My contribution this week to the Rainbow Snippets meme is another one from “Loggerhead,” my short story about Jake and Eric, a married gay couple who finally get the honeymoon they never had and use it to go turtle-watching in Florida, where Jake is from. On a visit to Jake’s childhood home, they end up in the attic looking through boxes of memories:
It rained our first morning there, a fine, warm drizzle that made the geckos scamper for cover under the oleanders. Jake was up before me. I found him in the cluttered attic, going through an old cardboard box labeled, “Jake’s Track Stuff.”
“I can’t believe my parents still have this crap,” he said, holding up a small, brass-colored plastic trophy.
“Maybe they thought you’d want to have it again one day—you know, when we buy the huge house in Connecticut and have room for a trophy case.”
“Yeah, but this trophy must be twenty-five years old. And I only got third place.”
“Third place is better than I ever did.” I used the sleeve of my nightshirt to wipe the dust off an old steamer trunk and sat down.
Jake eyed me with suspicion. “I thought you won the state speech championship your senior year of high school.”
“I meant sports,” I said. “I only did baseball, and we never placed.”
“I bet you looked cute in your uniform, though,” Jake said. He sauntered over and took the empty space on the trunk next to me. “If I’d known you back then, you would have totally placed with me.”
I burst out laughing. It soon turned into a sneezing fit from all the dust in the room. “That has to be the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard.”
“Good thing I’ve already picked you up, then.”
Loggerhead is in my anthology Falling Hard: Stories of Men in Love, and you can also find it in the new multi-author anthology Sexy to Go Gay Romance, available for pre-order now.
Find more Rainbow Snippets on the Rainbow Snippets Facebook page or by looking for #rainbowsnippets on twitter. It’s a great way to discover new authors! And feel to free to browse other story snippets I’ve posted on my blog.
This scene is just too totally adorable for words!
Awww, thank you!
Aww, I want to give the both a big hug!
Isn’t that the worst? When I want to hug a character, I have to settle for hugging my cat, and my cat is not always in the mood for a hug. ? But I’m glad you like them!
Sweet!
Thank you!
Aw, so sweet! 🙂
Thank you!
Ha! This is so cute. Gotta admit, I still like those cheesy fake pick-up lines, even after more than 20 years with my spouse. 🙂
Thank you! Aren’t cheesy fake pickup lines the best? I have a special love for terrible puns, as well. My partner and I have a knack for turning every phrase into some sort of sexual innuendo. We are so mature.
This is so sweet.
Thank you!