Killian had been away in California for two long
years, but now he was back in his hometown of
Nevada. His best friend Bree was about to start
her freshman year of college, and he had
promised to pick her up from her parents' house.
Killian was...
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Days became weeks and once Killian was allowed to come home again, he still had to go to group therapy once a week and stay away from anything that could be a trigger to start using again. He just didn't know where to start when he took his first step into his apartment, which he had been allowed to keep thanks to his and Bree's parents who had struggled to pay all the unpaid bills he had.
The smell was fresh in the apartment again, all the kitchen counters were clean, the bed was freshly made, and all his clothes were clean and folded in his closets, but Bree's closet stood still empty. He went and opened the back door while Bree, Jax, and Hazel carried bags to the kitchen with food to fill the fridge.
He shouldn't have lit a cigarette as it was considered a trigger, but he wasn't going to quit smoking no matter what they said in the therapy group. Killian took a deep puff and closed his eyes as he felt the sun kiss his face.
"Are you okay?" asks Bree, putting her arm around his back comfortingly.
"I thought I had lost it all... You've all done so much for me, though I don't deserve it," he said, side-eyeing her for a second before looking toward Hazel's apartment and exhaling heavily.
"I think that we all fall sometimes and these walls you built around you, are walls we have to take down. It's okay Killian to ask for help and accept it, it's okay to make mistakes and do better," Bree said, gently wrapping her arms around his waist and tilting her head to his heart. "You don't have to stand with your back against the wall, afraid you'll fall again... Because I'm going to stand there behind you and hold you up."
Killian could feel an emotional feeling welling up inside him as she spoke directly from her heart and tried to shake it off as he didn't want to appear cheesy in front of Jax and Hazel.
"Are you okay man?" asks Jax, who came out on the decking and pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his denim shorts.
"Yeah, thanks for all the help. I'd be happy to pay if I could but..."
"It's all good Killian, you don't owe me anything," Jax said, and Bree let go of Killian to wrap her arms around Jax.
Killian lowered his gaze and discreetly cleared his throat so as not to stare at them. Bree had tried to avoid having Jax around her when Killian was around, but she had spent so much time with Killian already during his treatment that Jax was the one who should feel jealous of him.
Hazel came out on the decking and stood with her butt against the railing and her hands massaging her belly. She looked like she could vomit any second, thought Killian, who turned to face her.
"Are you feeling sick?" he asks, watching her squeeze her stomach and make a painful expression.
"I don't know, I must have eaten something bad or maybe I'm just hungry," she said strained, trying to keep a cheerful expression. "I'll go home and rest a bit, but if you need something or just want company, you know where to find me."
