Page 13 of Liam

I focused on his eyes and his smile.

And drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't raining, so I met Jamal outside the museum. He flashed me a brilliant smile and gave me an enthusiastic wave when he spotted me walking toward him.

My heart fluttered a little and took a tumble into my gut.

Friend.

Jamal was a friend.

"Beautiful sunny day," he said as I joined him.

"Won't be too many more of those before the weather changes in November."

"Did you know Victoria has 317 days of sunshine a year on average?"

I smiled at him. "Ididknow that actually." Jamal started rolling and I kept pace with him as we headed for the main doors. Jamal pressed the wheelchair button, and the doors opened.

After he bought his ticket and they confirmed my membership card, we took the elevator to the second floor. The Stonehenge exhibit was in the first section. Jamal was thrilled with all the facts he was learning. It was an endearing habit of his, gathering and sharing random facts. He kept me entertained filling in blanks about the prehistoric exhibit that weren't mentioned.

We continued to theLiving Land, Living Sea Gallery. And wow, Jamal knew a lot about what we were seeing. I'd been in here tens of times, but Jamal was creating a whole new experience.

Of course, as we moved on, we had to take a picture in front of the full-sized mammoth. Jamal held my phone so we could get a good angle that included us both and the beast.

I texted him a copy. His smile lit up as he viewed it.

It took us almost an hour to finish the floor, then we proceeded to the third floor First Peoples Living Languages Gallery. We started in the replica long house to look at the totems and listen to the indigenous chanting. Next, we went into a room with buttons to push that would speak a sentence in an indigenous dialect found in British Columbia. There were at least twenty-five. Jamal pushed them all. It had been a while since I had taken my time and soaked it in. Jamal liked to experience everything like it was his first time there. His enthusiasm elicited feelings of unprecedented affection in me. I wanted so badly to touch him.

The cobblestones in Old Town were tricky for Jamal to navigate. He asked me to push him down the frontier street. We took a lift upstairs to see the hotel, checked out Chinatown, and stopped at every shop window and Jamal told me all sorts of facts about the Hudson Bay's presence in early Victoria, BC. We emerged from the building after being inside for more than two hours.

"You hungry?" Jamal asked.

"I could eat. Should we go across the street?"

"I'm always game for pasta."

"Their salads aren't bad."

"I need more calories than that to get around." Jamal rolled down the sidewalk. I kept up with him and crossed the street. The host in the restaurant found us a table with enough room to accommodate Jamal's wheelchair. It was a stark reminder. His navigation with his equipment was ever-present. It felt as if his entire world revolved around his disability.

I took a seat and watched Jamal scan the menu. He chewed on his bottom lip as he did. My heart fluttered again. He was adorable. I had more than enjoyed sharing our love of the museum with him. Did I dare ask him on a real date?

What would dating a guy in a wheelchair be like? I wasn't sure I could do it and that realization made me feel disgustedwith myself. Jamal was an amazing guy and I was attracted to him.

What was stopping me?

Chapter Four | Jamal

I'd never enjoyed the museum as much as I had today. Having Liam with me made every single exhibit better. He hadn't rushed me when I wanted to take my time; and hadn't been frustrated when I read every exhibit information card. And, most surprisingly, he had put up with my inability to stop myself from spouting random facts. He seemed truly interested in what I had to say.

Now, I was seated across from him in a restaurant about to share a meal. We'd ordered and were talking about what we'd seen when he fell silent, studying my face, his gaze wandering everywhere while he fiddled with his napkin. For a few seconds, he became fixated on my lips.

I fought back the desire to lick them.

The day had begun to feel like a date.

"I live with my family," I said to steer the conversation.

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