It was sweet of him to ask. “I found a good realtor and got advice on the financial stuff. I have it under control.”
Luc nodded in approval, his tone serious. “It still sounds like a great deal to handle. Are you moving away from the city?”
“No.” He’d never do that. Dex had a bite of ice cream before continuing, “I love living here. It’s my condo that I can’t stand being in any longer.”
He’d never said the words out loud, not even to Ollie. He’d always danced around how bad it had gotten.
Luc’s brow furrowed. “Why can’t you stand it? Is it unsafe?”
“Not at all. The building is great. Way better than anywhere I’d normally be living at my age.”
“That’s good.” Luc seemed relieved, though his concern remained. “What upsets you about it?”
“It’s my parents’ place. They died four years ago, and I’ve been living there by myself. And I mean, it’s a privilege to even own a condo. I know that. But I hate it.” Dex’s throat tightened.
He’d never let himself acknowledge how true that was. It was time to move out and move on, yes, but it went deeper. Itwas painful sitting amid so many reminders. Hate summed it up perfectly.
Luc shifted subtly closer. “Why have you stayed if you hate it?”
“I didn’t always. It helped me feel connected to my parents for a long time. Sometimes, I wish I could get that back, and other times, I wish I’d left years ago, but that feels like a betrayal.”
Luc placed a hand on Dex’s shoulder. “You can grieve however you want. It’s not a betrayal to move on and look after yourself, or change your mind.”
“I realize that now. Selling is the right thing, even if it’s exhausting for reasons beyond having to deal with open homes and legal shit.”
“They say nothing worthwhile is easy. Though I think that’s stupid. Suffering doesn’t make something superior, and easy can be a sign that you’re on the right track. But not in this case.”
A shaky laugh bubbled out of Dex. “Was that supposed to be comforting?”
Luc shrugged, surprisingly bashful. “Not really. I was thinking out loud. Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wasn’t planning on saying any of this. Guess you can say it’s been on my mind.”
Luc ran his hand down Dex’s arm. “We can talk about it. Would you like to tell me about your parents?”
Butterflies surged through Dex, and he took another bite of his ice cream to give himself a moment to think.
This had gotten personal fast. Maybe that’s what Dex liked about it, even if the butterflies seemed to set off a twisting discomfort deep within.
He laughed unsteadily. “My family doesn’t feel like the right topic for a date.”
Luc seemed disappointed, his face falling. Fuck, it was likehe actually cared. “Is it not a good topic because you don’t want to talk about them or because it isn’t what the arbitrary rules of dating tell you to do?”
“Damn, way to call me out. The second one.”
“I wasn’t calling you out.” Luc’s expression softened. “We don’t have to follow a script or censor ourselves. I’d like to hear about your parents if you’d like to talk about them.”
A soothing feeling replaced the butterflies and knots inside Dex. “All right. Let’s keep walking.”
Luc fell into step beside him, finishing off his ice cream, and Dex did the same. “I’m guessing you were close to your parents?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any siblings, so growing up, my parents and I had lots of fun. They were genuinely supportive people, and not just when I did what they wanted. They listened when I told them how I felt.”
Luc made a surprised sound. “I can’t say the same. My parents, like many, I’m sure, supported what aligned with their vision for my life, and nothing more. I’m glad you weren’t raised that way.”
“Yeah, I was lucky. When I was younger, I didn’t understand why my friends complained about their parents controlling their lives. I assumed they were upset they had to follow rules and curfews, and I wondered if I was a goodie-goodie. But then they were forced into careers they didn’t want, doing degrees they hated, and I got it.”
Different parents wouldn’t have supported Dex’s pursuit of art, and that was depressing. Yeah, making and selling pottery was a less stable career than others, but Dex loved it. He loved working at Seaside Coffee and never tolerated anyone looking down on his choices because he hadn’t been brought up by people who cast those kinds of judgments.
