JJ glances at me, and I suck in a breath. “In here,” he calls back.
Silas and Ronan appear in the living room with bright smiles and bags in their hands. “Hey, guys.” Ronan grins, dropping his bag to the floor to run a hand through his auburn hair. “Long time no see.”
I stand up to give him a hug before turning to Silas, who embraces me tightly.
“Good to be home.” Silas pats the wall. “How have you guys been? How was your summer?”
JJ nods. “It was fun, I spent it over at Finn’s house.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” JJ chuckles. “We had a good time.”
Silas glances at me. “Woodford didn’t drive you crazy then?”
“Not quite,” I say lightly.
“Wanna head down to the pub and have a proper catch-up?” Ronan suggests, and I immediately feel my throat close up.
JJ remains silent but keeps his eyes on me and raises his head subtly, encouraging me to tell them.
“I don’t want to go to the pub,” I blurt after a moment of silence.
Silas frowns. “Why not? You love going.”
I brace myself to blurt out the truth, but it’s now or never.
“My drinking habits were out of control,” I say as I rub my sweaty hands down my trousers. “And this summer proved it. I was drinking before going to work, getting into fights, getting dangerously black-out drunk to the point I ended up in the hospital.”
Ronan’s mouth opens in shock, and I grip my shaky hands together. “Fuck, Finn. I didn’t know it was that bad.”
“It’s been bad for a while,” I admit. “And I was choosing to ignore it.”
“Are you alright now?” Silas asks.
I pause for a moment. I am better, but I’ve still got a long journey ahead of me, and this is just the beginning. “I’m doing better because I went to rehab for a month over the summer.”
“Rehab?” Ronan repeats in shock.
“Yeah.” I internally wince, realising it’s a lot harder to voice than first anticipated, but this is something I’m learning to deal with.Acceptance. “And it’s put a lot of things into perspective for me. I wasn’t coping, and now drinking is completely off limits. I don’t want to end up in a ditch or dying in hospital. And I’d really appreciate it if you guys could support me with my sobriety.”
Ronan and Silas share a glance before nodding. “Of course, man. Fuck. I had no idea, I would never have said anything if I knew.” Ronan drags a hand down the back of his head.
“I know,” I say. “I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone. I’d like to keep it between us four, no one else.”
“Yeah, of course,” Silas says with sincerity. “We’re gonna be here for you, Finn. I want to see you healthy.”
The corner of my lip quirks because I never thought I’d see the day. “Me too.”
“Come here, man.” Ronan tugs me into a hug, which Silas soon joins, then JJ.
“It might be our final year, but we can still have a great time,” JJ adds.
“Definitely,” Silas responds. “Last year living together, let’s make it a memorable one.”
And a memorable one it’ll be because I vow to stay sober and remember every second.
CHAPTER 3
