RP LOG with tweedjocks | Road trips & Revelations

[wannabesurgeon]

Liam opened his eyes slowly and caught sight of flashes of green sprawling scenery passing by the passenger's window of Joe's car. Between the window and his face was a pillow off Joe's bed that Liam had insisted he wouldn't need, but now he woke up finding himself very much utilising it. He hadn't even realised he had fallen asleep. After the whole overdose ordeal and the psych assessment, they decided to keep Liam in hospital for two days when the hangover turned into an absolutely bitch of one. He was so sick, like his body abruptly decided he was a complete fucker for deigning to abuse it with straight vodka and pills, so he must pay for it intensely. He was only discharged the evening before, when Joe had come around just as Sophie was helping Liam into his bed to try and sleep a bit of the hospital ordeal off. Liam had been glad to see him, even if he knew Joe was probably keeping his distance because the hospital staff didn't want too many people around at once. At first, Liam really hadn't been into the idea of a seven hour drive to Scotland, but then he wasn't into the idea of forging through the international crowds at Heathrow Airport and being stuck in a tiny cabin thousands of feet in the air squished up against a stranger beside him, either. The road trip won out.


Neil, Declan, and Zac drove Liam over to Joe's that morning so they could set off on the drive. Liam felt awkward when he arrived, realising he hadn't spoken to Joe about anything to do with the overdose. The conversation the night before had consisted literally of just Joe asking if he was okay, talking about driving to the wedding, and then Liam admitted he was tired and needed to sleep. As far as he knew, Joe was still there when he fell asleep, but when he woke up that morning, the university professor had gone home. Liam had half-heartedly packed a bag and managed to dress himself in a pair of old track pants and a knitted white CK jumper. His hair was pulled back loosely at the nape of his neck and he didn't even realise he had passed out in another deep sleep before they left London. Obviously, they were out of London now if the greenery and meadows were anything to go by. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye, rubbing it and scrunching his face up as the pillow dropped into his lap. "If I snored, I'm sorry," he offered huskily.

Joe had stopped trying to check if Liam was breathing a while ago. He couldn't help it. Liam didn't snore, he didn't even seem to be breathing half of the time he was so quiet. Joe just let him sleep though, keeping the radio low as he focused on the roads and the Morgan brothers car in front of them. He'd only lost them once or twice, but soon enough he'd caught up again. The drive was slowly starting to drag though with no one to talk to. He'd thought about calling Rian on his mobile, but him talking might have woken Liam up. Only the one time a drive had decided to cut in front of Joe without indicating, and the professor had lost it with a barrage of shouting and swearing, Liam hadn't reacted at all.

Now he smiled a little, the corners of his eyes creasing. "You didn't, but thank you. You were abnormally quiet, actually. There's water in the glove box if you want any."

Liam nodded and pulled the glove box open to take out the bottle of water. He uncapped the bottle and then shoved some loose strands of hair out of his eyes with his wrist before he took a sip. "How far out of London are we?" he asked as he looked out the window, but it wasn't like he would recognise the place without road signs. A lot of England was just green pastures and not a lot else. "And just so the rest of the trip isn't as awkward as all fuck, talking about what happened isn't a no-go zone. I just might not really have answers for everything."

"Fours hours out, so we're somewhere in York. Hit the halfway point. Well, you could have always feigned sleep for the whole trip and then not worried about the awkward conversation." Joe spared a glance at Liam when he thought it was safe to look away from the road. "And I don't really want to start by asking you how you feel, or if you're okay. I know they're the worst questions to ask people when they feel crappy. If you feel like shit. Which you might not, and that's okay. That's good. Neil told me what he could when he came to see me. I guess I'm just hanging onto the opinion that you didn't do it on purpose. Did you?"

"Even I can't feign sleep for four hours, let alone eight. I would need to piss at some point... speaking of," Liam added wryly, pulling his lips to the side. "Preferrably a tree on the side of the road as opposed to a public bathroom for obvious reasons..." He cleared his throat and took another mouthful of water, his cheeks puffing out with it before he swallowed. "I feel okay. My stomach hurts. They tell me that's normal after getting it pumped. I'm going to have to take their word on that. I don't think I did it on purpose, and I know that sounds like a cop out, but I was so drunk, that there could be a chance I did. I guess I was depressed enough for it to be a chance. All I can offer was that I didn't knowingly do it on purpose. I knowingly started to drink on purpose, though."

Joe chuckled a little before he nodded and waited until there was a decent looking spot to pull over that offered a view trees with big enough trunks to hide Liam. The only ones watching would be the cows. "I would never ask you to do that... Trees are as good as anything. Or even a bottle, but I wouldn't ask you to chance that in front of me if you're not comfortable with it. Did they say anything about eating, or complications? So what made you drink? Neil was asking if I'd said anything to you, or if we'd had a fight."

Liam smirked a little, undoing his seatbelt. "I'd be more worried about missing the target and peeing on your seat." He climbed out of the car and stretched up. Four hours in a car was a long time without moving anywhere. He rubbed his shoulders and neck, working some of the tension out that had built there over the past few days. "I have to stick to light food for about a week. Anything else will make me feel sick. General stomach issues might happen, but I'll try and give you plenty of warning if they do. I'm okay. Just... I don't know, flat, I guess. I think it was partly the talk with Tom, partly frustration about the pills, partly wondering why I have to feel like such a freak. You don't have to get defensive at that. I realise it's irrational."

Joe had followed him out of the car and now sat on the bonnet as he looked out over the green countryside. Being stuck in London made it easy to forget what nature was actually like, and how fresh the air could smell. "Don't worry about my seats, more getting your dick stuck in the neck of the bottle if you got a little close," Joe commented with a slight smirk. He rolled his head to get the kinks out of his neck and looked over at Liam. "At least we'll know we can get through the stomach issues test, right? I'm sure there's one of those. It can't all be about a puke test. That's the one Ri told me about. Talking to Tom didn't help anything?"

"Pretty sure the rape test trumps the puke test, anyway. Or maybe a get me to the toilet right now before I crap my pants test. That would have to put things on a whole other level." Liam was at a point now where he could start to joke a little about what had happened. Not necessarily about what happened to him, but there was a process involved in the healing. He went over to the bunch of trees to relieve himself, trying not to get paranoid about having a cow audience. He tucked his hands into his pockets as he came back over to where Joe was sitting on the car. "It's fucked up, but I'm not sure I'd have an issue peeing in front of you. Sounds weird. But then, my whole brain is a weird place to be right now. I think talking to Tom made it a little worse. Not Tom's fault, my fault. I expected to be able to talk to him and that it would make things better. But he wasn't furnished with the right tools to know how to help..." He scrunched his nose up a little, feeling the sun on his skin as he watched a couple of cars drive past. It had been a long time since he was out in the sun, it would probably burn him a little.

Joe slid off the bonnet to stand up in front of Liam, his own hands unsure of what they were supposed to do when a part of him wanted to pull Liam into a hug, or a kiss. He couldn't help himself. He might have been seen as a stuffy history professor, but Joe was an affectionate person. He liked to touch people, especially the ones he was involved with. And especially when there was a need to comfort them. "Well, sure. Shitting your pants and the rape test definitely trump the puke test. At least if I ever get sick I'll know I'm in the right hands with you. My very own personal doctor. Pretty cool." Joe grinned. "Good, because if you remember, my place only has the one toilet. You might need to pee in front of me if I'm in there hogging the shower and you need to go. Or vice versa. I wouldn't have a problem with you either. What tools do you need?"

Liam scratched his fingers softly over his forehead before he slowly reached and took Joe's hand to hold. "I don't know. I would probably be in a better place if I did know. Maybe I thought if Tom couldn't even help me with that side of things, no one could. Like I was a lost cause. The whole asking me to be in the wedding felt strange too after what happened with him and Stuart, and my involvement. It was like information overload. Have you ever been at work when you feel sick or have a headache, haven't slept, have deadlines, and then someone comes at you in your face and tries to talk at you about something and you can't absorb it no matter how hard you try? It was a sensation similar to that."

Joe nodded. "Of course I have, many times. People just assume now that it's because I must be too old. Going grey early has not done me any favours," he joked. "You're not a lost cause. Just for the record. I have to admit I was a little unsure of how to help, but talking to Neil was actually... not that scary, and did help me. I know you're going to hate me, but I mentioned the wanking thing. And I... I want to try it. This is me giving you notice. It doesn't have to be today, tonight... This week. Just at some stage." He looked down at their hands and relaxed a little when he realised Liam had initiated the contact. It was nice.

"How long did he last before he threatened you?" Liam asked in amusement. He raised his eyebrows a little, trying to remember what 'the wanking thing' was. He did take an overdose. His brain needed a few moments to catch up on things. It couldn't be about his own wanking, because he had told Neil he hadn't done that since the attack. So, some other wanking thing. Joe wanking. "Oh... oh right. Sure. I remember now. Pretty glad it won't be today. I'm not sure you're supposed to drive one-handed. I don't hate you. I know you need to deal with all this some way too. I know everyone does. I know that sometimes people have no idea what to say to me when they look at me, which is okay. It just sometimes gets lonely, you know?"

Joe smirked. "I think about two comments in, but I can't blame him." He gave Liam's hand a soft squeeze before reaching up slowly to brush his hair out of his face so he could see it. As much as he liked the fact Liam had long hair, he didn't always want his face obscured behind a curtain of blonde locks. He watched the realisation sink in before he gave him a sheepish smile. "Oh right indeed. My reflexes are far too shit for driving one-handed, and I'm not about to ask you to give me a handjob. I know it's not time for that. And I know, love. I do. I'm trying really hard not to make you feel lonely, but I don't want to create any damage. I don't want to lose you because I say something fucked up, or try and force something."

Liam cleared his throat and was glad they stopped for a little while. He would have probably started to get restless and stressed without a bit of fresh air. "The damage has already been done. That's the part people find hard to wrap their heads around. Saying things to me or reacting to me isn't damaging me, it's me stressing out about shit already in my head. Which is just something I really don't have a lot of control over. I don't keep stressing out. I realise what I'm doing and I pull it back. I just don't want people freaking out because I'm freaking out. Or panicking and walking on eggshells. That's the worst. I feel like a leper some days. I felt a bit like a leper with Tom. He didn't really know how to deal with talking to me, and I get it. I do. It just makes me have no urge to talk back when that happens. No point if I'm getting brick walls."

"If I'm being a brick wall, you have my permission to punch my lights out," Joe offered with an amused smirk. "I mean it. I don't ever want to do that to you, and I hate that I was one of the eggshell people. We hardly had a chance to get comfortable in the relationship though before this happened, and I suppose I'm just struggling when we didn't really get to work out who we were. You know?"

Liam nodded in understanding. "Yeah... I know. Things have just been..." He shook his head, waving his hand a little. There weren't enough words anymore. Not really. "Everything just started to feel sort of numb. Like I ran out of my quota for crying or yelling or being angry. I ran out of emotion, or something. I was just getting up, and eating, and there was a spanse of day, and then back to bed to start the whole process all over again. When my doctor asked me if there was anything I had to look forward to, I just sort of looked at her. She may as well have been asking what size boobs I like to play with. It went over my head. I knew then that I really wasn't getting better like I should be. Not crying or yelling or being angry didn't necessarily mean I was better. Just that I was not better in a different way."

Joe pressed his lips together briefly. "What about now? Is there still nothing for you to look forward to? I know that it's... hard. I know that when you reach that stage where you're not really feeling much of anything you have to wonder if you'll ever feel anything again. How do you feel about taking the pills now? Are you still worried about what they might do?"

"I know I've got to take them. That psychiatrist that assessed me diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder. I haven't told anyone yet. The pills will help. I'll start seeing through the haze and be able to cope better. She also wrote me a medical certificate to officially take six months out of uni. It'll delay graduation for six months, but I won't need to quit. I hadn't taken enough of them for any side effects to start, and yeah, I'm scared. But it can't really be any worse than what I'm already feeling. I hate being scared of everything. The biggest thing was, though, she told me I wasn't mental for how I'm reacting, and I will get better. I just need to be fixed properly. Ironically, she said therapy can often counteract the issues for people in positions like me." Liam nodded slowly. "I felt better after speaking to her. Like less of a freak. And she said sex will probably be easier to face when I stop blaming myself for being a target..."

Joe leaned back on his car and nodded. "Well, that's really not a huge shock. Your family will get it. It might even help them cope once they understand what's going on. I'm glad you're not quitting. I can't tell you how proud I am of you for still getting a chance to finish. At least this way you'll have the time you need to recover. No pressure. You won't need to feel like you've got a massive load to carry. She sounds like a smart therapist, you know. I'm glad you have someone that you can talk to."

Liam was quiet for a few moments and wet his lips. He stepped a little closer to Joe, looking over his face. "I'm going to need you," he admitted to him quietly. "With the pills and trying to find myself back on a track I can deal with, I'm... really going to need you. If you can... want to... stick it out with me. I can't promise it'll be that nice. But I can promise I'm going to try and get better."

Joe rest his hand lightly on Liam's side before dropping it away. "I'm sticking this out, Liam. Trust me. There's nowhere else I want to be, even if I'm slipping into the tendency to overthink at lot more than I should. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you. Well, actually, it does. Because I care about you lot, and I'm definitely attracted to you. You know that."

Liam nodded. He knew, even if he struggled to show that he knew lately. He hesitantly rested his hands on Joe's arms, brushing his thumbs over his skin as he breached the remaining gap between them to lean lightly against him. He let the feeling settle in, getting used to it again. Compared to Liam, Joe was a big guy, and it would help being with him in overcoming the fears. It had been a huge bloke that had overpowered him with the rape. It helped knowing Joe wasn't going hurt him. His blue eyes trailed over Joe's face for a few moments and then he leaned him, kissing his lips softly.

Joe hadn't wanted to move, or speak, or do anything to spook Liam. He was more than aware that he was older and bigger. Another reason he didn't want to try and do anything that could be construed as pressuring Liam. He knew the guy had been big, he knew the guy had pressed his luck when he'd tried hitting on Liam and then forced himself on him later. Joe only wanted to make sure Liam understood he would never hurt him, not like that. He kissed him back just as softly, letting Liam dictate things. If it took giving all the control over to Liam then he would gladly do it.

Liam deepened the kiss a little, letting things just take a natural course for a little bit. They were in no real hurry to make it to Scotland. The wedding wouldn't be until the next day. All they had to do was get to Scotland, check into the hotel, and chill out. Liam knew he would probably end up just crashing when they got there, so why not make the most of the few awake moments they had here on the side of the road away from London, and no people to worry about but just them. But Liam pulled back a little, his eyes wide in surprise as he looked at Joe. "... um... I, uh..." He cleared his throat. "I think something just came up."

Joe frowned, wondering at first what could have possibly come up in the middle of the countryside. Liam's phone hadn't gone off so it wasn't like there was a family emergency, or a work one. He was wondering if Liam had developed ESP before it sunk in what the younger man was finally talking about. "Oh..." His gaze dipped south as his eyes widened as well. "Oh..."

Liam blinked and had his hands wrapped around Joe's arms. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with this development. It had been a really long time. "At least it still works?" he offered and bit down on his lip for a moment. His eyes were on Joe's lips now, and he enjoyed that fact that the kisses were still what he remembered them to be. He leaned in and picked the kiss back up where it left off and slid his hand down Joe's arm to take his hand. There was still a lot of wary hesitation and his heart was thumping in his chest, but he was figuring if the medication was going to screw with various parts of him, maybe this was a small window of opportunity? Nervously and still not quite completely sure, he shifted Joe's hand down to encourage him to touch him softly through his track pants.

Joe's own body reacted the moment he touched Liam's cock. He couldn't help it. Feeling his boyfriend erect after all this time was... arousing. His fantasies had obviously been built on memories, but the real thing would always feel so much better. He didn't pull Liam against him like he wanted to. He still wasn't sure how he would feel with Joe's dick pressing into him. It was why Joe always tried to sleep without spooning Liam if they were sharing the bed. Nothing worse than morning glory stabbing you in the back when you really didn't want an erection anywhere near your arse. Again, he took Liam's cue and kept his touch gentle and soft as he let out a quiet moan. Still working was a serious bonus. "Sure you're okay?" he asked when there was a break in the kissing.

It was overwhelming, but not in a bad way. There was a small part of him telling him to pull away, but he pushed it away when he gave a small nod. For the first time in months, he actually found there was an urge to come there. Like, maybe with just a little more pressure, he might get there. "Just... not my arse," he requested softly, knowing Joe would understand. He really wasn't ready for that yet. He pushed in a little closer and squeezed his fingers around Joe's hand, trying to urge him to touch just a bit harder.

"Deal," Joe murmured as he brushed his lips over Liam's jaw, his breathing coming out in shallow pants now. He rubbed the heel of his palm against Liam's erection, his other hand cupping the back of Liam's neck. He started to increase the pressure, the trackpants making it easier. He thought about slipping his hand inside them but maybe for now there was nothing wrong with keeping the clothing between them. It would stop Joe getting carried away. It just felt good being close to him again.

Liam reached up and took Joe's hand from the back of his neck. It wasn't that he felt good, and although it might seem he was breaking the contact because he didn't want it, that wasn't it at all. His other hand remained wrapped around Joe's on his cock and he could feel the warmth of warning niggling in his gut. "Touch yourself," he told him against his lips and moved Joe's other hand to touch himself, just like he indicated he wanted to try. He guided Joe's hand down into his own pants, so Joe would effectively be getting both of them off at the same time. It would be different, but it limited the touch between them to something Liam could cope with right now. This was okay. He wasn't freaking out. It was another step.

Joe could only nod as he ran his tongue over his lips. His mind was maybe struggling just a little as to how he was supposed to pull off the act, but then his dick jumped and he was reminded that it probably wasn't going to take much at all. Joe shifted enough to get a better hold of himself and started to stroke. Another moan escaped as his head fell back briefly. There was an urge to start talking dirty to Liam, but again... he held back. He understood that Liam needed to set up his boundaries. "Fuck..." he hissed out, his hands working on both their cocks now.

Liam's head came to rest on Joe's shoulder. At the end of the day, he was still just out of hospital. His energy stocks weren't exactly brimming. There was no direct contact with his cock, and for some reason, this was manageable for him. He could feel Joe's hand working rhythmically against his hip as he stroked himself in time with the friction to Liam's own cock. Liam exhaled heavily and his eyes slipped closed when he felt the first tingles of warning. When he came, it wasn't explosive or mind-blowing. It was intense and some small shudders ran through his body, but it was more just a sense of tension-relief as the warm dampness seeped through his underwear and trousers. It felt strange and familiar all at the same time.

Joe felt the warmth of Liam's come under his hand, and didn't take his hand away. He kept it resting on the spot as he worked on bringing himself to climax. Just knowing that he'd managed to get Liam off was enough to spur him on. It felt like a seriously long time since he'd done that. He bit his lip as he grunted quietly, his head resting lightly against Liam's as he braced himself for the orgasm. His wasn't exactly mind-blowing either, but it did feel good. Really good. His hand was sticky and warm as he pulled it out of his pants and he huffed out a breath and resisted the urge to fall back against the bonnet and go to sleep. "Well, that was... refreshing."

"Oh shit, I forgot how much work it was to come," Liam soon joked, staying where he was resting against Joe's shoulder. His other arm was wrapped loosely around Joe's waist and he licked his lips slowly, taking a couple of moments to analyse how he felt about it all. He lifted his head and gave a small nod. "Wow. The world didn't explode," he added with a small smile.

Joe laughed as he kissed Liam's cheek before he held him close, and wiped his soiled fingers on the side of his trousers. Before they checked into the hotel he would definitely need to change. "Which I am eternally grateful for. Nothing quite says 'mood killer' like making the world explode. Although if you did go out after an awesome orgasm, you couldn't really experience anymore downsides... And ignore me, I'm going to just sit here quietly and not ramble."

"I know you're going to tell me I don't need to apologise and all that, but I do just want to say sorry that these whole past couple of months have been so... dark, uncertain. All of the above. That you felt like you had to walk on eggshells or felt like doing or saying certain things would freak me out. It can't have been easy, I know that. There's even been part of me wondering when you're going to get fed up and give up on it because I was giving you nothing in return. No contact at all. I'm just trying to get better with that," Liam murmured. "I'm still shitting myself about the wedding. Really. My stomach is hurting just thinking about it."

Joe frowned before he gave a shake of his head. "I'm sorry you've had to sit around feeling like I'm probably going to get up and leave any moment. I don't want that for you. I'm not leaving, okay? I understand. It's hard, but I understand. Why do you think I've turned my brain into such a pretzel trying to think of how not to touch you? You just take your time, don't feel like you need to rush because of me. What's the part about the wedding that's worrying you most?"

"I should have talked to you more. The words just never wanted to come out. Whenever I tried, they mashed all up and became a confusing mix of fears and uncertainties. It's crazy. It all happened in minutes, and it's caused me weeks and weeks of hell. It doesn't seem right. I always thought if anything bad like that ever happened, I'd just pick myself up and deal with it. It doesn't work like that, though. It's not just physical stuff. That heals. It's the rest of it that sucks." Liam sighed, rubbing his hand over his stomach through his shirt distractedly. "All the people, facing them. The last time I spoke to Stuart, he was interrogating me about getting raped. Before that, he was screaming at me in the hospital to leave him the fuck alone. I don't even know how his brothers feel about anything. I'm packing it, I really am. Not to mention, I basically look like a corpse. Not even Maybelline can rescue me at this point."

"I would think Maybelline would just make you look even more like a corpse if you wanted to go with panda eyes..." Joe joked quietly. "Something tells me Tom wouldn't ask you if Stuart wasn't alright with it. And you said yourself you had an inkling that maybe Stuart was the one that pushed Tom into asking. And you don't look as bad as you think. You're not corpse-like at all. You'll be amazing with a night's sleep and a suit on. Maybe no come stains in your pants," Joe added with a smirk. "All the people are going to be family and friends. It's not a room full of strangers. Not for you. Not completely... For me, yes. I'll be crapping myself just like you if it makes you feel better."

Liam pushed his hair back and then leant down to look at himself in the side mirror. "I was going to get my hair cut, but I couldn't face the salon. I haven't been there since it all happened. It was all my mates from work there that were with me that night. You're being kind. I look like I've had an overdose. But thank you. I appreciate you telling me I look fine. Maybe I should get a big hat and hide under it. It's not like the grooms won't have come stains soon enough, anyway. No way will they wait to consummate. It's weird. Never thought Tom was the marrying sort. I just want it over with. I know that sounds terrible, but I do. They all know what happened to me. The coppers in very, very fine detail. It's just intimidating."

Joe looked at Liam. "Well, I'm no expert, but you could always direct me with how you want your haircut. Or could one of your brothers, or sisters do it? I like it a bit long, but if you want it cut... get it trimmed. Let me do it, or someone you do trust. You haven't spoken to any of them since that night? I don't even really know Tom, but already I'm wondering what he's going to be like if he's not the marrying sort, but still getting married. Are you even sure you want to go through with this?"

"No! No... I mean that in the nicest possible way, but I'm a hairdresser, and I can't let non-hairdressers touch my hair ever. It's just... no," Liam insisted, a hint of his old self showing through the down-trodden exterior. "I've texted them, but they've kept their distance. I guess having witnessed what happened, they didn't want to upset me or anything. He seems to want it. I can't talk beyond that. It's not like I've spoken to him much to really know if he's going to get cold feet or anything. And to be entirely honest, no. I'm not sure, but I'll try my best."

Joe held his hand up. "Okay, okay. No touching the hair. I'll keep my mouth shut. And scissors firmly away from your hair. You need to keep trying with your friends, love. You'll need them. I'll make you a deal. We'll figure out a signal and you can just give it to me if you need to make an escape. I'll get you out quicker than you can say Dior. I used to play rugby in my younger days, so I'm not above ramming my way through the guests."

Liam smirked with a nod, but it turned into a small smile as he cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. "Okay. I did forewarn Tom that I might not make it past the ceremony. If I get that far, I think it'll be a pretty huge thing. Such a huge difference to Soph's wedding. I was nearly peeing my pants with excitement about that. It seems like so long ago. It hasn't even been a year yet."

"Time flies..." Joe smiled as he watched Liam before he risked a kiss to his temple as he gave him a gentle hug. "You're not alone in all this, love. And you won't ever be if I have my say in it. It's the ceremony that matters. He wants you there. And at the risk of killing this moment entirely, I also want the chance just to sit back and admire the view of you in a suit."

Liam leaned in against Joe tiredly. "At least they're not making me wear a kilt like Stuart's side of things. Hopefully you're not admiring at the time I decide to shit myself," he joked.

Joe grinned. "I'll be sure to look away if you look like you're doing any clenching. I know it seems scary now, but I bet you'll pull it off better than you think."

"And hopefully somewhere between here and Scotland, I manage to stop feeling weird about being part of their wedding party. I know I was friends with Tom, but I don't know where I stand with him anymore. It's not like we chat much anymore, and I was the cause of him nearly splitting with Stuart for good. It felt like a screw up that couldn't really be fixed. It's just... strange." Liam gave a small shrug. "Stuart has a big family. I hope to hell they don't all realise I was the one."

Joe gave Liam's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, but you didn't do anything, did you? So there's no need to feel guilty. It was all a misunderstanding, one that's been cleared. Tom obviously does care about you even if he doesn't seem to have gone about it the right way. Let yourself off the hook, Liam. You have nothing to feel in the wrong about."

Liam nodded a little. "Easier said than done," he murmured. He knew he was holding on to a lot of crap still. He was slowly getting there, but it would take time. "We better get back on the road or we'll miss the wedding all together... or we could always just sit here and play dumb."

Word Count | 6,178