A Taste of Trust

“Alex, I used to have this job... it was insane,” Liam says, his voice low, a strange look in his eyes.

They were in Alex's cozy New York apartment, the scent of fresh coffee lingering in the air. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the space between them. Alex had been scrolling through cat videos, but he immediately set his phone down.

“Insaner than your obsession with cat videos?” Alex teases, a gentle smile on his face. Liam shoves him lightly on the shoulder, letting out a laugh that ends in a wheezing snort.

“Shut it! This is serious,” he gives Alex a blank, almost robotic stare, a hint of a frown on his lips.

“I bet.”

Liam gives him a short, frustrated sigh, and Alex softens, reaching out to gently grasp his hand. “Oh, man, I’m sorry. Just tell me. Please.”

“When I lived in Boston, I was very young—maybe about twenty, and I lived there up until I was twenty-six.”

As Liam speaks, they move closer on the small sofa, their hands touching, eyes staring deeply and intensely.

“After I graduated, I needed a job and stumbled upon this company that was developing a nutrient paste. You know, like, a total-food-replacement kind of thing. It paid well, and my job was to be a ‘flavor evaluator.’ I had to taste hundreds of variations of what was essentially a gray, flavorless sludge. I’d wear these ridiculous lab coats and have a clipboard, but the job was just… boring.”

Alex was completely absorbed in the story, a hint of amusement now creeping into his expression. He squeezed Liam’s hand, and the look they shared was one of security and safety, a deep trust.

“Wait, so you just... ate goop all day?” Alex says softly. Liam nods, a wry smile on his face.

“Mostly. It wasn't about the taste, though,” Liam explains, his voice dropping a little. “It was for these weird investors and scientists who liked a taste tester who could give them ‘unbiased’ opinions. They’d film me, watch my expressions. They wanted to see me make faces when I tasted something bitter, or nod in solemn approval when a new batch was just right. It was a performance, and the pay was dependent on how 'interesting' my reactions were. The more animated I was, the bigger the bonus.”

“Hmm. That doesn’t sound too bad,” Alex muses, but his brow is furrowed with concern.

“Yeah. But…” Liam bites his lip, his gaze dropping to their intertwined hands. “I had to run out one day. That’s why I came to New York.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“The lead scientist who hired me was a… madman. He wasn't just working on nutrient paste. He was experimenting with a human enhancement serum. The 'nutrient paste' was just a cover, a way to test reactions to different formulas without anyone knowing. One day, he brought me a new, glistening purple batch, and he told me I was the perfect candidate for the next phase—human trials. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. He saw me not as an employee, but as a test subject, a lab rat.”

“So you got the hell outta dodge,” Alex says flatly, and Liam nods solemnly. He remembers packing a single duffel bag, leaving everything behind, and buying a one-way bus ticket.

“Yeah. My parents are still in Boston. But my two older sisters, Sarah and Hannah, live in other states doing their own thing.”

“Seems better now to be in boring freelance graphic design, huh?” Alex says, a hint of tenderness in his voice.

Liam nods, a genuine smile returning to his face. “Much better. But I’d still like to get into UI/UX. I’d like to make a brand that’s inclusive, easy to use, and comfortable. A brand that people can trust.”

“That would be so cool,” Alex says, repeating Liam’s usual line, making the latter chuckle and crinkle his nose.

“And you?”

“Hmm. Haven’t thought about it, maybe I will decide after my retirement. But, I do love being with you. Maybe I’ll be a writer, or something. I’ve always got a good story to tell.”

Liam leans in, and their noses touch. “You got the talent, after all. From your dad.”