Chapter 10 Liam
TEN
LIAM
He was dead. He had to be. There was no other explanation for why he was feeling like this.
His head felt like it was being pummelled by a pneumatic drill.
He opened one eye in the hope daylight wouldn’t assault him.
Thankfully, the curtains were closed, so he could only see a faint sign that it was indeed morning.
What time was it? Liam reached for his phone on the bedside table, but it wasn’t there.
He spotted a glass of water, so he reached for that, and gulped the remains down without spilling too much.
He wasn’t in any state to sit upright yet.
Next to the glass he spotted some paracetamol, but he’d already drunk all the water.
He didn’t remember putting them there, but at least he was thinking ahead in whatever drunken state he’d been in last night.
Mustering up his strength, he rolled onto his side so he could put his feet out of the bed and onto the floor.
The room spun, but he didn’t feel like he was going to be sick, thankfully.
How much had he drunk the night before? He hadn’t been that drunk in a long time, and why had he done it?
The memory hit him. Yes, he was now unemployed.
What a fucking shitshow of a week it had been.
At least he could completely focus on the bakery now – oh shit, he was late for the bakery.
He didn’t know what the time was, but given it was daylight outside, he was definitely late.
Liam wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to be there, or if he’d arranged cover like he had all week.
He needed to find his phone and get more water for the painkillers.
Standing up caused his bladder to jump to the top of the list. He stumbled out of his bedroom and went to take care of business.
He must have drunk a lot of water last night, because he was pissing like a racehorse.
Once he was sure his bladder was empty, he washed his hands and headed for the kitchen.
He poured a glass of water and realised he’d left the painkillers in the bedroom – bollocks!
Liam drank the water anyway, poured another glass and downed that, before filling up a third and heading back to the bedroom.
Once the painkillers were down his throat, he lay back on the bed.
He had no intention of moving for a while, but needed to confirm everything was covered at the bakery.
If he’d had to get up, he would have set an alarm.
Trying to recall memories from the night before, he remembered having some drinks with colleagues after his impromptu leaving lunch and then getting the train home.
He’d bought some cocktails in a can and drunk those on the train – that was classy as fuck.
Then what had he done? He had a flash of being in the Stag and Lantern, so he must have gotten a cab there, or had he come back here first? Where was his bag?
He sat up again, and he didn’t feel the room spin as badly, so he got up and went into the living room and spotted his bag.
Perhaps his phone was in there. He rummaged through it, but there was no luck.
He went back into his bedroom and saw his jeans folded up on the chair.
Picking them up, he found his phone. The battery had died, so he got that plugged in straight away.
He checked the laundry hamper and saw his work trousers and shirt, so he must have come home, left his bag, got changed, and gone back out to the pub. Why had he done that?
Liam went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and splashed his face.
He’d have a shower later. He remembered having a shower when he got home and had a vague recollection of someone else being here.
Had he pulled someone, and they’d left before he woke up?
That wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate right now.
He’d never brought a guy back here. It might be his own place, and his parents had always said they had no issue with it, but it was something he’d never do. At least he hoped he hadn’t.
He went back into his bedroom and checked his phone.
It was nine o’clock in the morning. What the fuck?
He never slept in like this. There were messages on his phone.
Some of his former colleagues asked if he’d gotten home okay.
Some between him and Chloe confirmed she would cover the bakery today.
He’d said he’d be in during the morning to help with lunch.
Okay, well, that was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but he might feel better after the painkillers took effect and he’d had a shower.
Then he saw another message and was sure his heart stopped beating for a second.
Austin
Hope you slept okay. Call me when you’re up. I want to see you today xxx
The memories from the night before came back like a tsunami in his brain. Oh, fuck! What had he done?
It was almost eleven o’clock by the time he felt human enough to go to the bakery. Walking in, the smell of baked goods hit him, and his stomach grumbled. Had he eaten anything after his lunch yesterday?
“He lives!” shouted Chloe.
He winced and waved at her slowly, which caused her to laugh.
“Coffee?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Food?”
He nodded again and shuffled towards the counter. She shooed him away and told him to take a seat in the corner.
“I came to help.”
“The best help you could give is to not help.”
He snorted, but wasn’t about to disagree with her. Then he remembered something.
“Don’t you finish at twelve today?”
“I’ll stay until close and you can thank me by letting me have tomorrow off.”
“Deal. I should be alive by then.”
“Sit down, and I’ll make sure you get everything you need.”
Why did that sound wonderful and ominous at the same time? He was feeling too rough to work that one out. Thankfully, the place wasn’t too busy. A few locals acknowledged him, a couple with knowing grins. He didn’t care. All he wanted to do was eat food, drink coffee, and go back to bed.
He looked at the messages on his phone, which was helping him slot the missing pieces into the puzzle that was the day before.
He wasn’t sure how long he was looking at his phone, but it seemed like ages.
Chloe had brought his coffee over and said she’d ordered him a breakfast roll from the Stag and Lantern, since the bakery only had sweet food, and made very little breakfast food as local businesses didn’t believe in directly competing.
He appreciated her doing that. Liam needed grease in bread, not that Kevin’s food was ever greasy.
It was moments like this when he missed living in London.
He could stumble out the door of his flat and have a dozen eateries less than five minutes away, or order something from one of hundreds.
There was no takeaway delivery out here, though.
A takeaway bag from the Stag and Lantern was placed in front of him, and it smelled heavenly.
“Oh, thank you. This is just what I need.”
Liam heard a familiar chuckle and looked up to see Austin smiling at him.
“Oh my God,” he said, banging his head on the table. “Please tell me this is a dream.”
He sensed Austin sitting down opposite him.
If he kept his head on the table like this, Austin might leave before Liam had to speak to him.
His face felt like it was on fire, and his heart was going like the clappers.
This had to be the most embarrassing moment of his life.
Well, that had probably been last night, but he couldn’t remember it all.
He had a horrible feeling his brain was protecting him as a trauma response, so it was keeping all those memories buried.
It was having the opposite effect, though, as he was imagining the worst possible things he might have said to Austin last night.
“Liam, eat your breakfast.”
“Please, can we talk later? I think I might burst into flames if I have to relive it all now,” he groaned.
“Eat your breakfast, Liam. We don’t need to talk right now. I just wanted to check you’re okay.”
“Apart from feeling like death, and considering going into hiding from anyone who saw me drunk last night, I feel excellent.”
Austin chuckled again. At least someone found his utter humiliation amusing.
“Please, will you eat your food? Or I’ll call Kevin and tell him you turned down one of his specials.”
“Oh my God.”
He got up and pulled the bag towards him and took the sandwich of the gods out.
The smell of the cooked bacon was even stronger.
People weren’t allowed to bring food from other places to eat in here, but he was the boss at the moment, so if anyone complained, they could get fucked.
The Kevin special was not on the menu, but he’d had it before a few times.
It was a bacon and egg sandwich, which used homemade bread in thick slices, and between the egg and bacon was a fried slice.
It was absolute heaven of saturated fat calorific goodness, even if Kevin removed a lot of excess fat and only used premium products.
Liam had made them several times himself, and they were good, but Kevin’s sandwich was on another level.
Liam took the first bite and couldn’t help but moan. It was perfect. The yolk was still runny, and ketchup had been added. It didn’t get better than this. He glanced at Austin, who had an amused look on his face.
Within less than two minutes the sandwich was demolished, and he was already feeling better. He took a final swig of his coffee, which was still warm, then put the cup down, his hand trembling slightly, before he looked at Austin.
“I’m really sorry for my behaviour last night, Austin. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
Austin took hold of his right hand and rubbed his thumb over the back. It was so soothing.