring them down, like the world was just the two of them in that moment. Liam wanted to stay that way forever.

19

---