Empty Bottles, Broken Dreams
Chapter Two
"Bri, I’m going to the store real quick, wanna come with me?" Zacky asked, standing by the door, holding the keys. "Nah, I’m kinda tired. I think I’ll stay here." Brian replied from his place on the couch. "Alright, be right back. I love you."
"Love you too." Brian smiled at Zacky as he walked out the door. The second he heard the car leave the driveway, he headed for the freezer and dug out a bottle of vodka he was hiding in the back. He was only going to have a little drink He could control himself. And Zacky couldn’t expect him to just quit, cold turkey, just like that, right? But one drink turned to another, and another, and soon enough he was passed out on the couch, bottle in hand.
"Brian!" Zacky yelled, appalled at what he had come home to. Brian, even in the state he was in, jumped up from the couch, startled. "I-I I’m sorry. I can explain!"He stuttered, looking around frantically. "Explain what? Explain how you broke your promise? Explain how I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and this is what happens?" Zacky set the bag he was holding down on the kitchen table and walked angrily over to his boyfriend. "Brian, this is exactly what I was talking about at the party. Whenever you’re around alcohol it’s like you’re another person. You lose all control of yourself and you keep going until you pass out! That’s not you. That’s not my Brian." Zacky cupped Brian’s face in his hands. "What if...what if you take it too far one day?" Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Brian, I don’t want to lose you." He said before he broke down crying, Brian taking him gently into his arms, crying as well. He knew everything Zacky had said was true. He had to stop this, it wasn’t the real him, and it was taking over his life. "You’re right, baby. You’re right..." Was all he could choke out between his sobbing.
"It’s alright, you can do this." Zacky looked Brian in the eye. "We can do this. " He said. Brian nodded, stroking Zacky’s cheek gently, wiping away a tear. "We can. And we will. I promise. This time for real." He smiled, kissing his lover softly on the lips. Zacky pulled Brian closer, leaning up for another, deeper kiss. "I love you. And I believe in you."
"I love you too. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you."
Zacky smiled. "You know, maybe if you tried learning something new, and really concentrated on it, it would help you get over alcohol." He suggested. "Yeah, I’ve heard that helps. But what should I learn?" Brian asked. "I don’t know...but I think we should learn something together." Zacky said, letting Brian know that he would be with him through this, one-hundred percent. Brian smiled, and looked at the ceiling, trying to think of something. Before he could, Zacky piped up with an idea. "I’ve got an old Italian recipe book! Maybe we could try cooking!" He beamed, obviously proud of his idea. Brian’s smile grew and he agreed, and Zacky literally ran to their bedroom to look for the recipe book.
"Alright, we have to make something simple tonight, because I really don’t want to go grocery shopping again today." Zacky said, skimming through the big, old book. "Hey this looks good. Struffoli. All you need is flour, salt, eggs, orange zest, vegetable oil, honey, and some sprinkles for the top. We have oranges, right?" Brian nodded. "And honey, and strangely enough, we even have sprinkles." He said. Zacky giggled and turned back to the recipe book. "So what do you say? Wanna try it out?" he asked. Brian kissed Zacky on the cheek and stood up. "Let’s do it."
Standing in the kitchen with the recipe book open and all the ingredients out, they were ready to start cooking. "Okay. I’ll put the flour and salt in this bowl, and you can grate the orange peel, and then I’ll stir that in." Zacky said, measuring out the ingredients before pouring them in the big bowl. Brian had grated a teaspoon of orange zest as the recipe called for, and he poured it in as well. Brian glanced at the recipe and then cracked open two eggs, adding them to the bowl. He watched, smiling, as Zacky stirred the mixture. "Now we have to knead it. You wanna do that?"
"Yeah." Brian answered, and he poured the the contents of the bowl onto a wooden board covered in flower. He worked at the dough for a couple minutes, and then looked at the next step of the recipe. "Now we’ve got to roll it into a rope and cut little pieces." He said. Zacky took his turn, rolling the dough to the proper shape, and they both cut it into little half-inch pieces. Zacky poured some vegetable oil into a pan and let it heat up, then they began placing the little dough balls into the oil. Zacky jumped as the hot oil came splashing up. "Careful, hun." Brian said, chuckling at the frightened look Zacky had given the oil. They stood there and watched as the little dough nuggets fried in the oil. "I think they’re done." Brian stated when they had turned a golden brown colour. He turned the flame off and removed the pan from the hot burner, setting it on the back to cool. Zacky had grabbed a spoon with holes from the kitchen drawer, and began scooping the dough balls out and putting them on a plate that Brian got from the cupboard. Then Brian drizzled the honey on top them, and Zacky scattered some rainbow sprinkles over the top. Pleased at their finished product, they each took one to taste. Brian held his out to Zacky, who giggled and took a bite. "Wow, these are good!" He said, holding his out to give Brian a taste. "Mmm, they are!" He said, and grabbed another. Zacky took another too, smirking at Brian who was licking his fingers.
When they had eaten their fill of the Italian dessert, they cleaned up their mess and put away the extras. Tired and pleased, they went to their bedroom and snuggled under the covers. Zacky nuzzled his face into Brian’s warm chest, and they relaxed in each others arms. "Today was fun." Zacky said, and Brian felt Zacky’s lips curve into a content smile against his chest. He made a tired noise of agreement, smiling as well, and stroking Zacky’s hair until they were both asleep.
"Love you too." Brian smiled at Zacky as he walked out the door. The second he heard the car leave the driveway, he headed for the freezer and dug out a bottle of vodka he was hiding in the back. He was only going to have a little drink He could control himself. And Zacky couldn’t expect him to just quit, cold turkey, just like that, right? But one drink turned to another, and another, and soon enough he was passed out on the couch, bottle in hand.
"Brian!" Zacky yelled, appalled at what he had come home to. Brian, even in the state he was in, jumped up from the couch, startled. "I-I I’m sorry. I can explain!"He stuttered, looking around frantically. "Explain what? Explain how you broke your promise? Explain how I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and this is what happens?" Zacky set the bag he was holding down on the kitchen table and walked angrily over to his boyfriend. "Brian, this is exactly what I was talking about at the party. Whenever you’re around alcohol it’s like you’re another person. You lose all control of yourself and you keep going until you pass out! That’s not you. That’s not my Brian." Zacky cupped Brian’s face in his hands. "What if...what if you take it too far one day?" Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Brian, I don’t want to lose you." He said before he broke down crying, Brian taking him gently into his arms, crying as well. He knew everything Zacky had said was true. He had to stop this, it wasn’t the real him, and it was taking over his life. "You’re right, baby. You’re right..." Was all he could choke out between his sobbing.
"It’s alright, you can do this." Zacky looked Brian in the eye. "We can do this. " He said. Brian nodded, stroking Zacky’s cheek gently, wiping away a tear. "We can. And we will. I promise. This time for real." He smiled, kissing his lover softly on the lips. Zacky pulled Brian closer, leaning up for another, deeper kiss. "I love you. And I believe in you."
"I love you too. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you."
Zacky smiled. "You know, maybe if you tried learning something new, and really concentrated on it, it would help you get over alcohol." He suggested. "Yeah, I’ve heard that helps. But what should I learn?" Brian asked. "I don’t know...but I think we should learn something together." Zacky said, letting Brian know that he would be with him through this, one-hundred percent. Brian smiled, and looked at the ceiling, trying to think of something. Before he could, Zacky piped up with an idea. "I’ve got an old Italian recipe book! Maybe we could try cooking!" He beamed, obviously proud of his idea. Brian’s smile grew and he agreed, and Zacky literally ran to their bedroom to look for the recipe book.
"Alright, we have to make something simple tonight, because I really don’t want to go grocery shopping again today." Zacky said, skimming through the big, old book. "Hey this looks good. Struffoli. All you need is flour, salt, eggs, orange zest, vegetable oil, honey, and some sprinkles for the top. We have oranges, right?" Brian nodded. "And honey, and strangely enough, we even have sprinkles." He said. Zacky giggled and turned back to the recipe book. "So what do you say? Wanna try it out?" he asked. Brian kissed Zacky on the cheek and stood up. "Let’s do it."
Standing in the kitchen with the recipe book open and all the ingredients out, they were ready to start cooking. "Okay. I’ll put the flour and salt in this bowl, and you can grate the orange peel, and then I’ll stir that in." Zacky said, measuring out the ingredients before pouring them in the big bowl. Brian had grated a teaspoon of orange zest as the recipe called for, and he poured it in as well. Brian glanced at the recipe and then cracked open two eggs, adding them to the bowl. He watched, smiling, as Zacky stirred the mixture. "Now we have to knead it. You wanna do that?"
"Yeah." Brian answered, and he poured the the contents of the bowl onto a wooden board covered in flower. He worked at the dough for a couple minutes, and then looked at the next step of the recipe. "Now we’ve got to roll it into a rope and cut little pieces." He said. Zacky took his turn, rolling the dough to the proper shape, and they both cut it into little half-inch pieces. Zacky poured some vegetable oil into a pan and let it heat up, then they began placing the little dough balls into the oil. Zacky jumped as the hot oil came splashing up. "Careful, hun." Brian said, chuckling at the frightened look Zacky had given the oil. They stood there and watched as the little dough nuggets fried in the oil. "I think they’re done." Brian stated when they had turned a golden brown colour. He turned the flame off and removed the pan from the hot burner, setting it on the back to cool. Zacky had grabbed a spoon with holes from the kitchen drawer, and began scooping the dough balls out and putting them on a plate that Brian got from the cupboard. Then Brian drizzled the honey on top them, and Zacky scattered some rainbow sprinkles over the top. Pleased at their finished product, they each took one to taste. Brian held his out to Zacky, who giggled and took a bite. "Wow, these are good!" He said, holding his out to give Brian a taste. "Mmm, they are!" He said, and grabbed another. Zacky took another too, smirking at Brian who was licking his fingers.
When they had eaten their fill of the Italian dessert, they cleaned up their mess and put away the extras. Tired and pleased, they went to their bedroom and snuggled under the covers. Zacky nuzzled his face into Brian’s warm chest, and they relaxed in each others arms. "Today was fun." Zacky said, and Brian felt Zacky’s lips curve into a content smile against his chest. He made a tired noise of agreement, smiling as well, and stroking Zacky’s hair until they were both asleep.