Re: Dietre A./Hugh C.: On the patio
This wasn’t a conversation Dietre really wanted to have, he’d much rather keep things light and flirt and curl up with Hugh for the night. But it was a conversation he felt like he had to have. He hadn’t really spoken about Liam to anyone. Only Misha, and Misha was gone. He felt very alone with what he knew and what he’d seen. Hugh had believed him about being able to see ghosts, so he would likely believe him about this too.
The silent nod was enough for Dietre to fully join Hugh on the bed, crawling over to sit good and close, already seeking out some comfort to get him through the story. “I’m not sure what happened. He couldn’t tell me…”
“I can only tell you what I know.” Dietre held his water glass in both hands and stared down into it as he started his story. “...His name is Liam. Was Liam. He was the first friend I made when I came to Repose. We met on the forums, like how I met you. He came to hear me play the piano at the carnival…”
“...I had feelings for him,” he admitted. It was all coming out in a bit of a ramble. “But he didn’t feel the same way I did. He was a recovering drug addict, and he kept relapsing, kept disappearing…” Dietre had been left in the dark sometimes for weeks on end, never knowing what was going on. It was terrible. “Then, one time when he’d come back after rehab, he told me he couldn’t handle my problems on top of his own and that we shouldn’t talk anymore.”
“...So we didn’t. Never again while he was alive.” Dietre’s voice shook as he said this. Even years later it still hurt. He shook his head, taking a moment before continuing. “He came to me as a ghost. That’s how I found out he was dead. One night he was just there, dripping wet. He said he drowned in the lake. And he was suffering, in agony, and I couldn’t do anything.”
“I told him I’d try to help him, but it's been over a year and I still haven’t been able to.” A sigh of regret. “I haven’t seen him a while… Maybe he’s moved on, I don’t know…” He trailed off here for the moment. This was the most he’d talked about it since he told Misha, and it left him feeling drained.