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

“Are you sure you wanna be here?” I said, very quietly, watching the tears roll down his cheeks. He’d been crying silently all the way here. It was breaking my fucking heart. Making me weak and desperate. “O’Reilly, say something…”


Hours before, when I’d walked into the Hotel Dieu hospital, I’d been shocked at my own resilience. My nerves had been steady. My resolution, unwavering. Steadfast, I’d hurried down those long halls, passing open doors, with only one thing on my mind: To be there for O’Reilly. To my surprise, the ex-boyfriend had been there, too. Man, what a jerk this guy was. No respect for Derek, at all. Things had escalated pretty quickly. O’Reilly’s parents had tried to console him in their own strange way, but that hadn’t helped. I’d never seen him in such a state of fury and pain. If I hadn’t intervened, I believed he’d have clocked his old man. There was rage inside him. Righteous rage.


Chapter 36