Liam’s life could be better. He’s recovering from a divorce and a bitter custody battle, which he loses. He dearly loves his six-year-old son, Lucas, but seeing him every second weekend is never enough. His one salvation is the sea. When he’s sitting on the sand, watching the waves rolling in, he feels at peace, calmed and restored.<br><br>One day, the waves are particularly high, and the sea particularly rough. He’s surprised to see someone swimming in such choppy seas. When Liam calls out to the man, asking if he needs help, the man simply waves back. Liam thinks he must be an idiot. Little does he know the person he sees is no man, which he discovers two days later.<br><br>When they meet, Liam is both horrified and fascinated. His curiosity produces a strange attraction that changes their lives irreversibly forever.

The Sound of the Sea

It could also have been the thought of making a decision whereby one of the two people he loved most in the world was going to be disappointed. And whichever way his decision went, he was going to be more devastated than either of them.


“I should go,” he said, forcing a smile. “I’m starting to get clogged up. Getting a bit difficult to breathe.”


“I’ll see you Saturday?” asked Ezra, his eyes imploring Liam for an answer in the affirmative.


Liam turned and left, and had walked halfway to the car park before he realised he hadn’t kissed Ezra goodbye. Nor had Ezra called him back.


After arriving home, he called Lucas and they spoke for fifteen minutes or so, then he made himself a simple meal of a sausage and some tomato in a bread bun, accompanied by a glass of claret. He brushed his teeth, took a shower, and climbed into bed. The day had taken its toll on him, both physically and emotionally, and he was glad for the escape sleep would provide.


Chapter 20