Ryan got into his car after making sure that his mother got into hers. He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled. He turned on the engine and sat back after buckling his seatbelt. "Bixby, call father."

"Calling father." The phone rang and rang, then clicked as a recorded voice message played out. "Lovely." He muttered to himself before he pulled out of his parking space. He hit the steering wheel, trying not to call his father on every possible phone number that he owned until he fucking picked up the phone.

Father couldn't do this to him! He thought. That bastard could not treat him like he was some fucking child who was being reckless! Ryan grated his teeth as he fell in line with a traffic jam on the express.

He swore. He was a grown-ass man who had made mistakes and cleaned them up—cleaned himself up for Christ's sake! And he had been a bloody mess in his youth! Ryan had been so deep within his own head that he hadn't stopped to realize how he was killing himself until he nearly did... He gasped out, a tear rolling down his cheek. His heart clenched inside his chest, and he bent forward on the steering wheel as his hands trembled, and he found himself relieving a dark moment... One that washed over him like a tidal wave. It was so blurry; he could barely even see straight, let alone walk upright without tripping over himself.

Ryan's lip quivered as more tears dropped onto his pants, his throat tightening as silent sobs left him.

A blaring honk jolted him back into the present, and when he came to when his eyes refocused after blinking away his tears... The road was clear, and he was sitting at a green light.

"Fuck!" He stepped on the gas and swore again, brushing harshly at his face as he swore again, a string of profanity leaving his lips as he drove.

"Bixby... Call," he bit his lip, who could he call?

"Who should I call?" She asked. Beep, "who should I call?" she asked again. "I didn't get that. What should I do now?" Bixby asked as she waited for his command? He exhaled a shaky breath.

"Call..."

~~ ~ ~~

"B—B—Bixby... C—call ahh... Ashton." He whimpered.

The phone rang twice. "Ryan? Is everything okay?"

He didn't know why he called him. Javier was always there, Vanessa, his mom, his other friends... Anyone else, but no, he called Ashton; a man he barely knew apart from what they told each other. A man who had only known him for two days, but in those two days had relaxed around him so comfortably that it scared him while also making him feel welcomed.

"Ryan! What's going on? Are you okay? Ryan?" There was worry laced within his words, and Ryan couldn't stop the tears from dampening his face. "Ryan, please say something."

"Could you..." He trailed off. He took in a shaky inhalation then let it out calmly, steadying himself. "Could you pick up... I'm at a BP G—Gas station before the bridge... I—I can't." He bit back a sob, but it was too strong. He covered his mouth, but Ashton had the time to hear him.

"I'm coming right now! Please, wait there, don't move. I'll be there. Do you hear me, Ryan?"

He nodded as he held back his sob. "Yes," he squeaked out. The call clicked, and he let himself go, tears running down his face as he shook. He peeked to his right to see the bag of liquor that he had picked up from the store, and a part of him wanted to drown the shitty moment and crappy feelings away with it but... He just couldn't move, and he couldn't bring himself to opening the door again and escaping it all.

~~ ~ ~~

Ashton rushed out of his office, Tia hot on his heels as he grabbed his keys, wasting no time. He had ignored Tia's words, almost as if they had transformed into a buzzing in his ears as he reached from the front door.

Tia yanked him back by the shoulder, and he whipped around, anger having captured his face. She gasped and stepped backward. "Ash?"

He shook himself out of his stupor and exhaled.

"Is everything..."

"Ryan just called... He—he was crying. I'm going to pick him up at a BP Gas station that's after the bridge."

She nodded. "I'm coming. I'm not letting you leave the house when you're like this. Especially not after Joseph." He clenched his jaw when she mentioned his ex, but she let her get in front of him as they rushed to his car and got in. "Don't drive like a madman. I'm not in the mood to deal with any cops today."

He scoffed and pulled out of his estate, speeding away as the gates opened for him. He didn't know what had happened to Ryan, but he didn't want to wait around to find out later. He had been with him for less than two full days and knew nothing about him other than what he had shared, but at that moment when Ryan spoke to him, he could feel the pain that left him and something inside of him burnt, and he couldn't think clearly. Ashton just needed to know that Ryan was okay. He had to be okay. That man was the only person right now who knew how he felt. Ryan was the only one that read him so well, even if he hid his true feelings... There was something about the way he gazed at him... Something that drew Ashton in with each interaction and for the life of him; he could not figure it out.

Tia kept the silence in the car, more focused n checking the road and keeping Ashton from speeding since she knew that he never tended to speed when he had passengers. This was the only way she could ensure that he drove remotely close enough to the speeding limit. She touched his thigh, reminding him that she was there, and he glimpsed at her quickly before he gave his attention back to the road.

"I'm fine, Tia."

"Yes, boo, I know."

He nodded.

She knew that his heart must have been racing a mile a minute, but no one could blame him when they knew what he'd been through. "There it is!" She said, pointing to the gas station.

Ryan listened to his body, letting out all his upset and stress and trying not to fall back into the bottle like his father. He curled and unfurled his toes within his shoes, having half a mind to drive off to his father's home or maybe his company to confront him, to snap at him! Even perhaps punch him for being so stupid for turning back to alcohol after it nearly cost him his life! He couldn't understand what was going on! Why would he? Not even his mother knew! And she was worried, as much as she tried to hide it... He could see the sadness in her eyes. He could see how nervous she was, even if her smile was brighter than the sun... Her eyes were as dark as open space.

He threaded his hands into his hair, taking calming breaths as patiently as he could.

Ashton pulled over the car after driving into the station and jumping out, taking the keys with him as Tia locked the doors and chased after him.

Ashton dashed poverty to the driver's side of Ryan's sliver car and pulled the door open. He found Ryan hunched over the wheel, soft sobbing meeting his ears. "Ryan?"

He sniffled and lifted his face. Ashton gasped, seeing the puffy red eyes of his fiancé, his cheeks rouge and his hair and unkempt mess. He let out a breath of relief but was still very worried. He bent down to meet those blue eyes that had seem to lose their luster. "What happened?"

Ryan pressed his lips together and shook his head, a tear falling down his face. "I don't know."

Ashton caught the open paper bag containing three bottles of liquor, and he looked back on Ryan. "You didn't drink, did you?"

He shook his head. "Please, get them away from me." Tia, who stood near the door, nodded and rushed over to the passenger side door. She grabbed the bag and marched over to the dumpsters to get rid of them.

"They're gone now. Can you come out?" Ashton stated.

Ryan pushed up from the steering wheel, and Ashton reached inside and unbuckled his seatbelt and stood back. Ryan got up and instantly threw his arms around Ashton's neck. The older man hugged him close, pressing a kiss to his temple as Ryan shivered. "Shh." He mumbled, "you're alright now. I'm here. Can you walk?"

He shook his head against Ash's chest, and Ashton couldn't help the smile that came to his lips. He bent and picked up the shorter man, almost bridal style, his arms still clasped around his neck.

Tia walked back to them, calling for Ashton. "Drive his car back home, please."

"Of course, Ash. Just make sure that he's okay."

He gave an approving nod as he got to his car and unlocked the doors. He set Ryan to his feet and opened the door, helping him in. He sighed and brushed the hair from Ryan's face. "I'll have you home soon. Just rest." He strapped him in and rounded the car to get into his seat.

The ride was quiet for a few minutes until Ryan turned his head towards Ashton's. "I don't know why I called you."

Ashton glanced at him. "I was closer."

"No. I wanted to call before I got this far, but I didn't. Something stopped me from contacting you." He swallowed softly. "I could have called anyone else, but your name was the only one on the tip of my tongue."

He tried not to feel happy about it, given the circumstances. "Why is that?"

"I'm lost, Ash."

"Did lunch with your mom not go well?"

Another shake of his head. "No, it was terrific. But... I couldn't get ahold of my father at all. And then it was as if I just spiraled... It was like I was back in the darkness. In the endless fall of alcoholism, I thought I'd never see the light again. To think that my father gave up fifteen years ago, but the recent events have caused him so much trouble... Enough to drink again."

Ashton pursed his lips. He knew that Ryan was bothered by his father's lapse in his sobriety, so he certainly could tell that it was also a struggle for him to come around to what was happening. It seemed to have taken a fast toll on him as well. "Should I call someone for you? Would that help?"

"How do you know when not to drown your sorrows in alcohol?" He asked, ignoring Ashton's question.

He shrugged. "I just do. I've seen friends drive themselves to their graves or demise by overindulging. I never wanted to become so deep into an addiction that I couldn't recognize myself." His eyes met Ryan's from over his shoulder. "I know you don't want to disappear into the bad lifestyle that you had many years ago, so how can I help?"

"You don't know me."

"I don't. That's correct, but I know addiction and pain. I also know that you've worked hard to keep away from it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have dragged yourself into rehab to get better."

"I didn't want to die before I celebrated my thirtieth birthday." He sighed.

Ashton didn't like seeing the light behind Ryan's eyes dull, almost as if the joy that had overflown within them was spent, and he was now a meager shell of his former self. "You have four more months, so don't you dare going dying before then!" Ryan gasped, his expression changing for the first time since they started speaking.

"You're not allowed to throw your life away any more than you have, and no matter what, I'll be here to help remind you of that. Me and Tia." He declared.

Tears filled Ryan's eyes once again, and words evaded him. Ashton stopped the car, and Ryan whipped around to see where they were. He didn't even notice when they drove into the compound of Ash's estate. "Wait... What? You don't even know me!"

"And I don't need to!" He snapped. He turned to Ryan. "Look at me. We're in this together. The day I met you, I had already made up my mind that I would not stop until I found a way to break this contract. I was looking forward to the next drink that I would feel burning down my throat, but then you entered the restaurant. Something about your disposition and how you controlled everything around you, including my drink order, made me hyper-aware of the kind of person you were. You didn't shy away from telling me what you thought, neither did you hesitate to stop me from my chronic drinking." He sighed, running a hand over his hair. "Ryan, what I'm trying to say, is that you showed me enough positive energy to make me rethink my brash methods and reevaluate whether I genuinely wanted to squash our engagement or go through with it."

He gulped. "I did that?"

"Yes. So don't throw this away. If we can't find out why our fathers did what they did, then let us at least try to steer this relationship in a proper direction—not for them, but for us."

"But... Aren't you afraid that I'll relapse?"

He shrugged. "I'll keep you afloat, and if you ever do, I'll find you, even if you don't call. Can you trust that?"

He laughed, sitting back in his seat as he laughed, and water ran down his face. "You're mad... You asked me before if I had a lover prior to coming here... I've avoided relationships for years. I feared giving my trust to the wrong person because it only ended with me taking the hard backlash of reality."

"So I'll earn your trust," Ashton stated.

"You're bold."

"Hi, I'm Ashton. Have you met me? I made the first move on you when you were being a flirt and again when you chose to be intimate with me. I think boldness is just something I'm burdened with."

Ryan smiled then, a twinkle in his ocean blue eyes. Ashton reached forward and cupped his cheek, making Ryan sigh into the warmth that spread across his skin. "Are you trying to make me fall for you, Ash?"

"If it's working, then yes."

Their eyes met, and then he covered Ashton's hand with his own. "Thank you for coming. I nearly flushed away all those years of being sober."

"Your welcome. But why were you so thrown off, if you don't mind me asking?"

He bit his bottom lip. "My father... He's making mother worry again; I saw it in her eyes and her uncertainty. The drinking is becoming a problem again, and he isn't answering my calls. He's throwing this family into the wind, and he isn't even available to be yelled at for it! That fucker is breaking my mother's heart again!" He cried out. Ashton pulled him to his chest in that instance, startling Ryan.

"A—Ash?"

"Shh, I'm here now. Let it out." Ryan gripped the back of his shirt and buried his face in the crook of Ashton's neck as his cries came out in muffled sobs. The older man stayed there with him for however long as Ryan continued to cry.

Tia had long gone inside, sitting in the front room patiently to wait for the men to come back in.

Dusk had settled into the summer sky, and Ryan's grip on Ash's shirt has loosened as all his crying subsided. Ashton hummed calmly, rubbing at his back to comfort him as they parted slightly. "Are you ready to go inside?"

He simply nodded, and Ashton got out of the car and picked him up, walking inside as the sun had begun its slow descent over the horizon.

Tia stood as the front door creaked open, and Ashton stepped inside with a somber Ryan in his arms. "Ash?"

"You waited?" He questioned.

"I couldn't leave knowing that something was going on. How is he?"

"He'll be okay. Do you mind waiting a little longer? He's rather tired."

"Of course not. I'll stay the night. I always bring an overnight bag, plus I have enough clothes in my room and you two could use some food. Go up, and I'll cook you two some dinner."

"Thank you so much for understanding."

"Always." She smiled gently at him, and he smiled back, loving that he had someone so wonderful in his life.