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I wouldn’t normally be so abrupt and cut her off, but I had to find Liam.
I hadn’t meant what I said, but as usual, I hadn’t been thinking. The intricacies of relationships remained an unknown quantity.
We said goodbye, and I ended the call, then went out to find him.
“Liam? Where are you?” He didn’t reply, but he couldn’t have gone far.
He wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen, and the small dining room was empty too.
A puff of smoke spiralling upwards outside the kitchen door gave me my answer.
What the fuck was he doing outside in this weather?
Well, I knew he was smoking, but he’d left in just his shorts. He must be freezing.
I grabbed the crocheted blanket from the sofa, wrapped it around my waist, and stepped outside into the frigid air.
“Get inside. You’ll catch your death of cold.”
He was shivering, his teeth chattered, and his skin was deathly pale.
He’d been doing so well too. His resolution to cut down had been working.
“I haven’t finished,” he said, his warm eyes now lifeless.
I had an idea of what I’d done wrong.
“Look, I didn’t mean what I said.” I held out my hands, and the blanket dropped to the ground. Fortunately, we were standing in a small yard and not overlooked, but he didn’t bat an eyelid and carried on smoking his cigarette.
He wrapped his arm around him tighter. This wouldn’t do at all.
“Liam, inside. Now.” I didn’t shout, but I was firm, letting him know I wasn’t fucking about.
I picked up the blanket and strode back into the house.
A minute or two later, he stepped inside. Fucking idiot was frozen.
I wrapped the blanket around him, led him to a chair, and pushed him down.
“Don’t move.” I ran upstairs and started the shower, making it as hot as possible, but not so much it would scald him.
“Liam, get your arse up here, now.”
Footsteps thudded on the stairs, and he walked into the now steamy room.
“Strip off and in the shower now.”
He did as he was told, got under the water, and sighed.
His skin turned pink, and the shivering finally subsided. I stepped in behind him and wrapped my arms around him.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m just a friend, am I?” He sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
“You’re more than a friend. You know that.”
“Do I? That wasn’t what you said.”
