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

I wished I could tell O’Reilly how much I understood the pain he was going through, but I couldn’t do it. The words wouldn’t come. I’d buried those feelings so long ago and I didn’t know how to let them out anymore.


Lene gathered more of the avocado ice cream and brought the spoon to her eyes. “I love this color.”


These last few weeks, I’d been eating a lot of avocados, and every time I tasted one, I thought of O’Reilly’s green eyes. It had been a week since I’d seen him and I couldn’t believe this was happening to me, but I was missing him. I was actually missing another human being.


Lene stuffed the spoon in her mouth and then looked into the empty bowl with a dejected expression. “Good things never last,” she said, pouting.


“Nah. I like single treat moments.”


Chapter 26