You don't speak unless you're asked a question. I learned it the hard way.
"Zach... look at me." Odd. I lift my eye to the owner of the voice. Dean.
"You okay ... ?" Dean asks.
"Yes, sir."
I hear David's slurs, but I can't make out his words.
Dean looks angry. Why?
"What did you say to him?" Dean asks.
"Nothing ... pour me some beer."
"Called the boy ... that he answers. The boy just ... with the sir shit." Someone else is talking. What are they saying? I just stand there and wait.
"David, get your fucking ass out of my bar! Now!" Dean roars and I blink.
"But I didn't ..."
"Now! Before I beat the shit out of you." Dean snarls.
"Dante!" Dean yells.
I just stand and look at the floor.
"What's up, man?" Comes a different voice. Somewhere in my mind I know that it's Dante, but I'm too numb to care.
"I need to take care of Zach, for a minute. You throw that piece of shit out of my bar before I kill someone. Call Daisy."
Dean takes my hand and starts to lead me somewhere. I don't resist his hold.
"What the fuck?"
He lets my hand go, I stand where he left me.
"Zach?"
I wait.
"Zach!"
I wait.
There is a loud bang.
"Jesus Christ, you didn't even flinch."
I wait. I think Dean left me. Someone takes my hand and leads me to sit on the couch.
"Zach, you need to talk to me. What happened?"
"Nothing, sir." My voice sound detached.
"Fuck!" Dean stands, then paces.
"Dean?" Someone asks.
"What did Daisy say?" Dean asks.
"She thinks he might be having a PTSD episode." Says the other man.
"Okay, what do I do?"
"She said you need to ground him. But ask for permission before you touch him. She said something about breathing, fuck I don't remember." The man says.
"Ground. Okay. I got this. Manage a bar for me, please." Dean says.
I hear a door closing and Dean kneels in front of me.
"Zach. I need you to listen to me. Can you do that?" He asks. He sounds calmer.
"Yes, sir," I answer.
"Take a deep breath, please."
I inhale.
"That's it. Now exhale. Good."
I do as he says.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Dean." His word is quest on my lips but I like the sound of it.
"Dean." I repeat.
"Where are you, Zach?"
I lift my eyes from the front of his shirt where they have been resting unseeingly and look around.
YOU ARE READING
Loving Zach (MxM)
RomanceSometimes you need just one person to make all the difference in the world. And even better if you get a whole family of them. Zach's been living in his car for a month now. He has nowhere to go, no job and his money is starting to run out. Life has...
