Page 6 of Encore
“Ordering in restaurants?It’s not that hard, man.I literally just watched you do it.”
“No, how you just said you were sober like it was normal.Like you’re not ashamed.”
Liam’s head reared back.“What the fuck do you have to be ashamed about?You survived.You’re making changes so you keep surviving.Besides, they’re lots of reasons people are sober—it’s not just because we’re addicts.”
“Do you think he’d believe we’re good Christians?Mormons or whatever?”I looked between the tattoos we both had visible above our collars—because long sleeves and collars were part of the dress code of Lamb.
Liam laughed.“Doubtful.I bet he thinks you have a hard to kill STD and are on antibiotics.”
I chuckled.“Possibly.”
“But seriously, who gives a fuck.You live your life for you.Fuck what anyone else thinks.Except for me, of course.”
I smiled slightly and shrugged.Then I jumped as a hand reached across me.Our waiter was back filling our glasses with the sparkling water we’d ordered.I watched as he did the same for Liam.I kept my eyes on him the whole time.I wanted to see where the hell he was appearing from.
Our waiter gave us a short bow, I blinked, and he was gone.
“What the fuck?”I swung around, looking everywhere, but I couldn’t see him anymore.Only empty tables near us and a few fancy potted plants.
“What is going on with you?”Liam asked me.
“Did you not see that?Our waiter just disappeared.”
Liam gave me a look like he was questioning my sobriety.
Maybe I really was losing it.
Sighing, I turned back to my friend.“So how’s Phoenix?”
Liam smiled and filled me in on his life in Arizona—his job at a guitar store, his crazy sponsor who’d been a roadie for Metallica back in the day, and the new girl in his life.
It all sounded pretty awesome.The way he lit up and smiled when he talked about his girl made me a little jealous, if I were honest.I swore everyone around me were all coupled up, most were married.I was the proverbial cheese standing all alone.
“That’s awesome, man.I’m glad you found her.”
But hearing about his life just reminded me of why I’d been ducking him for so long and all the shit I’d said to Xander back in Europe.
And one of the reasons I’d wanted to talk to Liam before he flew back to Arizona.
I cleared my throat.“Uh, there’s something I wanted to say to you.It’s why I’ve been ducking your calls these past couple of months.”
“What’s going on?”
“Back in Europe when I was using, I said some shit about you to Xander.I don’t know if he told you about it, but we threw down and…I feel like shit every time I think about it.So I just wanted to make an amends to you.What I said was more about me going through my shit than anything to do with you.”
Liam sat back in his chair and shook his head.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.Xander never told me about it.”
“I said—”
But Liam cut me off with a wave of his hand.“Doesn’t matter.I don’t need to know.I mean, you can tell me if it’ll make you feel better, but I guarantee there’s nothing you can tell me that’ll piss me off because I know that wasn’t you.That was the drugs talking.”
I nodded tightly.“I also wanted to make an amends to you for the part I played in your addiction.I know Xander and I were the ones who gave you your first bump of coke, and I’ve—”
Liam shook his head again.“Also not your fault.I was an addict way before I went on tour with you guys.Shit, I spent most of high school drunk or high.”
“What?How did I not know that?”
Liam shrugged.“I thought we talked about it.I know I talked about it with my brother.I guess Xander thoughthewas my intro to drugs.But that isn’t on you guys.I did what I did.And I forgive you for anything you said about me when you were using.We’re good.”
