Page 10 of Liam

"I'm assuming you ended the date."

"I asked the guy if his son was gay and single." Owen tipped his head. "He's neither of those."

"Bad luck."

"In a constant string of it. I'm going to rewrite my profile the way I want it."

"I won't be offended," I replied. "Whatever helps you bring in the right guy."

"Maybe Noah should plan a gay speed-dating night here at the pub," Ethan suggested.

I nodded. "Run it past him when he gets back."

"How's that going by the way?" Owen asked me. "You with the kids."

"Too soon to tell. I have another six days and nights with them." I tipped my water to my lips and sucked on an ice cube then dropped it back in my glass. "We'll be fine. It's goodthey're at school all day. I'm glad Noah and Brody didn't get married over the summer holidays."

"What will you do all day?" Ethan asked. "Keep yourself busy with a dating app?"

"Nah … there will be a lot to do around the house. Plus, I'm not into that right now." The reason was still a foggy concept. My body wasn't craving sex. I suspected I knew why.

Something to do with Jamal's eyes and the way he had looked at me.

Owen and Ethan's eyebrows rose in unison.

"Because of Charlie?" Ethan asked. "I thought you two were open."

"We're not in a relationship, Ethan. Not a romantic one anyway." I dug my fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck. "I'm not sure what we're doing. We both refuse to talk about it."

"Well, that's healthy," Owen replied.

Time to change the subject.

Sort of.

"Jamal and I are going to the Royal BC Museum next week."

Ethan set his glass down and stared at me. "On a date?"

I shook my head. "No, we're just hanging out. It'll be nice to spend time with someone I'm not planning to have sex with afterward. Plus, he's super nerdy about the museum."

"Sounds like he has found his way right up your alley." Ethan smiled at me. "I think it's great you've planned to do something with a platonic friend. If he's into the museum as much as you are, then Jamal is a fantastic guy to hang with. Noah has a lot of respect for him."

"He seems really cool."

"Cool, huh?" Owen pursed his lips at me. He was suspicious. Sure, I found Jamal attractive but that wasn't the path we were embarking on. Every relationship I had with aman did not need to involve sex. Instead of defaulting to seduction with him, I wanted to try for something more.

"My birth mom is coming into town," I said, veering away. "We're going to meet for lunch in a few days. She's in Victoria for a conference."

"Do you need backup?" Owen asked.

I played with my empty glass. "No, I'll be fine."

Normally, Noah would have come with me. Not that I couldn't face my birth mom on my own. I could. The truth was having Noah there tempered her. Eased up her adoration of me a little.

To her, I was a pretty face she could exploit. Her gorgeous gay son. I knew she showed my social media photos to her friends, boasting about me. She'd told me as much.

She wasn't proud of me for all the hard work I'd put in to look this way. If I was the same overweight and awkward guy I'd been as a kid, she probably wouldn't have time for me.

---