change of heart 5

Liam had never been the kind of guy people turned to for advice. He was a doer, not a talker. If someone had a problem, he'd help fix it—no questions asked. But listening? Offering comfort? That wasn't really his thing.

So when Daniel started acting off, Liam wasn't sure what to do.

At first, he didn't think much of it. Daniel still showed up to work, still cracked jokes, still grabbed beers with him after a long shift. But there were little things—things Liam would've missed a year ago.

Daniel laughed less. He was checking his phone constantly, then setting it down with a sigh. And worst of all, his usual confidence—the thing that made him Daniel—seemed dimmed, like he was somewhere else in his head.

Liam finally called him out on it one night at their usual bar.

"Alright, what's up with you?" Liam asked, setting his drink down.

Daniel blinked. "What?"

"You've been weird lately. Distracted. Checking your phone like you're waiting for a bomb to go off."

Daniel exhaled, rubbing his face. "It's nothing, man."

Liam gave him a look. "Bull."

Daniel hesitated, then sighed. "It's my mom."

Liam leaned back. "What about her?"

Daniel stared at his drink. "She texted me last week. Out of nowhere."

Liam frowned. He knew Daniel's family situation—or at least, parts of it. His parents had never fully accepted him when he came out, and though his dad had eventually come around, his mom had kept her distance.

"What'd she say?" Liam asked.

Daniel let out a humorless laugh. "That she misses me. That she wants to talk." He shook his head. "Which is rich, considering the last time we talked, she told me I was ruining my life."

Liam stayed quiet, letting him talk.

"I don't know what to do," Daniel admitted. "Part of me wants to just ignore it. The other part…" He trailed off, tapping his fingers against his glass.

Liam nodded slowly. "You wanna hear her out."

Daniel exhaled. "Yeah. And I hate that I do."

Liam thought about it for a moment. "You don't owe her anything, man. Not after the way she treated you. But if you dowanna talk to her… I get it."

Daniel looked at him, surprised. "You do?"

Liam smirked. "What, you think you're the only one with complicated family crap?"

Daniel chuckled. "Fair point."

They sat in silence for a while before Liam said, "If you wanna meet up with her, I'll go with you."

Daniel blinked. "What?"

Liam shrugged. "I mean, I'd probably just sit there awkwardly and drink terrible diner coffee, but still. If you need backup, I got you."

Daniel stared at him for a second, then laughed. Not his usual confident laugh, but a real, grateful one.

"You're a good friend, man," Daniel said. "Annoying as hell, but a good friend."

Liam smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all emotional on me."

Daniel grinned. "Too late."

Liam just rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer.

A few days later, Daniel finally agreed to meet his mom. And just like he'd promised, Liam was there—sitting in the corner of a little diner, drinking bad coffee while Daniel had one of the hardest conversations of his life.

And when it was over, when Daniel walked out looking both exhausted and lighter all at once, Liam didn't ask what was said. He just patted Daniel's shoulder and said, "You hungry? 'Cause I could definitely go for a burger."

Daniel let out a breath and smiled. "Yeah. Me too."

And just like that, they kept moving forward.