Vacancy Signs

Chapter 11: Lost

Liam waits quietly, lips clenched between his teeth and tears of frustration building in his eyes as time ticks by, but Theo doesn't come back. Guilt eats away at Liam's insides because it's his fault. He couldn't have just waited or pushed away the dream. No, he had to go and jerk off in a car with a chimera less than two feet away from him, and even worse, he had to say Theo's name while doing it.

"You fucking idiot," he whispers harshly at himself, his teeth tearing through his lip and coating his tongue with the taste of copper.

When the sun finally rises Liam is still all alone in a car that smells like sex and regret. His eyes burn from crying and a lack of sleep every time he blinks, his reflection blurring in and out of focus in the window across from him. He looks terrible, remorse etched into the worried lines of his face and bruises marring the skin beneath his eyes. He wonders how long he's looked like this, how thin and drawn his visage has become since the start of this hell trip.

Liam had thought that Theo would come back after whatever freak-out he was having, but it's been hours now since the chimera ran off. The sun is steadily rising even though it's covered by a wall of angry clouds, the rain starting up again with a vengeance outside the jeep. Liam thumps his head back against the door, a repeated sound, almost like a heartbeat as he contemplates what to do. He could wait here, let Theo work through it on his own, but there's a nagging voice in the back of his head that keeps on whispering: What if he doesn't come back? What if he leaves you alone again?

The voice makes his stomach churn with nausea and his hands curl into fists on his thighs, the threat of claws prickling against his palms because there is always the possibility that the voice is right. Liam could be left here waiting forever, lonely and unsure of what to do next.

Then, there is the equally unsavory option number two. And, that is that he could leave the dry shelter of the jeep to traipse through the woods after a freaked-out chimera. The cons of this are getting drenched in freezing cold water and the distinct possibility of another fistfight, one that would probably be worse than the others they've had.

Liam sits up straight and uncurls his hands, his claws slowly shifting back into human nails. He wipes his hands on the leg of his jeans, a smudge of dark red lining the areas just above his knees. He reaches over the back seat and pulls his coat from the storage area of the jeep, the material is still slightly damp from the day before but it's better protection against the weather than just a thin old sweater. He slips into the coat and gives himself a small reassuring nod.

"Okay, he whispers to himself. "A fight is better than just sitting here and waiting for him to come back."

It's better than a lot of the other things that are racing through his mind.

He glances at Theo's coat and their backpacks, debating on whether or not he should take them with him. He jerks his eyes up to look out the window at the brewing storm rolling in over him, it's been raining for a while now, and the water has probably washed away most of Theo's scent. A sigh slips through his lips as he snatches up Theo's coat and rolls it up tightly to stuff into Theo's bag, he doesn't know how far Theo has gone so it's better if he just brings their things along instead of having to backtrack later on. He shoulders his bag and clutches Theo's tightly in one hand, the other hesitating on the handle of the door, finger tapping out a frustrated beat against the plastic.

The thought of stepping back out into the painfully cold torrent of water makes him grimace, but he can't handle not knowing where he stands with Theo any longer. He tugs at the handle, the door clicking open and inviting a rush of noise into the car. What had been muted sheets of rain is now a roaring river of water from the sky. He wrinkles his nose and shivers already feeling the chill of the air seeping into the open spaces of his clothes. He hates Theo right now for making him do this, but he hates himself a little more.