"Why did you hide in here? I could've just introduced you to him," Keane innocently asked."Why did you lie for me?" Lian retorted."Fair enough. If your instinct is to hide from a stranger, I will not force you to introduce yourself to them. So, why did you hide?" he asked again.Lian took a deep breath. He can't tell Keane not the truth. Not now. "I, uhm, I've been with people that I regret being with just to live," Lian said. He had never felt this small before. He hated it. "I'm scared that I'll end up seeing them in this kind of place and being threatened to keep silent is not on my bucket list right now, Lian chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood.Keane gave him a soft smile and a pat on the back. "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no one can hurt you, okay?" Lian felt himself tear up. Those were the exact same words his older brother used to say to him. Now that memory feels so distant. Almost as if it never happened. "Thank you," Lian said, his voice almost cracking.
Keane woke up with a raging headache. He slowly sat up from the bed and he immediately felt bile rise up his throat. Keane ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach, which was mostly just stomach acid and leftover alcohol. He was hunched over the toilet, regretting every decision he made last night. With a cold shower and a brushed mouth, Keane felt somehow refreshed, despite the pounding in his head.Lian must be worried about him, he thought, so he went over to his room to check on him. Keane knocked a few times but no one answered. He checked the time and saw that it was already ten in the morning. He knocked again but still no answer. Keane was worried. He opened the door and looked around and found the room empty. Keane was starting to panic, he saw Lian's keys and phone are left behind and he knew that was not a good sign.The doorbell rang and Keane felt a bit of relief until he opened the door and found Callum on the other side instead."Is he gone?" Callum a
Callum and Keane went home after the doctors told them that Lian was already stable. They also gave them recommendations of rehabilitation facilities that they could admit Lian into. Lian was put into an induced coma so they would have to wait until he woke up. Lian was incredibly lucky, if they hadn't come on time, a few more minutes later and they would no longer be able to save Lian.Callum couldn't sleep. So many thoughts and questions were running through his head. He sat up from his bed and grabbed his laptop. The Moore Family was not unknown to many. Their businesses were scattered all over the country. You would think that everything about their family would be out in the open for everyone to know.He tried looking for every single thing he could pull up about the family but none of them contained Lian. Not even one picture could be seen with Lian. It seemed like Lian never existed at all. It piqued Callum's interest. He ended up spending the rest of the night, searching for e
"HI," Callum greeted as he carefully approached Lian.Lian was squinting his eyes, trying to see who it was in front of him. When Callum became clear in his view, his heart fluttered, but it quickly dropped when he remembered how Callum reacted to seeing him again. Callum saw how quickly the emotions change in Lian's eyes. What looked like happiness, relief, and longing switched to sadness, betrayal, and hurt. Guilt ate Callum again.Lian didn't say a word. Not because he had nothing to say, but because he couldn't. The next three days were spent with Lian getting tested multiple times a day and waiting to see if he could be discharged. Callum didn't leave his side but Lian never uttered a word to him. Callum tried to talk to him multiple times but Lian would just look away from him. That didn't stop Callum from visiting him every chance that he could. Keane walked in the room, carrying ice cream in a plastic bag. Lian's eyes lit up when he saw Keane and Callum's felt his chest tight
Callum was pacing nervously around his house as he waited for Keane to pick him up. Keane warned him multiple times not to let his emotions get to him when they meet the man Keane was talking about. He also knows that they're visiting the man in jail and his blood is already boiling thinking of what he could've done to Lian. A car was honking its horn outside so Callum hurriedly grabbed his jacket before running out the door. He made sure that his door was locked before getting in Keane's car. "Wow! I never knew you could even move that fast," Keane sarcastically said.Callum was too anxious to have a comeback so he just sat there quietly. Keane was stunned. Callum would always have something to spit back. It's rare that he's just quiet like this so he shut his mouth as well and drove off. He noticed how Calllum's leg was bouncing up and down as he drove. He wanted to strap Callum's leg to stop them from shaking but Keane understood what his best friend was feeling right now so he l
"You're hurt," Lian pointed out as he caressed the bruised knuckles on Callum's hand. Callum pulled his hand back and wiped his tears. "I-I understand if we can't be together again. I just want to be close to you. If you allow me, maybe we could be friends again at least," Callum said, avoiding Lian's observation."Callum," Lian called out in a scolding tone.A smile sneaked its way on Callum's face. It was the same tone Lian always used on him whenever he would get hurt and hide it from Lian."Don't worry about it. I'm fine," he tried to reassure Lian but he just gave him a disapproving look. "What did he do, Keane?" Lian asked, turning his head toward KEane.Keane had to look away. He doesn't want to lie to Lian and he also doesn't want to push Callum under the bus. Lian stared at Keane as he waited for an answer and sweat was starting to form on his forehead. He looked over to Callum for help and he just shrugged so Keane took it as a cue to tell Lian what happened. "Well, uhm,
Lian was discharged from the hospital a few days later and was admitted to an inpatient rehab facility. There was no telling how long he would be in there but Callum and Keane promised that they would visit every time that they could. The first few nights were horrible for Lian. He felt scared and alone. The nightmares didn't help either. He was put on different medications and he had therapy sessions almost every day. What scared him the most was the detox treatment. His body was greatly suffering from the drug withdrawal and there were days wherein he would almost collapse from the pain. This is why he wanted to be in an inpatient facility. At one point, his willpower will not be enough to stop him from running back and inserting the drug into his system, all to stop the pain. "You have a free day today. You can go around the facility, play some sports, watch movies, or you can stay here and rest, okay?" Mike, his main caretaker tells him. "Thanks, I guess I'll just stay in for n
"They threw out Lian and disowned him because they found out about your relationship," Lyle said."What?" Callum asked in disbelief. "You weren't as discreet as you thought. There were pictures of you at the pond during the night," he said. Lian's face flushed when Lyle mentioned the pond. He's just hoping there aren't any incriminating pictures of the two of them on there. Silence engulfed the room after the revelation. Lian had a hard time processing all of it. Callum on the other hand was enraged. He couldn't believe he had stayed in business with the Moore family. He felt angry and disgusted with himself."Thank you, Lyle, for finding me," Lian said after a while.Lyle looked at him in shock. He was fully expecting Lian to lash out at him. He played a role in making things worse for his brother yet here he was, thanking him for something he should've done years ago. Lyle pulled his brother into a tight hug before the water dams burst open once again. Lian held his brother tight.