Page 15 of Liam

"I've never met anyone else who does it."

"Me neither."

I looked at his salad. He'd already moved the chicken to one side. He currently had his fork stuck in a cucumber slice. They'd be the next to be moved. He was telling the truth. No wonder he'd been so particular about what they put on his salad. He'd turned down the crumbly toppings.

"Such a strange thing to have in common," I said.

"I'm sure we could find more things." Liam winked at me, then appeared to regret it. His eyes grew wide before he looked down at his plate. He stayed focused on arranging his food.

I set in on my linguine. "Noah says you'veallknown each other since high school."

"Yup." He nodded his head as he poured a vinaigrette over the lettuce portion of his salad. "At first it was just Noah and me. Ethan barged in and started hanging out with us. Then he dragged Owen into the mix. We became inseparable over the summer holidays."

"Did you know you were all gay?"

"Individually to ourselves, I'm pretty sure, yeah. We weren't out to each other."

"You were lucky to find one another."

"Those guys are my found family."

"What about your birth family?"

Liam wrinkled his nose. "They don't deserve a mention."

Okay, we're dropping that subject.

"Noah says you're into surfing and a bunch of other sports."

"I love surfing and snowboarding. Plus, I run every morning."

"I've tried skiing. And I've been wanting to try kayaking." I twirled some pasta on my fork. "Before my accident, I was an avid cyclist. Even took part in the Tour de France."

Liam's eyebrows peaked. "That's pretty intense. Cycling in something like that."

"It was an experience. I'm glad I did it."

"Do you miss it? Cycling?"

Wow, an honest question. I hated when people tip-toed around me and how my accident had left me paralyzed. Liam was unique. He was making an effort to know me.

"I do. I have a bike I can pedal with my arms, but it's not the same."

"I have a bike. We should go cycling together sometime."

Spoken like it was the most natural suggestion in the world. He’d skipped right over my disability. He was treating me like any other able-bodied guy.

I smiled at him. "I'd love that."

God, he's perfect.

Not taking a chance on straying from the friend zone was going to be difficult. Which left me wondering what the drag queen, Charlotte Dubois, meant to him.

"How long have you known Charlie?" I asked.

Liam tipped his head. "You know him?"

"Just by reputation. I follow Charlotte on social media."

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