Page 38 of Grounding the Baker
Standing up caused his bladder to jump to the top of the list. He stumbled out of his bedroom and went to take care of business. He must have drunk a lot of water last night, because he was pissing like a racehorse. Once he was sure his bladder was empty, he washed his hands and headed for the kitchen. He poured a glass of water and realised he’d left the painkillers in the bedroom – bollocks! Liam drank the water anyway, poured another glass and downed that, before filling up a third and heading back to the bedroom.
Once the painkillers were down his throat, he lay back on the bed. He had no intention of moving for a while, but needed to confirm everything was covered at the bakery. If he’d had to get up, he would have set an alarm. Trying to recall memories from the night before, he remembered having some drinks with colleagues after his impromptu leaving lunch and then getting the train home. He’d bought some cocktails in a can and drunk those on the train– that was classy as fuck. Then what had he done? He had a flash of being in the Stag and Lantern, so he must have gotten a cab there, or had he come back here first? Where was his bag?
He sat up again, and he didn’t feel the room spin as badly, so he got up and went into the living room and spotted his bag. Perhaps his phone was in there. He rummaged through it, but there was no luck. He went backinto his bedroom and saw his jeans folded up on the chair. Picking them up, he found his phone. The battery had died, so he got that plugged in straight away. He checked the laundry hamper and saw his work trousers and shirt, so he must have come home, left his bag, got changed, and gone back out to the pub. Why had he done that?
Liam went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and splashed his face. He’d have a shower later. He remembered having a shower when he got home and had a vague recollection of someone else being here. Had he pulled someone, and they’d left before he woke up? That wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate right now. He’d never brought a guy back here. It might be his own place, and his parents had always said they had no issue with it, but it was something he’d never do. At least he hoped he hadn’t.
He went back into his bedroom and checked his phone. It was nine o’clock in the morning. What the fuck? He never slept in like this. There were messages on his phone. Some of his former colleagues asked if he’d gotten home okay. Some between him and Chloe confirmed she would cover the bakery today. He’d said he’d be in during the morning to help with lunch. Okay, well, that was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but he might feel better after the painkillers took effect and he’d had a shower. Then he saw another message and was sure his heart stopped beating for a second.
Austin
Hope you slept okay. Call me when you’re up. I want to see you today xxx
The memories from the night before came back like a tsunami in his brain. Oh, fuck! What had he done?
It was almosteleven o’clock by the time he felt human enough to go to the bakery. Walking in, the smell of baked goods hit him, and his stomach grumbled. Had he eaten anything after his lunch yesterday?
“He lives!” shouted Chloe.
He winced and waved at her slowly, which caused her to laugh.
“Coffee?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Food?”
He nodded again and shuffled towards the counter. She shooed him away and told him to take a seat in the corner.
“I came to help.”
“The best help you could give is to not help.”
He snorted, but wasn’t about to disagree with her. Then he remembered something.
“Don’t you finish at twelve today?”
“I’ll stay until close and you can thank me by letting me have tomorrow off.”
“Deal. I should be alive by then.”
“Sit down, and I’ll make sure you get everything you need.”
Why did that sound wonderful and ominous at the same time? He was feeling too rough to work that one out. Thankfully, the place wasn’t too busy. A few locals acknowledged him, a couple with knowing grins. He didn’t care. All he wanted to do was eat food, drink coffee, and go back to bed.
He looked at the messages on his phone, which was helping him slot the missing pieces into the puzzle that was the day before. He wasn’t sure how long he was looking at his phone, but it seemed like ages. Chloe had brought his coffee over and said she’d ordered him a breakfastroll from the Stag and Lantern, since the bakery only had sweet food, and made very little breakfast food as local businesses didn’t believe in directly competing. He appreciated her doing that. Liam needed grease in bread, not that Kevin’s food was ever greasy. It was moments like this when he missed living in London. He could stumble out the door of his flat and have a dozen eateries less than five minutes away, or order something from one of hundreds. There was no takeaway delivery out here, though.
A takeaway bag from the Stag and Lantern was placed in front of him, and it smelled heavenly.
“Oh, thank you. This is just what I need.”
Liam heard a familiar chuckle and looked up to see Austin smiling at him.
“Oh my God,” he said, banging his head on the table. “Please tell me this is a dream.”
He sensed Austin sitting down opposite him. If he kept his head on the table like this, Austin might leave before Liam had to speak to him. His face felt like it was on fire, and his heart was going like the clappers. This had to be the most embarrassing moment of his life. Well, that had probably been last night, but he couldn’t remember it all. He had a horrible feeling his brain was protecting him as a trauma response, so it was keeping all those memories buried. It was having the opposite effect, though, as he was imagining the worst possible things he might have said to Austin last night.
“Liam, eat your breakfast.”
