Yours | ✓

8 | Welcome to the Alcohol Addiction Group

Chapter Eight: Welcome to the Alcohol Addiction Group

"you can get addicted to a certain
kind of sadness, like resignation
to the end, always the end."
~ gotye

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M O N I C A

   "Nice hair, Bangs," a deep voice commented while I sipped my iced coffee.

   Already knowing who it was because of the nickname, I slowly looked away from my phone, where I'd been reading the news. "Triple," I drawled out once my eyes slowly grazed over Liam's body, meeting his strikingly blue eyes a moment later.

   "What you drinking?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow as he stared at the cup in my hand.

   Since I'd been sitting on the couch in the coffee shop, I shifted to the side slightly, so I could press my elbow on the armrest. "Hazelnut iced coffee," I grinned, looking at the cup. "Iced coffee is my life, but hazelnut is my obsession."

   He stared at me with amusement when I looked back up, noticing how he was holding a drink in his right hand, too. "Regular coffee with one sugar," he told me, answering my silent question.

   "I'm surprised you're not working," I teased, drinking my iced coffee slowly. For the last week, the two of us had gotten closer where I could almost call him a friend. During this duration, I realized how long Liam worked. He almost never took a break, only seeing the light of day out of his garage when he had to.

   Liam rolled his eyes while sitting next to me. "Not everyone can start working at three, Bangs," he told me blankly, making me shrug.

   "Not everyone works from nine in the morning until ten at night, Trip," I sighed dramatically. "You're gonna rock the whole, bags under eyes thing, young, aren't you?"

   His eyes narrowed into a glare as he stared at me. I eyed his black baseball cap before drinking my coffee. "You're a rude person."

    "Thank you," I mumbled with a smirk.

   When I turned back to him, I noticed his eyes were already on me, staring in my direction like I was holding a big secret that he couldn't wait to learn. "So, really, why are you here? I thought you give yourself a lunch break at like, four."

   He shrugged as he leaned back. "Needed a breather," he slowly admitted. "So, I decided on getting coffee."

    Understanding, I nodded and looked out the window in front of me. The view contained the main street that led deeper into down. With the usually gloomy weather, I found myself frowning before dropping my gaze on the superstore across the street.

   My body stiffened a moment before my mind could realize why.

   Across the street was Chris, who was holding the door to the superstore as someone stepped out. The someone exiting was my mother.

   Not wanting to linger my gaze, I snapped my head to the side. "Shit," I cussed loudly without thought.

   When I looked back to Liam, I noticed him staring at me with confusion. "What's wrong?" He asked, but instead of responding, I rubbed my temple while trying to unclench my jaw.

    Realizing my inability to currently respond, too fuelled by anger, he cocked his head to the side, so he could stare out the window. With his brows drawn together, he looked around outside. When his back straightened a few moments later, his expression changing as he stared at me with understanding, I realized that he must have connected the dots in his head.