Friday, May 16, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Snipit - Measuring the Rein by Jae Moran
Keep in mind that this snipit hasn't been through editing. Someone asked for it, so here you are... Feedback is always welcome.
Hiding under the bed,
Jae
Chapter
1
The
most difficult problems in life are the ones that have no solutions
or at least none you can live with. Gavin Hayes had been wrestling
with the same one for the last thirteen years. He was gay and no
matter how hard he hoped and prayed that was never going to change.
Every time he thought about coming out, all he could see were the
enormous risks and no potential rewards save one... his personal
integrity. The lying to his family and friends weighed on him, but
was he willing to sacrifice his whole life in order to come out?
After all this time, he finally thought the answer was yes.
Gavin
was a professional saddle bronc rider on a national rodeo tour and he
thought he knew something about being fearless, but he was terrified.
It wasn't so much he thought his parents would throw him out or
anything dramatic. Gavin just didn't want to disappoint them. His dad
would be crushed to know his family line would end with Gavin. His
sister Piper would eventually give them grandchildren, but there
would never be a fifth generation of Hayes progeny to grow up at Hazy
Hill Farm. Those were things he could overcome, but rodeo and Toby
were entirely different.
Being
out as a nationally ranked rodeo cowboy was an absolute
impossibility. If his secret was ever discovered, he would lose his
sponsors and be shunned, or worse, by the people he considered his
friends and colleagues on the circuit. When he was in college, one of
the ropers got caught kissing a guy behind the stock barn. The kid
tried to tough it out but he was beaten over and over until he quit
rodeo entirely. Gay rodeo was out there but you couldn't make a
living at it. Gavin had finished in the top twenty saddle bronc
riders since his first year as a professional. He placed twelfth last
year and was sixth in the money so far this year. Gay rodeo would be
a huge step back for him. He knew there had to be other guys on the
tour who were gay, there were always rumors, but he stayed as far
away from those people as humanly possible.
And
then there was Toby. Gavin sat at the picnic table behind the RV lot
outside the arena making a small repair to his saddle. He couldn't
stop the sigh that bubbled up in his chest. Toby Prescott had been
his best friend since they were twelve. They'd helped each other
through everything that happened in their lives so far from Toby's
dad's death when they were fifteen to convincing their parents to let
them seriously pursue rodeo during their freshman year of college and
all the milestones in between.
Gavin
watched the activity moving in and out of the rodeo arena trying to
imagine what he could say to Toby that would ensure he wouldn't lose
his best friend. After a few moments, he could imagine Toby sitting
in the dinette of the RV they shared with a beer in front of him. His
sandy brown hair, in the same short ivy league haircut he'd kept
since he bought his first cowboy hat, a little squashed from the day
and his pine green eyes curious and concerned about whatever Gavin's
needed to say. The next image he conjured was of Toby scowling
angrily with his jaw clenched right before he started yelling,
calling Gavin a faggot and a liar followed by Toby storming out and
never speaking to Gavin again. He knew that was unlikely, especially
if he left his revelation at his being gay, but Gavin wasn't sure he
could reveal the first part without the second. Gavin was not only
gay, but also stupidly and irrevocably in love with his best friend.
“This
is fucking insane. I can't do this,” Gavin muttered to no one. He
couldn't risk blowing up his whole life only to lose the one person
he couldn't live without. When he fell in love with Toby was a
mystery, sometimes it felt like he was born loving his best friend.
Checking his phone for the time, he knew he had to get back to the
arena. Toby was probably already looking for Gavin. Bull riders, like
saddle bronc riders, were nothing if not slaves to their routine.
He
stretched his arms into the air, feeling the sun on his shoulders and
chest. He'd taken his shirt off after his ride earlier to absorb a
little vitamin D on the hot August afternoon while he did his
repairs. Picking up the saddle, Gavin walked across the field towards
the trailer. About half way across, he stopped when the ache in his
heart overwhelmed him. Since the start of the rodeo season, his
loneliness and the weight of his secret had begun to manifest
themselves as physical pain on top of the bruises and injuries which
were constants in the life of a saddle bronc rider. He dropped his
chin to his chest and took a few breaths as he stood there holding
his saddle in one hand. All he wanted was to live an honest and open
life with Toby by his side. Why was that too much to ask?
He
didn't even know if Toby could reciprocate his feelings. Gavin
thought he'd seen Toby check out some of the guys on the circuit in
addition to the omnipresent women following him around. Rodeo was
certainly full of eye candy of both genders. And then every once in a
while, Toby would look at him and smile in a way that was more
intimate and loving than is usually shared between friends. Gavin
knew Toby had slept his way through his share of girls, but that had
tapered off to almost nothing since last season. It was wishful
thinking, but Gavin thought Toby might be at least hetero-flexible,
probably a one, maybe a two, on the Kinsey scale. Even more than the
sex, Gavin wanted Toby to love him someday. In any case, it all gave
him too much hope to ever move on with his life.
“Dammit.
I don't have time for this.” Gavin trotted to the RV and took a
navy shower before rushing over to the arena. He hoped Toby did well
today. His friend hadn't had the best week and finished out of the
money so far. Odds were in Toby's favor today though. He'd drawn the
money bull of the day. Pomodoro was a dangerous asshole of a bull,
but if you one of the rare few who managed to stick, the scores had
been awfully good.
When
Gavin rounded the corner into the contestant's area, Toby was sitting
on a bench doing his visualization exercises before he looked up and
smiled with the crooked grin Gavin knew belonged only to him.
Returning the smile, Gavin's heart clenched with a familiar ache.
“Hey dude. You ready?”
“I
am now. Where the hell have you been?”
“Fixing
my saddle. I noticed a worn billet after my ride and thought I had
time to fix it before you needed me.”
“I
always need you, Gav.” There was that look again. Gavin couldn't
figure it out. “You're my best friend.”
“I
know... Tell me about Pomodoro's last few rides.” It was Gavin's
way of getting Toby focused for his ride. They chatted about the
bull's recent history as Toby went through his stretching and warm-up
routine. Toby was a sports science major in college and had developed
a pretty intense training and warm-up program tailored to their
needs. To be honest, Gavin knew Toby's nutrition and training plans
were responsible for a lot of their success.
Toby
sat on the ground with his legs spread nearly into a split while he
stretched his hips and thighs. “Gav, you going out tonight? The
guys said something about going to Miss Kitty's Place.”
“Naw.
We're done early today. I'm gonna make some real food, play some xbox
and go to bed. I'm not up to their brand of debauchery tonight.”
“I
hear you. I wasn't feeling it either.”
“We
should start planning for next year over dinner.” Gavin made a snap
decision that would change everything. “And I got some other stuff
I need to talk to you about anyway.”
“Anything
wrong?” Toby looked worried.
“Not
really. I got some stuff on my mind and Dad's been squawking about
wanting me on the farm more. We'll talk later. You need to focus on
warming up.”
Valentín
Figueroa, a roper from Brazil and one of their closest friends on the
circuit, laughed as he walked up to Gavin and grinned mockingly at
Toby. “Go on, yoga boy. Show us your moves.”
“Fuck
off, Val. You only dream of being able to do this.” Toby smiled
wickedly as he bent forward and lifted his leg into a standing split
with little effort. Gavin almost let out a groan as Toby's package
was perfectly on display in his Wranglers. For someone only five foot
nine and about a hundred and sixty pounds, Toby's well-muscled body
made him appear larger and more imposing than he actually was. Gavin
had to look away as Toby repeated the stretch with the other leg.
“Hey
Val. Nice ride today.” Gavin liked Valentín.
He was probably their closest friend on the tour and one of the guys
who stayed with Toby at the hospital after Gavin wrecked last year.
“Thanks,
You too. String Theory didn't give you much to work with, but at
least you finished in the money. You guys going to Miss Kitty's
tonight?”
“Nope.
We're headed home early tomorrow. It's a long drive hungover. Where
you heading?”
“Sacramento
overnight then Ellensburg. I have a meet and greet with a potential
new sponsor. My agent thinks it's a good opportunity. We'll see.”
At their level, chasing sponsors was a necessary evil. Gavin was
always amazed at how much time he and his agent spent wooing
corporate sponsorship.
“Good
luck. I just signed with Rimrock Denim. My mom says a huge box of
clothes turned up at the house the other day. I'm gonna miss my
Wranglers but a national sponsor is a national sponsor.”
“You
know it, man.”
Gavin
noticed Toby had stopped stretching and was glowering for all he was
worth. Rolling his eyes, Gavin chuckled to himself. “Come on,
Tobes, focus. Calves and ankles. Let's go.” If it were anyone else,
he'd think Toby was jealous, but Gavin knew he just didn't like his
routine interrupted.
Val
looked to Toby. “I wanted to ask yoga boy about this damn nagging
groin pull. The doc and physical therapist keep saying it takes time,
but no matter how I stretch or what I do it doesn't get better. You
helped Matty so much with his ab strain, I thought you might have an
idea.”
“I
bet it's your psoas, not your groin. The pain is deeper than the
groin pulls you've had before, yeah?”
“Exactly.
I didn't know how to describe it, but that's it.” The amazed look
all the cowboys got when they realized Toby could help them passed
over Val's handsome Brazilian face.
“I'm
not a doc or a PT, so I can only give you my inexpert opinion. If it
doesn't work, don't get pissed at me. Gav, I need to keep going. Show
him the psoas stretch.” Gavin rolled his eyes and kneeled on the
dirt, moved his left leg so his foot was on the ground and his leg
formed a ninety degree angle at the knee. Toby continued. “From
there, tighten your abs like you're gonna take a punch, tuck your ass
tight, hands on your hips. Keep your back and pelvis as straight as
you can. Lean forward until you feel the stretch, hold for twenty
seconds and repeat three times. Switch to the other side, rinse and
repeat. You have to be gentle with it until the muscle is stretched
out and happy again. Once you can do that with your hands over your
head and pain free, come back and I'll show you some exercises to
strengthen the muscle. You'll be blown away by how much less lower
back pain you'll have after you ride and I bet you'll see an increase
in your average score within a couple months. If you run into
trouble, ask me or Gav to demonstrate again.”
“I
can do that. Thanks, Toby. I know I give you shit for being yoga boy,
but I've seen you help most of our friends get better at what we do
and heal faster than we would otherwise. You're a good guy to have as
a friend.”
“No
big. I like using the stuff I've learned, especially when it can
help. Just so you know, I watched you ride in Casper, you could use
some core work too and not the kind that makes the six-pack abs
everyone seems to be chasing. Come see me when the pain's gone and
I'll show you that too.”
Gavin
checked the time. “Come on, Tobe, you gotta finish stretching and
get to your warm up.”
“Yes,
mother.” Toby snarked at him.
Turning
back to Val, Gavin knew he needed to focus as much as Toby did. His
best friend was a bit off kilter from his uncharacteristically
mediocre rides that weekend. “If we don't see you later, we'll
definitely see you at Ellensburg. I gotta focus on the princess. He
needs a good ride.”
“Thanks
again, Toby. I let you get back to your routine. Good Luck.”
****
“You're
up, Prescott.” The chute boss hollered.
Toby
climbed up to sit on the rail stepping firmly on the back of the bull
as he moved to straddle the chute. Pomodoro threw his head around in
protest, but settled pretty quickly. Gavin stood at Toby's shoulder
waiting for him to hand off the bull rope. They'd done this so many
times it was fluid and well choreographed. It didn't take long for
Toby to get set. The last thing Gavin did was to lean in to the side
of Toby's helmet and say the same thing he'd said for almost every
one of Toby's rides. “Time to dance with devil. Good luck, cowboy.”
It was a little silly and pretentious, but somehow it became a
tradition back when they were both seventeen and new to the sport.
Gavin banged on Toby's helmet as he stood up straight. Toby did his
cross-checks one more time before he nodded his head to signal the
gate keeper.
The
first two seconds were always the worst for Gavin. Once he could get
distracted by analyzing Toby's ride, it was easier. Most people would
expect Gavin to be afraid of Toby getting hurt, but that wasn't it.
At All. He stressed over two things. One, the bull wouldn't give Toby
enough fight for a high score and two, Toby would get bucked off
before his eight seconds were up. Gavin had been doing this long
enough to understand Toby was going to get hurt, it was a question of
when and how bad. Injuries happened no matter how good you were or
how lucky. Toby made a promise to his Grandma Betty when she gifted
him the money to attend their first rodeo camp the summer after they
graduated high school. She managed to extract a commitment from both
of them to wear a helmet for every ride as long as they competed.
Gavin knew Grandma Betty would call tonight after watching the
television broadcast of the rodeo and without a doubt she would
mention the helmets.
Out
of the chute, Pomodoro exploded into a huge leap, kicking and rolling
his shoulders hard to the left. Gavin held his breath as Toby
countered the move without losing his seat. Sometimes, when Gavin
could pull his attention back far enough from studying the details of
the ride, Toby's athleticism and grace stole his breath. On the next
buck, the big red bull started spinning into Toby's hand while still
in the air. Toby got shifted out of position a little, but he pulled
up on his bull rope and got himself back into his set position on the
next jump which was good because the damn bull started spinning in
the opposite direction again while he was still in the air. All Gavin
could think was 'come on, come on come on, come on....' and he
only took a full breath again when he heard the buzzer sound. The
bull was a little wily and Toby was forced to dismount away from his
hand before he could scramble to the fence.
Gavin
cheered and pumped his fist in the air. It was by far the best bull
ride of the entire event. He couldn't help but watch Toby across the
arena while they waited for the score to be announced. After a few
seconds, Toby pulled off his helment and looked back to Gavin. His
smile was as broad and open as it had ever been. Gavin's heart
swelled in his chest, full of love for this man. The announcer
reported a score of eight-six and a half. Toby leapt to the top of
the fence and raised his hands in triumph. The crowd was still going
nuts and Gavin was right there with them. As Toby walked out of the
arena, Gavin jumped off his perch on the bucking chute and hugged him
as tight as he could. There were a couple riders left but Gavin knew
it was enough for Toby to win the day.
They
talked about the ride all the way back to the contestants area.
Friends and fans stopped to congratulate him along the way. Toby was
always willing to stop and thank the fans for their support. Those
diehard fans were the ones who kept him in sponsorship money and they
deserved his gratitude. In the locker room, Toby hugged Gavin and put
a hand on the back of his neck. Something weird crossed Toby's face,
Gavin was once again confused because on any gay man that look would
proceed a kiss, but Toby shuttered his eyes and pulled away before
Gavin could wrap his brain around what was happening. Damn. The
conversation later was going to be interesting. The butterflies in
Gavin's belly morphed into California condors which made him more
than a little nauseated.
****
“Dammit,
Gav, put the dishes in the sink. I'll help you do them after we talk.
Tell me what's going on?” Toby sprawled on the sofa in the RV with
a beer in his hand. Gavin stood leaning on the kitchen counter. He
could tell Toby was anxious by the tiniest twitch in his left eye.
“I
talked to my folks on Wednesday. Mom spent the night before in the
hospital after having some minor chest pain. Dad forced her to go to
the ER to get it checked out.”
“Fuck.
Was it a heart attack?”
“No,
thank God, but she was diagnosed with the early stages of coronary
artery disease. They caught it while she's still healthy, but she has
to take some new meds and make some lifestyle changes.”
“Let
me guess... she needs to improve her diet and reduce stress. I can't
imagine they think she needs more exercise. She already works harder
than most of the ranchers we know. She runs your folks livestock
operation practically by herself.”
“Yeah.
That's the problem. Dad called me back after Mom went to bed and told
me, the doctor was clear. We need to find a way to reduce Mom's
workload and make her relax more. His solution is for me to spend
more time at home working the farm and taking over the responsibility
for the cattle and helping with the orchards, which would leave Mom
with managing the sheep and the farm store.”
“What
about Luis or Brendan? I thought they were being given more
responsibility.”
“Luis
is the assistant orchard manager under my dad and Brendan is the farm
foreman. They know fruit trees and managing picking crews, not
livestock. Dad's going to hire some help to get them through the end
of the year, but he's hoping I'll be willing to cut my rodeo time
next year.”
“What
are you gonna do?”
“I
don't know yet. I told him I had to talk to you first.”
“Why?”
“'Cause.
We've needed to talk about next year for a while now and you're not
going to like what I have to say.”
“Tell
me.”
“It's
time for you to move up to the PBR. No one understands why you
haven't already made the jump. People ask me all the time and I just
shrug but we both know you've held yourself back to stay with me.
You're my best friend and I love you for it, but it's time for me to
let you go. I'm only holding you back. If I was sure I'd be on the
circuit full time next year, I might have waited another year, but
shit Toby, I've never been as talented as you are. I can be happy as
the Columbia River saddle bronc champion from now 'til my body gives
out. You won't be satisfied until you win the PBR world championship.
We've always known that.” Gavin tried hard to hide the pain he felt
at acknowledging the truth of what he said. It was time to let Toby
go.
“Maybe,
but you don't make my decisions for me, Gav. I haven't moved up
because I don't want to make the switch until I am ready for to storm
the Built Ford Tough Series. The Touring series isn't much different
than what I'm doing now except there's more money to win. I decided
that doing this with you was worth giving up the extra income and I
don't regret it. We're both gonna go into the National Championships
in the top ten this year and we get to do it together. If we stick
this out another year, we'll both be serious contenders to win it
all. Why wouldn't I want to be able to do that together? We've come
this far.”
“You
don't have to give up PRCA completely, ya know. Lot's of guys do
both, even at the BFTS level. They aren't mutually exclusive.”
“So
you're really gonna do this?”
“It's
not what I want, but what choice do I have? I'm not willing to put my
mom's health at risk so I can chase some rodeo glory. While we're
home this week, I'm going to sit down with them and figure out how it
will all work. Mom wants us at dinner tomorrow and I'd like you to be
there. My dad is worried you'll be upset. I don't care if you are,
for an hour you can pretend not to be and that it all works out great
since you planned to move to the PBR anyway.”
“The
only thing I'm upset about is Angie's heart. Jesus. You think I'd
care about anything else? Shit. She's been more of a mom to me than
my own since my own dad's heart attack. I'd give up bull riding right
now if it would keep her healthy.”
“I
know. I do. But Dad doesn't want this to get in the way of you living
your dream. He knows my future is on Hazy Hill, I was never going to
have a twenty year pro rodeo career. Riding saddle broncs will always
be part of my life but it isn't meant to be my whole life. You were
born to be a professional bull rider, that's who you are.”
“But
it's not all I am, Gav. I'm a man with a heart and soul who feels
like he's losing his best friend. I love our life. I love traveling
with you, training with you, and doing this together. I don't want it
to end. I don't know if I can do this without you.”
“Well,
it's time for you to find out, Tobes. Nothing is ending, it's just
changing. I'm still your best friend. You will always have a home at
the farm. I promise. Anyway, I'll still be on the circuit a lot, just
not full-time. We'll make it work. I wasn't exactly ready to give all
this up either, ya know.”
“Nothing
changes until after the end of the season, right?” Toby's words
sounded so bittersweet in Gavin's ears he almost couldn't listen
anymore. “We'll finish this together in Las Vegas, same as when we
were seventeen at that tiny rodeo in Upton.”
“Yup.
Mom, Dad, Piper and Chad are all coming to Vegas for the finals
again. They've booked flights and rooms already.” His parents came
to a few rodeo's close to home each season, but Gavin's sister Piper
and her husband Chad used seeing him ride as an excuse for a weekend
getaway. They usually turned up at four or five rodeo's a year all
over the country.
“Angie
told me when we were home last month. She stopped by the high school
to give Mom the VIP tickets and hotel information for Ellensburg. My
mom wouldn't commit to going to Vegas at all never mind if she and
Oscar wanted to travel with your family. You know, I've told my mom a
dozen times I wanted her to be there to see me ride in the finals. I
even said I'd pay for the trip. I know money is an issue for them,
but she still wouldn't agree. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.”
“You're
not doing anything wrong. Your mom doesn't make it easy. She never
has, even before your dad died. All you can do is keep trying.”
“I
guess. Sometimes I think I keep you around just for your family.”
“They're
your family too. You think my mom would call us 'her boys' if you
weren't?”
“True
enough. Why didn't you tell me about Angie when it happened? We could
have gone home for a couple days, even if it meant we'd have to fly
instead of taking the truck.”
“Mom
forbid it. She didn't want us to rush home like she was on her
deathbed or something. And I didn't say anything because after I
talked with Dad, I needed some time to think some things through.”
“What's
to think about? Your mom's sick. Your family needs you. You go home.”
“It's
not that easy. I needed to decide if I was ready to give up saddle
bronc altogether or if I could stay on the pro tour at least part
time. If it would still be worth it, when I wasn't going to qualify
for the championship... I also have some personal stuff I need to
work through, if I'm going to be home more.”
“What
personal stuff? I'm with you almost twenty-four seven... What else
are you hiding from me?” Toby couldn't hide the twitch in his thigh
as he stopped himself from bouncing his leg.
This
was the moment. Gavin could either come clean about being gay or stay
in the closet for the foreseeable future if not forever. He didn't
want to be alone anymore. Even if he couldn't be with Toby, Gavin
wanted to find a love like his parents had. Ending all of the pain
and shame he'd fought with for so long, was the only way forward. If
it meant he lost Toby, his home and his family, Gavin could still
make a life as a saddle bronc rider until he could afford to buy his
own ranch somewhere. The irony of hearing Toby in his head telling
him to 'cowboy up, asshole' wasn't lost on him.
Gavin
dropped his head to his chest and took a few deep breaths as he tried
to stop his hands from shaking. After a long silent pause, he raise
his head and looked Toby square in the eyes. “I'm gay, Toby.”
As
much as he'd wrestled with how this conversation would go, there was
one response Gavin hadn't considered. Toby closed his eyes and
sighed, “I know.”
“You
know. How long have you known?” Gavin was genuinely perplexed.
“About
a year and a half.”
“How?”
“You
told me.”
“I
did not.”
“You
did, but you were pretty high on pain meds at the time.”
“My
wreck in Austin...” At Rodeo Austin last year, Major Tom threw him
into a fence before kicking him as he ran off. His injuries included
a severe concussion, a few broken ribs and a lacerated liver. After
surgery and a few days in the hospital, Gavin returned to the circuit
ten weeks later. “I don't remember much from the ICU. What did I
say?”
“You
didn't think I was real. It was maybe five in the morning, I'd been
sitting with you all night. Your folks weren't flying in til later in
the day. Val, Matt, and Pietro were around but they'd wandered off
for some food. You almost died, Gavin. You woke up, saw me sitting by
your bed and holding your hand. I saw you close your eyes and thought
you'd drifted off again, but you started mumbling that I wasn't
really there, I would never cry over you and I wouldn't even be there
if I knew you were gay. I was stunned. I mean I'd wondered a few
times, but....”
Okay.
Gavin could cope with this. “You wondered?” Okay, that qualifies
as a complete sentence, right?
“Well,
yeah. No matter what you say, I haven't seen you with anyone since
college and you don't seem interested in most of the women who are
always sniffing around, so I wondered... Wait. Do you have a secret
boyfriend? Is that why you're telling me now?”
“No,
no boyfriend since college. I'm just sick of being lonely and
dishonest.”
“At
school? Really? We shared a room for four years. How did I not know?”
“I
was careful and you weren't looking. Remember Wes Lunsford... We
dated for almost half of sophomore year.”
“Wes
hated me.”
“That's
part of why we broke up. Do you hate at me?” Gavin recoiled at
sounding like an insecure little boy.
“No,
Gav, no... I could never hate you. How long have you been worried
about that?”
“You
mean, when did I figure out I was gay? September twenty-sixth, two
thousand and three in the boys locker room at the high school after
soccer practice. One of the guys walked out of the shower room naked
with a towel around his waist... one glance and any doubt I had about
being gay disappeared.” Gavin didn't mention the guy was Toby.
“Wait...
Two thousand three... We were fourteen. What about Jenna?”
Gavin
figured Toby would get around to asking about Jenna. “High school
was hard for me. I desperately wanted to be normal. Junior year I
decided I would force myself straight. Jenna was a good Christian
girl, she took her abstinence pledge seriously. We didn't have sex
until we were freshmen at Wazzu. It was the beginning of the end for
us. She started talking about getting married and having kids like it
was a foregone conclusion. I couldn't lead her on anymore. She
deserved better than a husband who fantasized about Chris Hemsworth
to get it up.”
Toby
finished his beer and stood up to grab another out of the fridge.
When he turned around he raised his left eyebrow. “Chris Hemsworth?
Awright.” Toby chuckled wickedly as he settled back on the sofa and
some of the tension evaporated from between them. “It doesn't
matter to me that you're gay, Gav. But I am kinda pissed you didn't
tell me. After Austin, I could see the barely hidden pain on your
face every time you left a party to go home alone. You should have
told me. I would never out you. Did you think I would?”
“I
couldn't be sure, Toby. I couldn't bear losing my best friend.
Remember what happened to Josh Kitchens? He's the guy who got caught
kissing one of the male concession workers behind the stock barn at
Vernon Creek. People we know and consider friends bullied him and
beat him over and over until he dropped out of rodeo. He was
nineteen. I heard from Brady Benning that when his parents found out,
they kicked him out of the house and Josh committed suicide a few
months later. I promised myself I was never going to be that guy.”
“You
haven't. But you aren't happy either. You didn't have to carry this
alone.”
Gavin
whispered, “I couldn't risk losing you. I couldn't do it.”
Toby
burst off the sofa and moved into Gavin's space. “You'll never lose
me. Friends to the end. Isn't that what we promised each other in
middle school?” He reach out and hugged Gavin tightly. “It's
okay, dude. It's gonna be okay.”
It
only took a few seconds for Gavin to relax into the hug. His love for
Toby filled him as he accepted the comforting gesture. In a moment of
terror, Gavin stepped back, putting a couple inches of distance
between them. “What else did I say that night in the hospital?”
Gavin sensed more than felt Toby's entire body freeze in response to
his question. “I know there's more.”
Toby
stepped back further and froze. “Don't make me say it. Gav. I've
told you enough.”
“Finish
it.” Gavin's glare was angry enough to take the fight out of Toby.
“Please,
Gav... Let it go. You were out of your mind.” Toby crossed his
arms, standing less than an arms length from Gavin. Something must
have shifted in Toby's head because he seemed to deflate as his
breath left him. “Fine. You told me none of it mattered anyway
because you would always love me, even if I could never love you
back.”
“Shit,
shit, shit...,” Gavin stammered. He felt like he was suspended in a
moment of free fall between being thrown by a bronc and his body
slamming into some immovable object, usually the arena floor.
“Did
you mean it? Do you love me?” Toby's expression was completely
unreadable.
In
a breathy, barely audible voice, Gavin whispered. “Yes.” It was
only then that he felt a tear slip down his cheek. Gavin didn't dare
look at Toby again. He was too afraid of what he might see. The next
thing Gavin knew Toby held his face gently in his hands, brushing the
tear away with his thumb. Startled into paralysis, Gavin felt Toby
guide his face closer and brush his lips with a tentative kiss. Toby
pulled back a fraction of an inch before kissing Gavin again. When he
pulled back again, Toby looked deeply into Gavin's eyes before
unmooring himself into a full-scale assault of a kiss.
As
the kiss deepened, hope filled Gavin while he prayed the kiss was
more than just an experiment. It took him a nanosecond to return the
kiss with an equal amount of passion, broadcasting his love for Toby
in each movement. Gavin knew this might be his only opportunity to
show Toby how he felt. Words couldn't express what he was feeling and
all he had was this one kiss.
Eventually,
reality began to intrude once again and Gavin pulled back from the
kiss. He rested his forehead on Toby's while they each caught their
breath. Gavin separated them so he could see Toby's eyes. He searched
Toby's handsome face looking for some handhold to grasp what the kiss
meant. Was it pity? Was it goodbye? Was it an experiment? Was it
real? Toby's expression again gave nothing away. Gavin didn't know
where the boldness came from, but he needed to know what the hell was
going on. “Tell me. Was I wrong? Could you someday love me back?”
“I
don't know.” It was Toby's turn to whisper.
“That's
not a no. Do you want to find out?”
“I
don't know.”
“What
do you mean you don't know? Son of a bitch! You've had a year and a
half to answer the question and you have nothing to give me. Shit,
Toby. Man up and tell me what you want. I've spent years shredding my
own heart in love with someone I thought would never want me back.
Now you kiss me and you don't know what it means. Jesus Fuck, Toby.
Can't you see how cruel that is? Ya know what... Don't answer. I
can't have this conversation right now. I'm going out and you need to
pull your head out of your ass. I need some space. Please, don't
follow me.”
“Gav...
please let me explain....” Toby's anguish was finally plain, but
right then Gavin couldn't care.
“Not
now. Don't wait up.” Gavin grabbed his keys and his hat as he
walked out of the RV into the over-warm dusk.
****
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
BDSM and the Real World
Hey kids, have a seat ‘cause this is going to take a minute.
I have a dilemma. I’m a writer, mostly in a technical and extremely nerdy field, but at the urging of my SO and a few friends I have embarked on an adventure into the world of gay (M/M) romantic fiction. I have a few things out for review with several publishers and I’m sure you will hear more about that eventually, but right now I need some advice.
I’ve started a new book and as you might guess from the title of this post, it’s a BDSM romance. I’m happy with my characters so far, I think I’ve got an interesting plot based on the question “What happens when it’s the Dom who’s broken?” If you’ve ever read any of the BDSM fiction already out there, you know the vast majority of it goes like this… Sad, broken sub is miraculously made whole again by the love of a benevolent and omnipotent Dom. My aim is to turn that trope on it’s head. But, that’s not the problem.
I’m having trouble writing the BDSM scenes. I’ve done hundreds if not thousands of hours of research, I’ve read dozens of books, both fiction and nonfiction. I’ve emailed people in the lifestyle with questions and I’ve watched some video, porn and otherwise. I’ve even observed a play party which didn’t help either as it felt like it was about the Doms peacocking for their friends rather than about the dynamics with their subs. I freely admit I may have made a poor choice of venue. I live in Maine, north of nowhere (my nearest neighbor is more than a mile away) one of the men I’d been emailing with questions invited me down to Boston to watch a private play party…I was grateful for the experience, but unimpressed.
I want my book to feel like it has some basis in the Real World. I don’t want to hear from people in the lifestyle that I am an idiot who wouldn’t know a whip from a paddle. And this is where I have a dilemma… I am a visual learner, I tend to need to watch something happen to understand it. No, before you ask, I have no real interest in experiencing either side of the spanking bench.Thank you.
Anyway, I haven’t found any video that seems to have any connection to the dynamics of BDSM described by people I know are respected teachers and practitioners… outside of the BDSM romances anyway. Does something more realistic or three dimensional exist? I know porn isn’t reality, it’s fantasy but I’d take a well crafted fantasy that is better that what I’ve found so far.
The BDSM video seems to be either instructional (how to wield a flogger and not flay your partner) or porn. The porn seems to come in two flavors… There’s S/m stuff where you get to watch some guy, largely off screen, torture some other guys nips and dangly bits then force him to orgasm. And then there’s the more D/s stuff that’s almost universally based on pretty extreme humiliation which according to my research isn’t really what BDSM is supposed to be about either. Yes, I understand that humiliation is some people’s kink, but it can’t be the sum total of all the Dom/sub interaction in the world. Right?
I am not independently wealthy, I can’t spend a small fortune on DVDs or websites that aren’t going to give me what I need, but I have a budget for stuff that might help.
So what do I need from y’all, you ask…
I need:
1) Hints on where I can find porn or video of actual scenes that is at least grounded in the reality of the BDSM lifestyle. Preferably M/M but I’m flexible … ;)
2) Titles of blogs or books that have first hand accounts of BDSM scenes that again are grounded in the real world. 98% of what I’ve found online reads like the author stole his entries from a bad Literotica story. Just so’s you know, If it’s on the GoodReads Gay BDSM list, I’ve probably read it.
3) If you’re a Dom or sub who’d be interested in alpha reading some BDSM scenes for me and giving me some feedback, let me know. Understand this will generally be rough drafts and sometimes just sketches if ideas for scenes. Beta readers who get to read a more polished manuscript will come much later in the process.
I am a hapless author sitting in my garret, generally happily tapping away on my laptop, but I am profoundly grateful for any and all help that comes my way. My minions are always generously rewarded for their efforts.
Thanks in advance, loves.
Jae
Now back to the pretty men… Look this one has a book, isn’t that cute?
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Two-cent Review: The Return by Brad Boney
Grade: A+
I flat out loved this book. It's a sad
reminder of the past and how far we've come since the early eighties.
We sometimes forget how much has changed for the GLBT community in
thirty years. The Return shows that beautifully. About 2/3rds of the
way thru the book, I cried, sobbed really, for an entire chapter. The writing is stellar and the characters are complete and consistent throughout. The Return had a full sense of place, Austin felt different than NYC or Fire Island. I
could say a lot about why I loved it and where I think the flaws are.
I'm a Virgo I can pick apart anything, but that's not to say that
The Return is anything less than sublime.
My quibbles are minor. First, the
connections between the present and the past are a little heavy
handed at times and there are too many for the reader to have any
doubts about what's going on. It would have worked better, for me, if
the answer could have been more elusive. The scene at the very end
felt a little too concrete. The concept of reincarnation is too
unknowable to be framed as fact. It would have been fun to argue with
my friends about what I believe and what I think was happening in the
book, but The Return doesn't allow much room for that which is kind
of weird considering the ongoing debates about music that hold the
frame of the book together.
And the music... In some ways, the
integration of the music into the book is what made the book for me.
I read a lot. A lot. It's not unusual for me to love a book, but even
when I find a book I adore and will re-read over and over again, it
doesn't usually change the way I think about things or affect the
quality of my life outside the four walls of my kindle. The Return
did that in a way I will always be grateful for. My relationship with
music has been forever changed... or maybe renewed is a better word.
For most of my life listening to music
was a passion. As much as I wanted to be a musician, it just wasn't
in the cards for me so I was left with listening. I listened with my
whole heart. I cared about what the singer/songwriter/musician was
trying to tell me. For many years, when I couldn't sleep, I would
take the quilt off the bed, curl up on a chair in the corner of the
living room, plug the “good headphones” into the stereo and
manually turn the dial to surf the radio looking for music that
interested me. For hours, I would tune out the rest of my life and
just listen. It was my way of connecting myself to something greater,
the collective consciousness or God, if that makes you more
comfortable. In that private cocoon I could listen to whatever moved
me. I wasn't bound by expectations or the ridicule of my friends or
my own preconceived notions of what I should be listening to as a
teen and young adult. I discovered music and genres that were outside
my little bubble in suburban Boston. From Folk and Reggae to Classic
Rock and Opera, I found music that stirred my soul in a way that was
otherwise inaccessible to me. Those were the times when music became
transformative for me.
It took a while, but one day I grew up.
I was an adult with a mortgage and a stressful job. Over that period,
music dropped off my radar. It became background noise to the rest of
my life. I still listened to it all the time. There is rarely an hour
that goes by that I don't have my iPod in the dock or Pandora playing
as I write or read or work or clean or whatever. I sang along and
listened superficially but I stopped taking the time to listen as a
primary activity. I lost the visceral connection to music that had so
sustained me back in the day. The Return reminded me how important
that connection was and how much I had missed it when it just wasn't
a priority.
Brad Boney gave me the great gift of
returning music to my soul. I won't forget that lesson again and if I
do, I am sure to read The Return again and again and it will remind
me what I almost lost forever.
Listen to the YouTube Playlist, that
goes along with The Return... Here.
If you love pop/rock music and haven't
heard Bruce Springsteen's keynote at the 2012 SXSW, you can watch
it... Here.
It is well worth the hour of your time.
As always, I close with some eye candy...
Steve Grand |
Monday, May 20, 2013
Like Ducks in a Row: Thinking about M/M Series
My completely unoriginal analogy goes like this... Books are like food. Most books are everyday meat and potatoes meals and a rare few are glorious six course gourmet feasts. Then there is a category I consider snacks. Snacks are enjoyable to read and give you a little pick-me-up to get through the rest of your day. They are small, usually novella-ish (30-40K words). They aren't terribly angsty. They aren't going to change your life. They almost all follow some variation on the traditional romance formula... boy meets boy, boy falls in love with boy, boy loses boy, boy fights to get the boy back. They are like fairy tales where good triumphs over evil, light over darkness and remind us that once in a while, even for the most broken souls, love can conquer all.
An unpleasant trend has cropped up in some of the long standing series that I have stayed with through ten plus books... to the point that I have dropped a few series that used to be an automatic buy. In many series, the backdrop is an overarching story that links all the books together and for me this is where so many writers, even ones I love, seem to lose the plot. (pun totally intended) Some writers seem to let the backdrop story get too complicated and convoluted to the point where they put too much energy into moving the backdrop along at the expense of the romance at the heart of the current book. As a reader, I don't care about the political intrigue in HEA-land except in how it affects the main characters of the book and once guys from a previous book get their HEA, I don't care much about how current events affect them unless it directly impacts the current book. After about five books in a series, I can't keep track of all the characters and relationships anyway especially when the books are separated by three months and maybe 100 other books in between.
I also think that series should be given the opportunity to end naturally. If you set up a series based on five brothers, the backdrop story should resolve when the last brother gets paired off. Moving a series on to a new and perhaps related backstory for another set of characters in the same world is more than acceptable. Lady Blue Crew moving into the Elite Force series did this beautifully.
What do y'all think?
As always, enjoy the eye-candy...
Jae
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Two-Cent Review: Bad Attitude by K.A. Mitchell
Grade: C+
There is a lot to recommend about this book. The premise was interesting, the characters were engaging. I loved the moments of connection... It's those moments, sort of like in Avatar, of "I see YOU" not the facade that made the book interesting for me.
Let me just say, there was too much sex and not enough plot. I like reading about sex as much as the next girl, but really I would have liked to know more about these characters. I was left with too many questions and had to make too many intuitive leaps to be really satisfied. Why does his family think Gavin is a disappointment? Is it just because he hasn't done anything with his life that they find valuable? What was Jamie's relationship with Colton? Why was Jamie so traumatized by his death beyond the obvious considering the book takes place more than ten years later?
The ending was a bit abrupt and felt like a Happy-for-now rather than a Happily-ever-after. Considering they couldn't get on the same page until the last few pages of the book... How were they going to weather the shit storm heading their way immediately after the end of the book? What will Gavin's family have to say about the relationship and how will Jamie cope with all the scrutiny in the media and at work? To me, the book ended 2/3 of the way through the story.
If you liked the rest of the series, you will like this one just as much. Bad Attitude was a good and enjoyable read, but I was left wanting a little more.
I was thinking about the differences between the Florida series and the Baltimore series. The Baltimore ones are darker in tone, the characters less forgiving, the secondary characters have less emotional impact on the main characters. The MCs begin the stories largely alone with few positive connections with other people... The Florida series is completely the opposite. It's like the warmer climate makes the people warmer and more connected. Even if you just look at the book cover, the Florida ones are brighter, more colorful, warmer... The Baltimore ones are darker, nearly monochrome, and even the skin tones are cooler. Just my two-cents.
As always, I close with the eye candy...
(Source: Machodesungao) |
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