Free The Guy With the Suitcase (Once Upon a Guy #1) by Chris Ethan Page A

like vanilla and Oreo. Just pure perfection,” he answered and hummed with pleasure at the image in his head.
    Pierce laughed. “I love oreo too. But my favorite hands down is chocolate. I love milk chocolate. It was so hard giving it up,” he commented as they stood in the small line to be served.
    “Why did you have to give it up?” Rafe asked, his brain already at work, trying to figure out why someone would give up something they love.
    “I became vegan,” came his reply in a casual manner.
    “Oh. Okay. I guess,” Rafe commented.
    Pierce squinted at Rafe’s attempt of sounding approving.
    “I just don’t get why you would cut something out of your life if you loved it so much,” Rafe explained, trying to sound as nonjudgmental as possible.
    Pierce looked him in the eyes with a semi-serious face and eyes full of surprise. “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask my parents?”
    Rafe cursed as he realized what he’d just said and apologized.
    “Relax,” Pierce laughed, “I was joking, dude. Well, sorta”.
    They finally reached the ice cream man and Pierce ordered for the two of them. He ordered two of Rafe’s favorites and gave the man all his bills, leaving without his change. Was he trying to impress Rafe? Or was he, a homeless guy, hopeless with money in his hands? Rafe didn’t care. He enjoyed this bruto ’s company and he would savor it and whatever benefits it came with for as long as he could.  
    He licked the cold dessert and his taste buds were permeated by a blast of sweet wetness. He’d missed the taste of ice cream. He tried to avoid cold stuff to build up his immune system, not that it did anything. His immune system was fucked up. Completely. But if he could avoid catching pneumonia, he would. He didn’t have a death sentence wish.
    “But seriously, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be. It was easy at first, then as the diet kicks in you start craving for some of the crap you used to eat, but you fight through the cravings, or supplement them with the closest equivalent, and then you’re set. Honestly, this doesn’t taste as good as it does in my memory,” Pierce went on.
    “So, you’re still vegan? Or…” Rafe asked looking poignantly at the ice cream in Pierce’s hands.
    Pierce coughed. “God, no. I tried the first couple of weeks after I was kicked out and I almost starved myself to death. That was before I came down to NYC. I’d get a couple of good souls willing to buy me food, but whenever I asked for something non-meaty, non-cheesy, they’d think I was being an ungrateful bastard. When you got no money and you are hungry, not knowing when your next meal is going to be, you get what you can to get by. Plus, most things I want to eat are more expensive. Salads aside. So when it’s going to be famine or a dollar hot dog, I chose the dog.
    “But I’ve met some vegetarians who are homeless and will not eat anything else. It doesn’t work for me. If it does for them, I have no clue. Although, to be honest, now that I’m used to the city and how it works, whenever I have the option and money I do eat at least vegetarian…”  
    Rafe could hear him talking for hours, for whatever topic it was he wanted to go on about. He seemed to be passionate about his dietary needs.
    If he was being honest to himself, he wasn’t paying as much attention to the content of Pierce’s words, but to his tone and his emotions, that were so generously pouring out as he explained his experience. Pierce seemed to be the guy with the constant resting bitch face which only came off whenever he got carried away and delved into his deepest desires.
    His lips, full and moist from the never-ending salivation by his moist tongue. His eyes flickering more frequently than normal, as he put his thoughts into order. His nose taking deep breaths at irregular times, as his passion made him forget to breathe properly.
    “…I don’t know. Every time I think about it, I can’t wrap my head around