Chapter 8 Liam
EIGHT
LIAM
It had been a week since Liam had seen Austin in the gym and he’d said all those things that had made his head spin.
He still couldn’t believe it. If it had been three months ago, Liam would have jumped into his arms there and then and started humping his leg.
Austin hadn’t said he wanted to fuck Liam – he wanted to woo him – but he’d also made his intentions clear about what would happen when they got to the bedroom.
It had been hard not to cum in his pants right there and then.
He’d continued to stare at the door when Austin had left, and it took Rodrigo getting his attention to remind him he was still in the gym.
He’d advised Liam not to waste time before “hitting that,” as he’d so eloquently put it, but Liam had wasted time.
He’d lost count of the number of times he’d written a text to Austin and then stopped himself from sending it.
Liam’s life was a bit of a mess right now.
His dad had reverted into himself after the funeral, his friends in London were preoccupied with finding a new flat, and Milo’s life had blown up in spectacular fashion.
It made Liam’s problems feel like nothing in comparison.
The bakery was still busy, but trying to manage that and work full-time was driving him to exhaustion.
Then, on Friday, he’d been called by the big boss to be told his manager had left the business with immediate effect.
This was the manager who had been fully supportive of Liam and given him all the flexibility he needed over the last two months.
His presence was required in the office on Monday to meet the new manager alongside the rest of his team, so they’d have limited goods to offer in the bakery on Monday, as he’d need to be on the train by six o’clock in the morning.
He could do a couple of hours’ baking, but they’d have a limited range.
There was nothing he could do about it. Hopefully his new boss wasn’t an arsehole.
He only had four months left at the place, but one person could do a lot of damage in that time.
Austin had been to the bakery every day this week, and since Liam was no longer evading him, they had spoken in a friendly manner like they used to before the festival.
There was no pressure from Austin, and he’d been all smiles as always.
Liam was now conscious of Austin’s flirting and secretly loved it, but if he was going to have a chance with this guy, he needed to wait until things were more stable.
He’d advertised for some more help at the bakery, so that would take some pressure off until the summer when he’d be able to commit full-time.
He was working on the basis that his dad wasn’t coming back, so he’d probably still need some part-time help then as well.
The bonus and shares from work would give him a solid financial cushion, so the bakery could absorb the additional cost.
There was a knock on the door of his annexe. Assuming it was his dad, he shouted for him to come in, but they knocked again. Liam got up and opened the door.
“Hi, Giselle, are you looking for me?”
“Who else would I be knocking on this door for? Put the kettle on. We’ve got lots to talk about.”
She pushed past him and removed her coat.
He shook his head with a smile and did as he was told.
You didn’t argue with Auntie Giselle, as she was known to most of the village.
He put the kettle on. The annexe opened into his combined living room kitchen diner.
He had a bedroom at the back with an en-suite bathroom.
He loved this place, as it meant he could be close to his parents but still have his own independence.
They’d built it for him when he was seventeen, but at eighteen he’d wanted to have the halls of residence experience at university, so had done that for the first year.
The plan had been to live at home for his second and third years, but he’d met Milo and they’d lived together ever since, meeting Kieran and Hassan after they’d left uni.
“Tea or coffee?” he asked.
“Tea, dear. You should know that by now. Since when would a French woman have instant coffee?”
He chuckled. It was a fair point. He had considered buying a machine for his annexe, but had only visited once a month until now.
There was one in the house if she’d insisted anyway.
Once the kettle had boiled, he kept himself busy.
She seemed in no hurry to start the conversation, but he suspected she was here to talk about his dad.
Giselle had been close friends with his mum, and probably felt he’d been left to grieve long enough.
Confirming that she didn’t want any sugar, he added two teaspoons to his.
He blamed his mother for giving him a sweet tooth.
Putting the mugs on the coffee table, he sat down in the armchair, which faced the sofa she was sitting on. She took a sip of the tea and hummed appreciatively before putting it down and levelling a glare at him.
“He needs more time,” he got in before she could speak.
“She was his soulmate. We shouldn’t be pushing him to do more than he’s ready for.
I know what you’re gonna say, and I know what Mum would think, but you’ve not seen him.
I just want us to give him space. Let him grieve before you go storming in and dragging him back to civilisation. ”
He ran out of breath, but he wasn’t sure what else he could say. Giselle smirked at him.
“Are you done?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I’m not here to talk about your dad. I know he needs time. Sylvie knew he would need time if anything ever happened to her. But if he’s still hiding out here by the spring festival, we’ll have more to say about it.”
“Why are you here, then?”
“You and Austin.”
He felt his face heat immediately. He grabbed his mug and took a slow sip to hide his discomfort.
“Are you going to give me your side of what’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing’s going on. We’re just friends.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. You boys need your heads banging together. Can’t you see you’re perfect for each other?”
Liam wasn’t sure if he was the perfect man for Austin, but the sexy lumberjack certainly was for him.
He couldn’t believe when he’d seen Austin in that tight V-neck T-shirt at the gym, his chest hair poking out and a tattoo sleeve – which was his kryptonite.
Liam had a thing for tattooed guys, but a tattoo sleeve turned him into a puddle of goo, and Austin had clocked it.
Ever since their meeting in the gym, he’d had his sleeves rolled up when he came into the bakery, showing that delicious ink.
He was definitely doing it deliberately, because whenever Liam couldn’t help but look at it, Austin would catch him and smile.
“I don’t really think I should talk about Austin behind his back.”
“Liam, just answer one question: do you want that man to pin you down and make you forget your own name, or not?”
It felt like someone had attacked his face with a flamethrower, and he giggled uncontrollably.
“I’ll take that as a yes. So, why are you two still pissing about? Do you know what it’s like to witness you two eye-fucking each other? I needed to lie down and have a cigarette last time.”
Liam burst out laughing. There was no other response to what she was saying. But he was also feeling mortification level ten and didn’t want to have this conversation with her.
“We’ve agreed that now isn’t the right time,” he said once he’d stopped laughing.
“Who said that?”
“I’ve got a lot going on at the moment, Giselle. I’m running the bakery by myself, Dad needs me here with him, and there’s been some changes at work I need to deal with.”
“What changes?”
“They got rid of my boss. I need to go into London tomorrow to meet the new one. I’m sure it’ll be fine, but it’s just another stress. Austin doesn’t need someone like me with all my baggage.”
“Did he say that?”
“No. He said to call him when I’m ready.”
“When did he say that?”
“What is this? Twenty questions?”
“Liam. Answer the question.”
“A week ago. Last Sunday.”
“And you haven’t called him, or sent him a dirty text?”
He spluttered. “Why would I send him a dirty text?”
“It’s what you young ones do, isn’t it? Dick pics and all that.”
His face flamed again. One thing he would not be doing is sending a dick pic to Austin. He’d never be able to look him in the face again.
“When did you learn about this meeting at work?”
“On Friday, why?”
“So, you could have called him all week, and you didn’t.”
“I’m sorry, Giselle, but what is the fascination with my love life?”
“What love life?”
“Fair,” he snorted.
“I promised your mum I’d look out for you if anything happened to her, and I know full well that if she were here, she’d be slapping you around the head and making sure you got that man pinned down.”
He laughed. His mum would absolutely do that. She’d always wanted to see him happy and settled down. She would have regarded Austin as the perfect catch.
“Whereas I know Austin would rather pin you down. Am I right?” she grinned.
“Oh my God, I am not having this conversation with you,” he said, burying his head in his hands.
Maybe if he stayed like this, she’d just leave. That would be the best thing all around.
“Hello, Austin,” said Giselle.
Liam snapped his head up. He saw she was on the phone and he let out a sigh of relief, before tensing again when he realised even if he wasn’t in the room, she was still up to something. Her meddling was often funny if it wasn’t focused on you.
“I need you to do a favour for me. Well, it’s for Liam.”
“What are you doing?” he whispered frantically.
“He has to be in London tomorrow for a meeting and needs a lift to the station.”
“I can get a cab,” he said, still in a whisper, as he didn’t want Austin to know he was there.
“What time is your train, Liam?”
He groaned.
“Of course, Austin. Just a second.”