Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since Lian started staying over at Keane's apartment. True to his promise, the man was able to land him a job that he felt severely underqualified for. Luckily, he mostly worked from home since he just needed to arrange schedules and proofread documents. Keane also gave him new sets of clothes, more than he could ask for. 

He insisted that he should pay for it but Keane wouldn't budge until he finally convinced the man to at least pay back half of it. Lian has also been cooking meals and cleaning the home whenever he has free time and Keane more than appreciated it. For the first time in a long time, Lian ate three times a day, had a soft bed, and was not worried about someone barging into his room and harassing him.

There is still one thing that he couldn't get rid of and he knew that night that he spent in that place was the biggest mistake he had made. One more taste and he knew he'd lose everything once again but it kept calling him. He had to lock himself in the bathroom and douse himself with cold water in hopes that it would curb the cravings. He spent hours in the bathroom, sitting on the cold floor, willing himself not to go back there.

Lian was grateful that Keane was not home most of the time. He's more than sure that the man will kick him out in an instant if he knew that Lian did drugs. After putting away the groceries Keane had bought earlier, Lian decided to take a walk outside. He grabbed a long coat and his keys before walking out of the apartment. 

The weather was getting warmer as the days passed so he didn't need many layers which he was grateful for. The cold weather always brings unpleasant memories for him. Lian just brought his phone, something he didn't have for the past six years. He's so unfamiliar with the device that Keane spent two hours teaching him how to use it. Lian felt embarrassed but Keane was more than patient with him.

He didn't bring any money with him. He doesn't trust himself enough to bring some for he might end up at the same place that he vowed again and again not to go back to but always finds himself in. Lian sighed as he walked around the nearby park. He remembered the times when he and Callum would walk around the parks and steal kisses when no one was looking. 

Lian felt a pang in his chest. Somehow everything went wrong in just one day. He called Callum again and again but he never answered. Lian didn't stop until the number was no longer reachable. Lian sat on one of the benches, enjoying the nice breeze in the park. There weren't many people around so Lian was able to enjoy the peace. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

It's been a long time since he was able to relax like this. It was amazing. His arm twitched and he felt the sensation of a needle picking his skin. His eyes snapped open and he immediately relaxed when he realized that it was just in his mind. A few feet ahead of him was a man he wanted to see once again but ran away from when he did. 

His hair was swaying with the wind as he talked on the phone. He looked different. His features are much more defined than before. His hair was unkempt but still looked beautiful. The wavy texture helped it look good no matter what. Lian felt like he was falling in love again. He felt the urge to walk up to him but he had to stop himself.

Every time he tried to talk to him before, he was always met with anger and hostility. He's afraid that hasn't changed until now. Another man approached Callum and Lian felt his heart sink when the man wrapped his arms around Callum and leaned down for a kiss. Lian had to look away. He felt irrational.

They haven't seen each other in years and they didn't exactly end on good terms. Of course, he had moved on. Lian couldn't take it anymore and stood up and left. Tears were blurring his vision as he almost jogged away from the park. Lian leaned against a wall to catch his breath when he felt that he was far enough. 

As if his day couldn't get any worse, Silas appeared in front of him. 

"Hey, baby. What's got you so glum?" Silas cooed and Lian felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

The man never failed to make him feel disgusted. 

"Fuck off, Silas," he spat.

"Oh, we're getting feisty now aren't we? You're fucking that man, aren't you? That's why you're all dressed up and shit," Silas lifted his chin with his finger. "If only he knew how many men that mouth has been on."

Lian slapped his hand away and turned his back to leave. He can't fight against the man so he just walked away but even that was a mistake. An arm wrapped around his neck and he was pulled into a chokehold. Lian gagged for air as he tried to get away from Silas' grip but the man was too strong.

He could feel himself getting dragged and he tried to free himself but his attempts were futile. He tried to scream but Silas covered his mouth as he was dragged deeper into the alley. Silas threw him to the ground. Lian groaned in pain as his whole body absorbed the impact. Lian tried to get up but Silas held him down and he felt a needle enter his skin.

"No!" Lian cried as he felt the substance enter his body.

He collapsed on the floor in defeat as he felt the substance takes effect. Tears poured down his face as his mind went cloudy from the drug. He immediately knew that the dose was more than he would usually take. He couldn't think right. He didn't feel the euphoria he usually felt, all he felt was nausea and headaches. 

Silas sat him up and leaned his limp body against the wall. He could hear Silas unbuckling his belt and Lian cried even more. His body felt weak and he couldn't fight back he just let it happen. Lian closed his eyes and braced himself. The sooner he accepted it, the sooner it was over. He waited and waited but nothing came.

His vision was getting blurry and the nausea was getting worse. He felt someone helping him up, but unfortunately for that person, Lian could no longer control it and vomited all of his stomach contents toward the person before finally passing out. 

Lian was later woken up with a  cold rag being dragged across his face. The cold and wet cloth made him grimace as it touched his skin. He opened his eyes and found Keane taking care of him. He felt an extreme amount of guilt after seeing the man. He tried to get up but Keane stopped him and gently pushed him back down on the bed. 

"Just stay still. I'll finish soon. You just have to endure the cold for a while," Keane said.

Lian could only find himself nodding to what Keane said. 

"The police are already handling the guy. You don't have to worry about him anymore," Keane said.

"I'm so sorry, Keane. I put you in danger after eertyhign you've done for me," Lian apologized.

A confused look grazed his face when Keane chuckled. "You don't have to say sorry. That's just stupid," he shook his head. "I got worried when I went home to grab something and you weren't there so I went out looking for you. Luckily your GPS was on so I was able to find you."

"Thank you, for saving me again. I'll make it up to you, I promise," Lian said. 

"Like I told you before, you don't need to thank me and never apologize for something that was never your fault, okay?" Keane said and Lian just nodded.

Keane saw the track marks on Lian's arms again and this time, Lian noticed so he folded his arms in an attempt to hide them.

"Do you want to talk about  it?" Keane asked in a soft tone.

Lian realized that they've barely shared anything about each other even though they've already been living together for two weeks. He felt like he owed him a favor. 

"Can I rest first? I'll tell you when I feel better," Lian promised.

He was wishing that Keane would forget about it and he'd no longer have to talk about it but he knew that the man was insistent. He just hopes that he'd still have a home after this.