Owen has been struggling with addiction since he was a teenager, but it takes a DUI involving another vehicle for him to finally face his issues. The road to recovery is a rough one, and for Owen it's a journey made harder by bankruptcy, loneliness, and repressed memories.<br><br>His new apartment doesn't help either. It's small, worn, and hot as hell. The only way to reach it is a tedious stretch of stairs that seems like the final insult on top of a whole pile of misery.<br><br>Thankfully, the mess comes with one bright spot: intense, pretty Sebastian, who seems to have a knack for keeping his head up and finding the beauty in everything.

Forty-Two Stairs

“Here I am thinking you threw yourself into a snit,” Craig continued, puffing. “That I need to come save you from doing something stupid—”


“Well? Maybe you decided just fuck it all, right? To hell with the rules. To hell with Craig. To hell with getting sober—”


Owen stopped at the landing and spun to face Craig. “That’s enough.”


Craig shrugged. “What’s another rule if you’re already breaking one?”


“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Owen turned away and fiddled with the lock on his apartment door, making it look like far more effort than it was. “Just because I have a friend doesn’t mean I’m throwing away my sobriety. He’s a decent person and he’s—”


“Doing his damndest to fuck this up for you!”


“That’s bullshit.” Owen shoved the door open. He didn’t bother to try and keep Craig out. Craig was going to follow and hound him until Craig was finished. He could read it on Craig’s face like it was painted there.


Chapter 20