Okay, that was it. Liam did one more sweep of the rooms before he found himself back in reception where he switched off the lights in the office and the reception area then grabbed his bag. He was heading to the steam room before it cooled down for half an hour.
It wasn’t until he passed the sauna he remembered Kathy said there was another person in the building. He opened the sauna door, finding it empty. He could have left while Liam was checking the other rooms, but just to make sure, he went into the changing room, walking up and down the aisle until he got the end of the row.
The sound of the shower running made him sigh and he quickly made his way to the private cubicle it was coming from. The heat drifting from the water made him fan his face. “Hey.” He tapped on the glass, but got no response. “It’s closing time, like forty minutes ago.” He pulled his own t-shirt over his head, kicking off his shoes, readying himself for his steam session.
When he got no response, he walked closer to the cubicle, looking through the frosted glass and not seeing a body shape. Maybe someone had left it running, the pricks. He couldn’t see any bags around, so he shrugged and pulled open the door.
Liam paused, breath stopping in his chest when he saw a kneeling figure in the corner, hot jets of water cascading around him, the steam choking Liam as he leaned in and shook the body. His eyes widened when he saw the cerulean blue of Dalton’s eyes meet his. “Dee?”
Dalton was panting too fast, and the red colour to his skin was shocking, like he’d been sitting in the sun too long. He was overheated, blurry eyes and near passing out, but that wasn’t all. Troy suffered from panic attacks since his mum died, and Liam saw the wild look in Dalton’s eyes, the shakes to his body, the way he couldn’t focus and tried to hide away from the world. Liam knew the signs, and Dalton was only going to get worse if he didn’t intervene, and after seeing how bad they could get with Troy, Liam couldn’t allow that to happen.
Liam walked in the cubicle, jeans and all, switching the temperature to cool and kneeling beside Dalton who was now even more anxious and trying to crawl into the wall, his feet sliding against the tiles. “Look, you’re going to pass out. You're breathing too fast.”
“Leave me alone,” Dalton hissed out through tense lips.
Liam tried to grab the shower head so he could hold it over Dalton and cool him down, but it was fitted to the wall and you couldn’t lift it. Instead, he linked his arms under Dalton's and pulled him to his feet, bracing him under the cool water and forcing him to stay upright.
“Please don’t.”
“I'm just helping.”
Dalton tried to stand up on his own, but he sagged against the wall, his face pushed up against the tiles and his eyes blurring again.
Liam stepped closer, his chest pushed up against Dalton’s back, adjusting the shower head so the water was running over his face. “Still hot?”
Dalton nodded and Liam turned the temperature down again. He leaned against Dalton, helping him keep steady, the cold water now doing wonders for him, but his breathing was still too fast. “Slow down, Dee. Just breathe nice and deep for me.”
Dalton listened to him, the slow breaths and the lower temperature clearing the haziness from his amazing eyes. Liam watched them closely, seeing them focus more, noticing how the lighter blue was surrounded by a rim of deeper blue. They reminded him of a dog he owned as a kid. A Husky, one with beautiful eyes which saw right through Liam.
“I'm sorry,” Dalton whispered out, closing those pretty eyes.
“It’s okay, man. Just stay under the water and keep those breaths slow for me.”
Dalton snorted a lazy laugh out and Liam frowned.
“You still feeling dizzy?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Liam pushed back his now soaking wet hair covering his eyes before running a hand up and down Dalton’s back, using the other to tilt his head back. “Let me see those eyes for a second, Dee.”
Dalton opened them, staring right into Liam’s. God, this man did strange things to Liam. Things a man usually never did to him. He made Liam care. Liam gave a shit about him and that only ever happened with Troy. He guessed, like Troy, there was something inside Dalton which reached out and tugged on Liam’s protective streak. Dalton didn’t say much, never shared his troubles, but they were there.
Dalton turned away, lids shutting, face pressed up against the tiles again, the water running down him and making him lick his lips every now and then when it wet them.
A shudder ran through him and Liam watched the redness to his eyes deepen. If there was no water, Liam was positive he would see tears running from those beautiful eyes, and without thinking, Liam pressed closer to him, covering Dalton's hand above them with his own, stopping Dalton’s nails from digging into the grouting and holding him tightly. “It’s okay,” he whispered against Dalton’s neck. “It’s okay.”
Dalton relaxed against the wall, letting Liam hold him, both of them standing still, Dalton’s body shaking with silent tears. Liam not knowing what to do and hurting because of it. He’d no idea what was turning the guy inside out, but he sure as hell wanted to find out and stop it.
When the movements stopped and Dalton was calmer, Liam stroked his head, the bristles from his crew cut teasing his palms. His body felt cooler, his breathing was nice and even, and his eyes looked clearer.
“Feeling better?” Liam ran his hand over his head again, Dalton almost pushing back, searching for contact.
“Yes.” A simple word, softly spoken and a lie.
“How about we get you out?”
Dalton simply nodded and kept his chest pushed up against the tiles as Liam slowly removed his chest from his back, their hands still twisted together and pressed up against the tiles above Dalton’s head. Liam kept the contact, but lowered their hands, switching off the water and reaching out of the cubicle and grabbing one of the white towels stacked up on a nearby shelf. He wiped down Dalton’s face and head, before laying the towel over his back and rubbing his palm over it, drying him slowly and gently. Dalton let the contact happen, keeping his eyes closed, but still not letting go of Liam’s hand.
When Liam gave him a gentle tug, Dalton opened his eyes and took the towel, letting go of Liam’s hand and wrapping it around his hips. “I'm okay now.”
Liam stepped out, not wanting to push Dalton's boundaries now he was fully back with the living. He’d probably overstepped the mark anyway, but it felt right to be in there and help at the time. “Sit down and rest. I'm going to get you some water. Just don’t go walking around in here. You fall and hit your head, my insurance is going to go through the roof.” He grinned at Dalton and got a half smile back.
“I’ll stay right here.”
“Great.”
By the time Liam returned, Dalton was laid out on the bench, towel covering his bottom half but still as Liam left him. Liam kneeled beside him and Dalton took the water, half sitting up and gulping it down.
“Thanks.” Dalton was going to get up, but Liam stopped him.
“If you feel like lying down, lay down. I've got nowhere else to be.” Liam sat on the floor, crossing his arms and legs as he smiled at Dalton, the wet material of his jeans making him uncomfortable, but stripping off didn’t seem like a good thing to do at the time.
“I'm sorry, for the last time. You know…”
“Oh, yeah.” Liam grinned even more. That little moment slipped his mind while he helped Dalton. “Listen, I'm sorry for giving you so much shit when we met up last week. I meant it as a joke really. I was just messing with you.”
They sat in silence, Dalton eventually sitting upright and taking another drink of water.
“So, are you bi?” Liam watched Dalton’s eyes widen.
“No.”
“Oh, right.” Liam was sure he’d heard Milo mention a divorce or something, and he’d noticed the wedding band from Dalton’s finger had been missing the last few times they'd met, but that relationship was with a woman, and after seeing Dalton the week before in Canal Street, Liam just presumed he was bi. He couldn’t be gay, not with an ex-wife, or could he?
Dalton pursed his lips. “That guy, Blue—the blond, the one you met—”
“Yeah, I remember him.” Liam turned away, that jolt of jealousy running through him again remembering how the twink looked so smug sitting on Dalton's lap. “Like I could forget Tinker Bell.”
“Yeah.” Dalton smiled softly. “He’s pretty special that way.”
Liam bit back the green monster raging inside him, shocked at how he felt over Dalton and not understanding why it was such a big deal he was dating another person. “That your boyfriend then?”
“No! Shit.” Dalton rubbed his face gruffly. “I'm trying to explain to you… he’s not my boyfriend, he’s just a friend. They were all my friends, nothing more, never have been, never will be.”
“Right.” Liam felt a little better about that and he had no idea why. Like he gave a shit who Dalton fucked. “So, the guy—”
“I'm not gay!” Dalton stood up, holding his towel tighter.
The statement floored Liam, well, it would have done if he wasn’t sitting on the damn floor to begin with. “What?”