Contd Thread II @shiningstages
"Thomas-" the name was barely spoken before he was interrupted by the sharp sound of glass being slammed against a wooden bar top. An indication to shut up and listen, boy. It made him blink in response, gaze immediately flicking to the floor like a reprimanded child. He listened as the small vial was dropped, clinking as it toppled over and settled after completing a full rotation. There was a part of him that hoped it remained intact, knowing exactly how much the dosage cost. It was by no means cheap. But then he felt guilty for grieving such a potential loss. His reaction only proved how deep he had gotten into this mess. However, like some of the addicts that were cared for by P.A.S.E, it was difficult to reform. A liquid dependence; there was no other way to cope with the many woes plaguing their minds. For Eli, he had no choice. It was transferred into his very existence. That was his excuse. But history could be rewritten if he allowed it.
The harsh words were well-deserved, but Eli had never experienced the wrath of Thomas before. It was surreal, hearing such anger. If those words had teeth, he would be ripped to shreds by now. But he remained silent, allowing the other man to release much needed tension. Judging by the almost empty bottle of bourbon besides him, he had been sat here a good while -- deliberating exactly what he was going to say. Chastising a family friend was no easy decision, but Eli could not fault him for it. This was a damning discovery that needed a serious conversation; there was no escaping the inevitable. As the bar stool was pulled out harshly, the chair legs scraping across the floor, he had no other choice. It was going to happen one day, but Eli hoped it never did. He wanted to hide this secret forever, alongside the other he kept. But this current one was nothing compared to what else Thomas was unaware of.
"Thomas, you have every right to be angry with me." There was no denying how bad the situation was, but he had his reasons. Whether they were the correct reasons, especially in Thomas' eyes, was another thing entirely. Sitting upon the bar stool, Eli was tempted to reach over for the vial of Happiness but thought better of it. His fingers curled into a loose fist, settling upon his lap. What could he possibly say? One option was to lie, make up a scenario of accidentally bringing back a vial from a recent raid. It was slipped inside his pocket with the intention of declaring it later, but he completely forgot about it. An innocent explanation. But he knew that Thomas was no fool. And so all that was left was to tell the truth. "I didn't find it," he finally began, staring ahead at the shelf full of unlabelled alcohol. "I purchased it from an E-Bar...like I do every week." There was the kicker. Every week. Not once. A regular occurrence.
"1ml of Happiness," he continued, taking the risk and picking up the small vial. The bright yellow liquid moved languidly inside, sticking to the sides. "Sometimes more, depending on how bad I feel." Or how much he wanted to see Walter. He set the vial back down on the bar top, turning away from it to stare directly at Thomas with a hardened expression. But there was a hint of desperation in his tone. "I only take it privately, in my own time. The girls have never seen me use any of it." He wanted to make that bit clear. "This is my problem and mine alone, Thomas. I would never bring anybody else into it."
