Page 48 of A Series of Rooms
Liam
“Liam.”
He woke to the sound of his name in Jonah’s mouth. Liam hummed, rolling his face into the pillow—his own, he realized, and not the generic fluff from a hotel. Recognition trickled in, warming him with memories of the preceding hours: Jonah in his bed, the taste of his mouth and the warmth from his hands as they soaked up his last few moments of freedom—
“Liam,please.”
His eyes sprang open, alertness chasing away the last remnants of sleep. Liam’s stomach bottomed out at the sunlight reflected off the wall.
They had overslept.
No.No.
He sat up, searching out Jonah, who stood from a crouch by the bed.
“Your phone died.” Jonah scraped his fingers over his arms, leaving pink tracks in their wake. “It must have gotten unplugged somehow. I don’t know, but it died, and the alarm didn’t go off, and I–Fuck. I have to go. I need to get backright now.”
“Shit.” Liam kicked off the blankets, rolling ungracefully to his feet. “Shit, Jonah, I—I’m so sorry.”
Jonah pressed his fist against his mouth, as if containing a scream. He shook his head. Liam risked a glance at the clock on the wall. Jonah was supposed to be outside of the hotel in Chicago seven minutes ago.
“Fuck,” he breathed, trying to get a hold on his panic. “Okay. Okay. I’ll get you back, okay?” He knew that wasn’t enough, but he couldn’t help repeating, “I’ll get you back there.”
He scrambled to pull himself together in record time, grabbing for the first pair of shoes he laid eyes on, forgoing socks and a jacket entirely.
Jonah stood against the wall, out of the way, chewing his fingernails. Liam got the sense that he was suppressing the urge to ask him to hurry. There was a caginess to him that Liam hadn’t seen since their earliest days together, his body shrunken in on itself as if he wanted to disappear. Still draped in Liam’s oversized sweatshirt, it looked like he might do just that.
“Come on,” Liam said, grabbing his car keys off the dresser. “We can sneak out the back.”
Their only mercy was that they were able to get out and lock up without crossing paths with Liam’s parents. If there was ever a time to avoid introductions, it was now.
His hands were shaking when they got to the car. He fumbled the keys twice, then went several rounds of hitting the automatic locks at the same time Jonah tried to open the door. Liam wanted to bash his own head against the window.
He slapped the radio switch as they peeled out of the driveway, killing the cheerful hum of Christmas music that had provided such a calming backdrop the night before.
Liam felt like he had woken to a nightmare.
They were silent for most of the drive. He could feel Jonah’s gaze flicking back to the GPS tracker every few seconds, willing Liam to go faster. Liam kept vigilant watch on the rearview mirror, half expecting a flare of police lights to sneak up behind them at any moment, but still he pushed the acceleration.
The tension was like a tangible fume in the air, thick and unstable. He was sure that if he were to light a match, they would have been blown to pieces.
Jonah curled himself against the passenger door, one arm wound tightly over his stomach while the other supported his head on the window. Liam felt every inch of his restlessness, his fear. It was particularly disquieting after seeing such a vastly different side of Jonah the night before.
For nearly an hour, Liam had the privilege of watching Jonah open up to him, watching the tension he always carried in his body melt away bit by bit, cheeks flushed andsmiling and loose as he held Liam close and let himself be held in return.
And now, this.
Surely Jonah would hate him now, and Liam would deserve it. He had asked a lot of him, trusting Liam to come away from the city and into his home, and he had let him down. More importantly, Jonah would be in trouble when he got back—whatever that might entail—and Liam was the one responsible.
The city came into view like a tsunami on the horizon, tall and threatening. Panic seized Liam’s chest as he took the appropriate lane. What would happen from here? Would Jonah show up to their next visit sporting new bruises, as he had before? Would it be worse this time?
Would he even want to see Liam again?
Would he be allowed to?
The closer they got to their hotel, the more daunting the possibilities grew in his head. He was spiraling out of control, keenly aware with each passing second that his time was running out. In just a few minutes, he would have to watch Jonah climb out of his car and walk back into the arms of his abuser, knowing that, intentionally or not, he had set him up to be hurt.
“Don’t go back today.” The words tumbled out of him before he could stop himself.
