“What the hell are you doing?” Liam knew he wasn’t going to get an answer from him.
“Just going for a stroll.” Nathan tried to stroll, but just stumbled. Liam had to catch him before he smacked into the ground face first.
He reeked of alcohol. It soaked through his skin.
“Where did you get this bottle? Did you break into Mark’s liquor cabinet?”
“Sherlock Holmes! You did it! You solved the puzzle!” Nathan blatantly checked Liam out. It was a lot sexier in his dream. “Hey, you remembered trousers.”
“You can’t do this, Nathan! What is…what is the matter with you?”
“I’m a piece of shit. A complete, worthless, unlovable piece of shit. Haven’t you heard?” Nathan laughed as he said this. It came out so matter-of-factly, even in his drunken state, that Liam’s heart broke for him for a second. Just one second. Because the man was still wreaking havoc on his property.
“Come on. I’ll bring you back to Mark’s house.” Liam put his arm around Nathan’s waist to lead him back to his brother’s. Nathan stumbled along with Liam’s guiding arm, which had to work double time to keep him from falling.
“Shouldn’t you be firing me? Farmer Tight-ass?”
“I’ll do it in the morning when you’ll remember it.”
Nathan stopped and swung around to face Liam. His eyes were dark and dangerous and in seconds, he was kissing Liam.
It was an awful kiss. Sloppy, angry, like his mouth was trying to take over Liam’s face. And the taste of hot breath and alcohol made Liam’s stomach seize up. He pushed Nathan away, and the guy collapsed to the ground.
“Sorry,” Liam said. “I…” He held out a hand to Nathan, but Nathan smacked it away.
“You know, you’re keeping these poor sheep captive. These poor sheep deserve to be free. You can’t control their lives.” Nathan wobbled up and as if imbued with a lightning spark, he sprinted to the fence.
Bugger.
Nathan opened the gate. “Be free sheepie! Free!”
The sheep rushed for the gate opening. These animals were smart enough to know an escape when they saw one.
Liam ran as fast as he could and shoved the gate closed. “Shit!”
Three sheep trotted off down the road, like old ladies going for a walk around the neighborhood.
“What the fuck!” Liam wrestled with Nathan to get him away from the fence.
“It’s freedom, Liam!” Nathan laughed a hearty, drunken laugh. “It’s beautiful.”
“Get off.” Liam pulled at Nathan’s hand to get him off the fence. It snapped back and Nathan whacked himself in the face, tumbling to the ground.
“Nathan?” Liam nudged his prone body with his foot, but he was down for the count.
Nathan
Nathan pinched his eyes closed at the daylight streaming in through the window and tried to go back to bed. Only there was no daylight. An outdoor light shined through the window, a window he didn’t recognize. He glanced around and realized he wasn’t in his bedroom. He was on Liam’s couch in his little shed-apartment abode.
He sat up, and instantly pain hit his head like some evil witch dropped a stone on him, and then for more fun, pressed her fingers hard into Nathan’s scalp. He must’ve blacked out. He usually awoke from blackout sleep with a headache. It wasn’t real sleep, just his body calling a time out for a bit.How much did I drink?
The night spiraled after watching that video of his mum. It hadn’t triggered him. It kicked him off the ledge, and he didn’t know where he landed.
He rubbed the hair out of his forehead and tried to remember what happened. He wasn’t quite sure how he wound up on Liam’s couch. Did they have sex? No. Liam wouldn’t take advantage of him like that. Something bad happened. Nathan had a sinking gut feeling. Drinking this much never led to good things happening.
Did I tell him that Mariel is my mum?
Panic took over Nathan and flashed his eyes open. He hated drinking. He loved it and needed it, but hated it at the same time. The before and during were always fun, but the after was a nightmare. Nathan wished he had never found Mark’s liquor cabinet. Once he figured out what happened, he would make sure to regret it.
