It's been eleven years since Nick ran off with David for the West Coast. And though his life resembles a blue dream, after more than a decade of bar tending in resorts and cruise ships, Nick is finally thinking of heading home. First, he needs to go see about David in Vancouver ...<br><br>When he arrives, Nick finds a community of young men devastated by AIDS. Part of him wants to flee back to Montreal, but David is dying and Nick knows his place is by his best friend's side. In those four days and nights in David's apartment by the English Bay, Nick learns more about himself than he ever did before. When it's all over, he packs his bag and locks up his grief, determine to honor the promise he made to David of opening up his own restaurant.<br><br>Five years later, Nick is gaining a reputation in the industry as a chef, but has yet to have any meaningful relationships. Until Derek O'Reilly, that redheaded kid with the avocado-green eyes he used to know, walks into his dining room and ignites Nick's passion once more.

Blue Awakenings

“Well, well,” a guy said behind me. “If isn’t Nicolai Lund himself.”


I glanced over and recognized Larry. Witty and elegant, he was an older guy with a thin mustache he wore like John Waters. Head of the costume department, the boys called Larry their “hen house master”. He watched over them and had taught David everything he knew about tailoring and sewing. David was one of his favorite people, I suspected.


“Hey, Larry.” I turned to face him, my chest constricting under my jean jacket. I didn’t know what to expect anymore. Didn’t even know if I wanted to hear what he had to say to me. If anything. “I was just wondering if—”


“How long have you been back?” he asked, cutting me off. There was an edge to his voice. He crossed his arms over his snazzy blue jacket. “And no, David isn’t here. Hasn’t been in months.”


Chapter 7