18+ Writing Challenge - stories

[Kujaku]

          #009 June | Rendezvous | word count 1500
                    theme “Hey, jerk! That could have hit me in the – wuh?”
                                words flapping, dearest, paradise +moist

 

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Elias was drained and a little pissed. The last group of people they still had in the restaurant had one too many to drink and weren’t happy when they were told they have to leave. Elias should have left work two hours ago, but because of them he had to stay longer to help with cleaning and preparing the place to be opened the next day. When he finally got out in the warm summer night air, he took a deep breath.

He used the back exit and was now in the dark alley which smelled like garbage, discarded food from the restaurant, some sort of sauce dripping off the side of the bin and Elias grimaced. It glistened with chunks of food and it looked sickeningly moist. He was ready to get home in bed. Well, sofa because Tyler was at home and he didn’t want to share the bed.

But the night couldn’t be calm for him, oh no, when something irritating happened, more was to come. Like a pebble that flew right next to his shoulder, hitting the wall next to him with force. With awakened anger, Elias turned around.

“Hey, jerk! That could have hit me in the— wuh?”
His words were cut short by a body pushing him into the wall. The impact was not gentle and Elias grunted. Because of the dark he couldn’t see who it was, but somehow he knew. He recognised the hard muscles and the shaved head. He didn’t know how he knew who it was, but he did.

“I didn’t mean to hit you.” He heard Donovan’s voice. “I called your name three times.”
Donovan was leaning on him, trapping him between his body and the wall. Elias could smell beer on his breath.

“Are you drunk?”
“Just a little buzzed.”
“Busy bee.” Elias muttered.

He pushed Donovan away so he could see his face, but before he could say anything Donovan kissed him and Elias kissed him back, melting in his arms. This was only the third time him and Donovan met, the first time they kissed, and his lips were soft and locked perfectly with Elias’s.

“Are you busy? Come get coffee with me.” Donovan said.
“Coffee at this hour?” It was past 2AM.
“And sex.” For some reason that made Elias laugh. He thought for a few seconds. He had already sent a text to Tyler to tell him he’ll be late, not that Tyler was staying up to wait for him, but better to avoid any chance of getting him angry.
“Sure. Where to?”
“My place is on the other side of the city, but I know a good hotel around.”
“Mmm, so you were just in the area?”
“Had drinks with some friends.”
“Okay, lead the way.”

To Elias’s surprise, Donovan took his hand and led him out on the street. The night was calm and quiet, just a few taxis passing by. Elias liked that about the city, at night when he was usually getting off work, he could sometimes walk home without even seeing anyone.

The walk to the hotel was short. It was not the first time Elias went there, and he never went there alone. The clerk tonight knew him and maybe he was judging him, but he never got a scoff or a disapproving look from anyone so he kept using the same hotel. The staff didn’t even try making small talk with him which he appreciated, he didn’t even know how he would begin to explain to the person he was with that he often got a room there to have sex with men. He definitely didn’t want to have to explain that to Donovan, he wanted to see him again.

Up in the room, as soon as the door was closed, Donovan kissed Elias passionately. His hands wandered to his hips then to his ass and squeezed. Still kissing they made their way to the bedroom, but completely missed the bed and they were sent flapping to the floor. What followed the loud thud was silence and then laughter.

Donovan helped Elias to get up and they laid down on the bed, lips interlocked again, and frantically pulling on each other’s clothes and discarding them on the floor.

Suddenly, Donovan stopped and looked at Elias. He started touching his naked body, tracing invisible lines on his legs, making him flex his muscles, then over his hips and abdomen.

“How did you get these bruises?”
“I’m clumsy and I bruise easily.” The lie got out with no effort and without pause. Elias didn’t even need to stop thinking about an answer when asked, he’d said it so many times before.

Donovan frowned. “Quite big bruises.” He said, but Elias didn’t reply, instead enjoyed the sensation of Donovan’s hands caressing his body. Donovan pulled him on the edge of the bed and Elias gasped. With his legs on the floor, Donovan nestled between them and started kissing the inside of Elias’s thighs. Elias looked down at him, and Donovan looked up with so much kindness and gentleness.

“My dearest Elias.” He whispered and Elias felt his entire body going hot, starting with his chest and spreading out.

Donovan kissed his way to Elias’s hard cock, planting his lips at the base and pulling the balls into his mouth one by one, sucking slowly, taking his time. A moan escaped Elias’s lips and he leaned on the bed, not feeling confident his arms will be able to keep him up any longer.

Each touch and kiss, each flick of the tongue, made Elias feel things, something he hasn’t felt since a really long time. He felt cherished and didn’t know what to do with the feeling, how to react to it, so he just let it wash over him, let himself be cherished.

“Shit, I don’t have lube or condoms.” Donovan said.
“I have a couple lubed condoms in my pants pocket.”
Without questioning why Elias kept those on him, Donovan moved away to search his pants. The space between Elias’s legs felt cold and empty.

Back to the bed, Donovan left the condom next to Elias and spread his legs. He wet his fingers with saliva and worked his way inside Elias’s body, little by little until three fingers stretched the tight hole.

Sex for Elias was usually fast and needy, but this time it was slow and needy. He liked it, he liked it a lot.

Donovan sheathed himself and with a swift move of the hips plunged himself inside Elias.
“All good?”
“Perfect… It’s perfect.”

Their intercourse was suspiciously similar to making love, not sex. Donovan paid attention to every reaction from Elias and hit the sweet, pleasure giving spot inside him just right. Elias came fiercely with a long moan. After Donovan finished too and discarded the condom, Elias was pulled up on the bed and into strong, protective arms.

The next time Elias opened his eyes the sun was shining through the curtain. He blinked and inhaled deeply enjoying the smell of the sheets and of the man next to him. Donovan’s arm was around Elias and he stirred when he felt Elias moving. Elias looked at him and Donovan blinked awake, immediately smiling at Elias, a bright and happy smile. So early in the morning Elias didn’t think it was possible for someone to smile like that, with genuine joy.

Only that it was not early morning, it was already past 10PM and Elias’s paradise shattered the second he saw the clock on the night-stand.
“Shit, I have to go!” He said scrambling to his feet and rushing to get dressed.
“What?” a dazed Donovan asked. He looked at Elias only half awake and trying to process what was happening, what the rush was. “You can’t stay for coffee? I did promise.” He didn’t, but his tone was hopeful.
“I really can’t, I’m sorry. Rain-check?” Elias was already fully dressed now.
“Oh. Okay, yeah.” With that, Elias nodded and turned towards the door. “Wait! I don’t have your phone number.” Elias hesitated, then gave Donovan his number. He thought of telling him to be careful what he’s texting or at what time, but that was the last conversation he wanted to have when Donovan got up from the bed, undisturbed by his own nakedness, and kissed Elias long and sweet.
“You’re spoiling me.”
“You need spoiling.”

Elias kissed Donovan again then left him in the bedroom and headed for the world outside. He walked too fast, dreading leaving the hotel and facing whatever was waiting for him. When he gave Donovan his phone number he saw seven missed calls from Tyler. He was already thinking about what to tell him so he won’t be angry. Well, less angry.

He beat himself up for falling asleep without setting an alarm. Was it worth it? Thinking about last night, yeah, it was.

Don’t forget about coffee, a text from Donovan said. Be safe, the second followed.

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by Kujaku

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: June (2022)
Theme: “Hey, jerk! That could have hit me in the – wuh?”
Words: Crash, Land, Shock
Word count: 1462 words
Rating: 14+
Trigger warning: Homophobia, Homophobic slurs, Strong language, weapon (firearms)

Title: Coffee Shots

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

Normally, when a drink is ordered, the customer would have to pick it up at the next counter themselves. But since the new regular Lee had set his eyes on was dining in instead of ordering it to go as usual, he decided to go the extra length to serve him. He placed the freshly brewed black coffee on a tray, accompanied by a piece of classic donut and brought it to his table. 

“Your coffee and your donut,” he said when he reached the customer’s side. 

“Thanks.”

“Would you like anything else?” Lee asked, wanting for the conversation to go on.

“No, I’m good.”

“Oh, ok. Well, if you need anything, just call me.” He tried again.

“Will do.”

“You sure I can’t get you anything else? It’s rare that you dine in. Usually you order your coffee to go.”

“Yeah, I’m off today so I thought I could have some personal time and enjoy my drink.” The customer hinted.

“I see,” Lee mentally slapped his head. The guy was subtly telling him off, but it was embarrassing all the same. Luckily, the cafe was not swarmed with patrons yet. “Well, enjoy your coffee.” He added awkwardly before rushing back behind the counter. 

Moe, the cafe owner who was polishing the espresso machine, gave Lee a side glance. “So, did you get the guy’s number?” He asked.

“He’s practically telling me to buzz off. Safe to say that he’s not even slightly bi-curious, let alone gay.”

“What?” Moe looked at him in disbelief. “Just ‘cause he’s not interested in you, doesn’t mean he’s not gay.”

“Really old man?” Lee replied sassily. “Since when do you come equipped with a gaydar?”

“Since I got my hip replacement last year. Ain’t no straight men lookin’ like he came out of a James Bond movie drink coffee alone on his off day. That young man there, is one of your people.”

“My ‘people’ Moe? We talked about this.” 

“Bah! Youngsters these days always have to be politically correct. I’ve heard more slurs than you have, so don’t get me started.”

Lee chuckled. He knew Moe could be a little old fashioned in his thinking, but he never meant any harm. “By the way, James Bond is so gay. All those sexy women are just a front. He’s definitely one of my ‘people’.” 

Moe threw a wiping towel at Lee for his comment and told him to get back to work while he settled things out in the back. It was only the two of them these days and things were calmer that way. 

Since rush hour was a couple of hours away, Lee only had a few customers come in to buy coffee. Once they left, he either cleaned his work station or secretly stole glances at his crush. 

He only mentioned his name was “Gabe” when ordering. He came in most mornings, asking for coffee and a pastry to go. Lee already guessed his profession, but Gabe always wore a jacket on top of his uniform, probably to avoid people from feeling intimidated. That didn’t stop Lee from ogling his ass on the way out. Lee would climb Gabe like a tree if he would let him.

A loud crash from the kitchen brought Lee back from La La Land. Lee rushed there to see if Moe had some sort of an accident. It would suck if the old cafe owner had to get another hip replacement surgery. 

“Damon? What the fuck are you doing here?” Lee cursed out in shock. “Moe, you ok there old man?” He frantically assessed Moe in case he was hurt. 

“Shut your fucking mouth, you faggot. This is between me and my uncle.”

“No way. Get out of here or I’m calling the police.” Lee warned. 

He was already making his way back outside when Damon threw a saucer at him. Fortunately, his aim was off and the saucer hit the wall instead of Lee's head. 

“Hey jerk! That could have hit me in the – wuh?!” Lee froze when he saw the shiny black thing in Damon’s hand and automatically raised his arms. “Uhh, this is not good.”

Damon sneered. “Not so much sass now, are you?”

“Damon, put that thing away. What would your mama say?” Moe tried to guilt trip his nephew into giving up his mission.

“My mama said I’m a disappointment, thanks to this little pussy right here. Did you give Moe yo’ ass? That’s why he kicked me out and let you run the place?”

“Eww!” Lee cringed. “No offense Moe. But that’s just–” he shivered. 

“I kicked you out ‘cause you stole my money. Now stop being foolish and put away that gun.”

Something caught Lee’s eyes and he gulped hard. Gabe had made his way through the back door and had his gun withdrawn. He put a finger to his lips, giving Lee a signal that he shouldn’t give his position away. 

“You know, if you’re short on cash, you probably shouldn’t waste it on guns,” Lee said, trying to distract Moe’s nephew. “You’re not very bright, are you?”

Damon’s face grew darker. There was no love lost between Lee and him. Initially, Damon was helping Moe with the cafe. Later, Lee was hired because they needed an extra hand. Ever since Lee came, work became more efficient. They also found out that Moe’s cash register had been losing money and the culprit was none other than his own nephew. Instead of reporting Damon's crime, Moe told him that he was not welcome in the cafe anymore, much to Lee’s disapproval. He must’ve made a duplicate key for the back door before he left, which explained why they didn’t see him coming. 

Damon threw a duffel bag at Lee while keeping the gun aimed at him. “I want you to fill that bag with money from the safe. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Lee shrugged. “My definition of stupid is pointing a gun at people. Is that even loaded?” 

Lee got his answer when the gun went off with a bang. Thankfully, Gabe had tackled Damon to the ground and he misfired. Gabe slammed Damon’s hand to the floor a couple of times to dislodge the weapon from him and out of nowhere the kitchen was swarmed with a dozen police officers who came to Gabe’s aid. Damon was apprehended and brought out in handcuffs.

On the other hand, Lee was frozen on the spot, blood drained from his face. He was unconsciously provoking Damon earlier, the consequences totally slipped his mind. If Gabe weren’t there, his body would have been leaking blood like a broken fawcett. 

“You ok? Are you hurt anywhere?” Gabe asked as he steadied Lee before he slid to the floor. The adrenalin must have dissipated from his body, making him weak in the knees. 

“Huh?” Lee stared at him blankly. He was able to confirm that Gabe was one of the boys in blue, but at the moment, his brain couldn’t process anything. 

A uniformed officer approached them. “Everything ok here?” he asked, nodding at Gabe. 

“Yeah Sarge, he’s just a little spooked.” Gabe informed him. He then took notice of the old gentleman who owned the cafe from over the sergeant’s shoulder. “He alright?” 

“All good. But we’re getting the EMT to look at him just to make sure his readings are normal.” The sergeant replied, then looked at Lee. “You’re Lee Olson? We’re gonna need to talk to you about this incident.”

“I’ll bring him out to you once he’s got some colors back to his face.” Gabe assured. The sergeant nodded and left them to manage other matters. 

Gabe glanced around and helped Lee take a seat. He found a mug and filled it with water then handed it to Lee. 

“Thanks,” Lee accepted the offer and took a small sip. “Did I almost die?”

Gabe shrugged. “That was a possibility.”

“That fucking asshole!”

“You probably had better chances at survival if you had kept your mouth shut.”

“My mouth has never shut ever since I was born. People just have to live with it.”

“And here I thought I could have a quiet day off, drinking a cup of coffee while checking out a cute barista.” Gabe confessed, his lips lifted into a smirk. 

Lee blinked twice. “Excuse me, is there any other cute barista here that I didn’t know about? You’re not talking about Moe, are you?” He sounded so scandalous. 

Gabe chuckled before extending his hand to Lee. “Gabriel De Santis. Just a regular policeman.”

“Lee Olson.” Lee took his hand and held it firmly. “Just a cute barista.”

“Can I take you out to coffee sometime?” Gabriel prompted.

“I’d love to. Just…no extra shots.”

“No extra shots.” Gabriel promised.

 

~ The End ~

 

 

[Fmkitty]

June’s theme: “Hey, jerk! That could have hit me in the – wuh?”

3 words: draped, lovely, nutmeg

Word count: 823

Author note:

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Okay, it seems that it was that close enough until I give up on this month's challenge.
In the end, I decided to push my limits even if I had no idea what to do with this kind of challenge.

So, I'm grateful for one good ol' friend of mine for at least suggesting a rough idea for this one.
(Not sure if you are reading this, but Thanks!)

Anyway, it seems that it was also hard to concentrate when my mind was occupied by other projects, yet no understanding what to do with this one - -'''

 

Story:

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It is a harsh and cold evening outside unlike during the day, which was perfect for skiing or skyboarding. Even so, one familiar couple enjoys the warmth inside their cabin near the woods.

That’s right, Ethan and John have finally saved up for nearly a year for their first vacation together. This time, the blond bartender was the one who showed the initiative and offered a trip to the mountains for a week.

Even if at the beginning, Ethan was slightly concerned whenever it was a good idea, but after his partner reassured him, he believed in his partner.

Surprisingly, John is not only a great bartender but also a quick learner. That’s right, the blond easily follows Ethan’s given instructions, and with his help, he can even properly walk on skis and slide.

But for now, the blond stops stirring the hot cocoa and turns off the stove. After serving the sweets-scented liquid into a couple of mugs, he carefully grates a bit of nutmeg on top of it.

Yet, John is surprised how Ethan hasn’t shown up even once during this process. Nor, ‘‘assisting’’ by taking the samples.

‘Perhaps, he caught a cold after today. Don’t tell me that he got the high temperature as well.’. Or so, John wonders while remembering the big battle earlier on the same day.

_______________

That’s right, after spending a day in the local skiing resort, this couple takes a slightly different route to the town, which is going through the woods.

Suddenly, John realizes that something is wrong. Where in the world is his boyfriend?

After looking around, there was no sign of him.

Soon enough, the familiar voice, behind one of the trees, addresses him ‘‘Hey, I’m over here! Catch this!’’.

Gladly, the blond somehow manages to dodge the sent snowball at him. After standing up, he addresses Ethan in a determined voice ‘‘Don’t you think that you’ll get away so easily, pal!’’.

In the end, John counterattacks by throwing a quickly made snowball at the dark-haired man.

“Hey, jerk! That could have hit me in the – wuh?” Ethan replies. Yet, his other words are cut by him widening his eyes as the sent ball flew nearby his stomach.

This is when he realizes that he shouldn’t have lowered his guard. That’s right, John sent another snowball at him.

Fortunately, John doesn’t make hard snowballs. Otherwise, someone might have ended up with a bruise under the eye.

Nevertheless, Ethan doesn’t intend to give up so easily.

And thus, the great snowball fight begins.

_____________

Back to the present time.

After the blond reaches the living room while carrying two mugs of sweet drink, he feels relieved when he notices Ethan. So, all his worries were for nothing, and it was just a bad feeling.

At the moment, the dark-haired man cozily sits on the couch and enjoys the warmth of the fireplace. More so, he wrapped himself in a warm blanket and doesn’t aware of anyone approaching him from behind.

So, it is still surprising how after getting bathed by snow. After all, one of the snowballs hit the leaning-down tree branch from the heavyweight. On the other hand, John could barely hold his laugh.

Meanwhile, Ethan lifts his head after smelling a sweet scent. There can be only one person who can not only prepare almost all known drinks but also add a little sparkle, which makes them so unique and delicious.

When the dark-haired man turns his head and notices John next to him, he asks in an excited tone ‘‘Oh, what do you have there? Is that what I think it is?’’.

‘‘I would let you take a guess.’’ The blond calmly replies. ‘‘Besides, I thought you would like something to warm up. But this time I added something different from usual.’’ John adds.

‘‘What do you mean?’’ Ethan raises his eyebrow.

Lastly, the blond bartender calmly explains ‘‘I decided to try a new recipe. Not sure if you would like it. So, hopefully, you are not allergic to any nuts.’’.

After removing his arms from the blanket’s cocoon, the dark-haired man takes one mug into his hands ‘‘Knowing you, you would always ask before doing anything. Besides, I would warn you too’’.

While he holds the mugs, Ethan thanks in the most cheerful voice he could make ‘‘Thank you, and you are the best!’’. Of course, he also uses his chance and gives a quick kiss on the blond’s cheek.

Later on, Ethan moves a bit and addresses John ‘‘Come here~’’.

After the blond joins him on the couch, the dark-haired man draped the same blanket around his boyfriend’s shoulders and leans close to him. And thus, for the rest of the evening, they enjoyed watching the fireplace and each other’s company.

After all, the ambiance of the fireplace, enjoying the warm drink with your beloved person - what else do you need for such a lovely evening?

 

[3ruri]

Hey hey! There's still a few days before the end of the month but we're all done! Congrats us!

Now it's time for the reviews! 

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Haha! I recognized a kabedon scene when I see one! Thank you for not writing them having a nsfw scene in the back alley. I always cringe at those. I guess I shouldn't worry much when it's you writing? 

I had a good time finding all the given words! I loled hard especially at flapping. Are they penguins?? 

Seriously, Elias need to leave Tyler. Preferrably give his balls a hard kick then leave him in the dust. He's already sleeping around anyway, why would he need Tyler for? Unless he has a fetish where he liked to be treated as a punching bag? And Donovan, man, you're one lucky stud. You got Elias and Jamie both. Leave some good stuff for the rest of the gay guys ^^' I'm nervous of the day the three of them meet. Don't tell me their first time meeting is during a menage troi?????

P/s: Looks like someone is practicing their smut. Doing great there 

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Were Ethan and John together in the last story? I forgot. I think someone was about to confess but it didn't quite happen, right? Sorry, I'm so old now that I always forgot things.

Anyway! So happy they're finally boyfriends! It's good to see them both pampering each other. What better than to have a nice ht mug of cocoa when it's cold outside. Good use of the given words too! I'm just not too sure that nutmeg is a nut tho? LOL If Nutmeg is a nut, then coconut is a nut too! hehehehehe

A small critic tho - go easy on the "that's right". I've been seeing a lot in your works lately and to see at least 4 "that's right"s in this month's challenge alone is a bit repetitive? Perhaps you're having a bit of a block this month as you said you almost gave up, but I think you have the potential to write using better phrases. Try finding synonyms or phrase the sentences differently next time. Or you can also simply go without using it.

Hope the next challenge will be much better! 

 

[Kujaku]

         

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Poor Lee, he tried so hard to get Gabe to engage in conversation and got nowhere, lol. I both felt bad and cringed for him. Damn, and that line from Moe, hope Lee got some cold water for that burn.

The story started off quite light-hearted, some attempted flirting, some banter, and then comes the conflict. I did not see that coming and I was already thinking about who Damon can be. And OMG, does Lee have no common sense? I was worried about him egging Damon on while he was pointing a loaded gun at him. Good thing Gabe was there. And I really like how you played off Lee's big mouth, lol. He seems like a very vibrant person.
I have to ask, though, how did the sergeant know Lee's full name?

And Gabe is so sneaky, why didn't he give in to the flirting? He's playing hard to get, isn't he? Well, he's on the right track now, maybe he'll show Lee his gun after they grab that coffee, hehehe.

 

 

 

           

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Hello Ethan and John! And they've been dating for over a year already? Love to see a couple going steady.

This story is refreshing. After the heat I've had around here, reading about snow is great, I almost feel the nice cold winter air. And it's so cute they had a snowball fight! Very nice of John too, to keep Ethan warm after giving him a snow beating, lol. Hope they'll cuddle and then some.

Good job on writing this while dealing with a writer's block! Those suck, hope your inspiration will be back soon!

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by Kujaku

[Fmkitty]

Okay, sorry for being late,

A-anyway,

It's time for the reviews

 

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Alright!~

You know, I was also surprised by unexpected launch-attack xD Gladly, Elias is fine ^^

And as always, the smut-scene was nice to read (Damn, Elias is surely prepared for every situation possible. So, Donovan is surely lucky one)

But it's kinda sad that Elias had to go and not being able to enjoy the coffee made by the loving hands.

___________________________

A/N: Oh, and thank you for the feedback! You know, that when the summer is not the best season thanks to the heats, you have to cope with it by thinking about something that may help you to forget about that there is outside +30~32 C.

 

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Oh, I didn't quite expect the café story, but it's been a while since I've read one, long time ago (even if that was AU).

And it is seems that barista and police officer (who had to work even during the day-off) is a nice couple ^^

And surely, as ex-barista/bartender, I can confirm that, yeah, you don't know what kind of customers or people you can expect... So, I'm glad that Lee was fine in the end and got saved by Gabe.

________________________

A/N: First of all, I'll take your advice, and I'll try to change that phrase with something else to avoid getting repetitive (So, next time gonna work on that)

As for nutmeg, it was a new thing for me xD (So, I'm glad that google images and translator shown that it is a nut) And yeah, you can use it either in various meat/fish and other dishes, but also in the desserts and drinks, 'cos it gives a flavor of being sweet at the beginning and then becoming spicy.)

And here's the

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, if you wanna see how it looks and how you can use it ^^

 

[Kujaku]

          #010 July | Awkward, but no | word count 1030
                    theme  “911, what's your emergency?”
                                words  alert, run, officer

 

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Would a glass of anything strong make Elias’s nerves to calm down? He doubted it, it might actually enable him to do or say something stupid, but when it was offered, he said yes to a glass of brandy. Of course Jamie would have an already opened bottle of brandy, he did look like the type who drinks brandy and cognac and whiskey casually. Elias didn’t know how much Jamie was making, and he wasn’t curious either, but it was obvious he was pretty well off.

“Thank you.” Was it just him or did Jamie’s fingers linger just a beat too long while handing him the glass? Not that Elias was complaining, but he wanted to know for sure. He took a sip out of the glass as Jamie sat down on the chair across from him. Then, Elias carefully placed the glass on the table between them. The sofa he sat on was comfortable and white so he wouldn't want to ruin it. He didn’t know if brandy stained—how could he?—but either way, it was not a risk he was willing to take.

Jamie swished the liquid in the glass before he took the smallest sip then kept the glass in his hand as he looked at Elias.

“Where is your cat?” Elias asked.

“Rajni? Here somewhere, most likely taking a nap.”

Elias nodded. The silence was slightly awkward. They started texting more often after Jamie broke up with May, but they didn’t meet often like this. Actually just once before did they meet for coffee, just the two of them. And it was a good experience, they spoke mainly about May, Elias was happy to let Jamie vent, but now he didn’t want to talk about her. Or about anyone else. He wanted Jamie to talk about himself, he wanted to get to know Jamie. He only knew him from social gatherings, from other people’s stories, but not like this, just the two of them.

“You always wear suits? Doesn’t it get uncomfortable?” Another attempt at breaking the silence. The suits looked great, Jamie wore only tailored three pieces and the effect the look had on Elias was almost unbearable. The only reason why Elias didn’t make a move on Jamie was because he was terrified of rejection. Well, before he hadn’t because of May who still was his best friend. And even now, there was a small voice there somewhere telling him he should not get too close to Jamie and ruin his friendship. A really small voice.

“Usually, but it’s not uncomfortable.” Elias had a feeling Jamie felt about his suits the same way an army officer might feel about his uniform. It was a status thing.

Elias leaned over and grabbed his glass. He took another sip and this time kept it in his hand. The taste of the brandy was deceiving, sweet and fruity, but Elias knew the alcohol content was enough to seriously impair him. Just as well that Tyler was not home again, he won’t be able to stay alert enough and deal with his mood.

Funny how Tyler was exactly the reason why he was spending this awkwardly silent afternoon with Jamie. Elias decided to take a walk around the park while listening to music on an app. A random song came up and when Elias checked what the ominous song was, he saw it was called “911, what’s your emergency?” by Cliff Martinez and he became paranoid. He started wondering If he would have to call the police anytime soon and couldn’t enjoy his walk any longer. So he went as far from his place as possible and ended up in Jamie’s neighbourhood. Jamie saw him as he was returning from work and invited him in. Elias was more than glad to accept the invitation.

And that’s where they were now. It was a bit too late for Elias to run now, but he didn’t want to either. He only wished they could fill the silence with something, anything, for the next one hour or so before Elias had to leave for work.

“You seem lost in thought.” Jamie remarked.

“Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking…” Elias almost spilled it all right then and there. He was coming blank now, no decent lie was coming up. He was thinking about what? Bunnies? The mysteries of the Universe? No, that won’t work. Elias looked away and thankfully Jamie didn’t probe further.

After a while Elias started feeling like under a microscope. The silence stretched and although he avoided looking at Jamie, he was aware that Jamie was looking at him, analysing him. Why anyone would like to do that was beyond Elias, but he wasn’t completely bothered by it. He thought Jamie was curious and that might be a good sign. It was weirdly arousing to be stared at like that and it made him shift in his seat. And because he was avoiding to look at Jamie, Elias was unaware that Jamie was quite amused by his reactions, that he smiled, and enjoyed observing him.

Compared to Jamie, Elias was still a kid—well, young adult—and Jamie liked that, liked the apparent shyness of Elias. He guessed what was going on in his head, but was still not sure. The Elias in front of him right now was shy and reserved and he knew there was more to it. He just couldn't figure out why the shyness.

In the end they didn’t talk about much. There was a break when Rajni decided to walk around the room, disinterested about the company, just casually checking out her domain. Then they talked a bit about work, mostly Elias’s job. It turned out Jamie was way better at asking questions and holding a conversation.

Then Elias left. But before he left Jamie told him something that made him confused and a little bit dizzy. He said “Whenever you need it, I’m here, okay?” Elias just thanked him and that was it, but on the way to work he couldn’t stop wondering at what he meant. The only thing he was certain about was that he felt much better than before.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2022 by Kujaku

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: July (2022)
Theme: "911, what's your emergency?"
Words: henna, outlandish, date, jar
Word count: 1500 words
Rating: 14+

Title: Second Shot

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

Lee Olson was early again, as usual. He may have to set five different alarms on his phone with five minutes intervals in order to wake up, but once he’s risen, he would be bouncing around like there were springs under the soles of his feet. 

Since summer started, they had hired a part-timer to help around the cafe. She was supposed to handle the opening shift, but as the senior staff/manager/head barista/store mascot, Lee was used to doing everything on his own. So that day, he prepped the workstation on his own and Moe’s cafe was already up and running when the part timer arrived.

“Again?!” The girl looked dejected when she saw Lee outside, writing the “coffee of the day” on the chalkboard sign. She crossed her arms that were covered in henna tattoos and glared at him.

“Sorry doll,” Lee smiled apologetically. “I promise I’ll let you do the next opening.”

The two of them got along well, so the girl naturally didn’t have any hard feelings over trivial matters. “Since you took away my opening shift experience again today, you have to teach me how to brew your secret blend. I swear I’m addicted to it!”

“Only if you could watch the place while I go check on Moe. I swear that old man is getting lazy in his old days. I bet this month’s tip that he was up playing bingo with his buddies last night and overslept!” 

“Oh, shut up,” the girl chuckled as she glanced at the tip jar on the counter. There were only a couple one-dollar bills and some coins at the bottom. “I’m not gonna take your measly bet. Go check on Moe while I show you my prowess at handling the cafe on my own. You still owe me that heavenly cup of coffee though.”

“Thanks doll. I’ll make you a whole pot!” Lee took off his apron and headed out the door.

Moe’s place was not too far from the cafe. He lived alone since his wife passed and his children resided in different cities. Lee lived far away from his family as well, so Moe is the closest he had to a family in that town. That was why he cared so much for the old man. 

Unlocking the door using the spare key that Moe had given him, Lee entered the one-bedroom apartment. He called out for his boss but there was no response. 

“Moe, you better not still be sleeping or I’ll kick your saggy butt!” 

Usually, Moe would have responded that he would whoop Lee’s ass if he dared, so the complete silence triggered Lee’s alarm. 

He moved cautiously towards Moe’s bedroom and opened the door a tiny bit. Since the last incident at the cafe, Lee tried to be more alert of his surroundings. As far as he knew, Moe's nephew was still in jail. But he wasn’t the only asshole in the world that would harm people indiscriminately. So just in case, Lee thought he should be prepared. 

Yet, Lee’s mental preparation was easily thwarted by the sight of Moe lying face down on the floor. He felt like his heart dropped into his stomach as he rushed towards the old man. There was no pool of blood around him, so that was a good sign, but Lee’s hand shook as he brought his fingers to Moe’s nose to feel if he was still breathing. 

“911 what’s your emergency?” The voice on the other side of the line asked as soon as Lee’s call was picked up.

The old Lee would’ve panicked by now, but thanks to a certain police officer that he went out on a few dates with, he was more level-headed now. “Yes, umm, I came to check on my boss at his place and he’s on the floor, unconscious. Please send someone. I don’t know CPR.” 

The first responder on the scene was not the EMTs, but a police officer out on a patrol. It also happened to be Gabriel De Santis. He found Lee sitting beside Moe, crying silently as he held his hand. 

Gabriel made eye contact with Lee but continued to check up on Moe. He felt for his pulse and immediately called it in to update the situation. His communication set beeped in return and the other side reported that the EMTs had arrived. Within a few minutes, the paramedics had administered first aid on Moe, and he was strapped to the gurney before being taken to the hospital. 

“I’m going with them,” Lee told Gabriel. 

The policeman nodded. “I’ll see you at the hospital.” 

After their last date, Gabriel didn’t expect that the next time he’d see Lee was in an emergency situation. They went out for a couple of months, but they were feeling awkward with each other. Gabriel thought there was a misunderstanding somewhere that made Lee close himself off to him. He planned to talk to lLee, but work had been taking too much of his time.

He found Lee anxiously clutching his phone outside of the operation room. Gabriel had asked for an update from one of the nurses. They informed him that Moe had a heart attack and needed immediate surgery. That explained why Lee looked like he was about to faint himself. 

“Moe listed you as his next of kin, so you had to sign the consent papers?” Gabriel asked rhetorically as he sat down next to Lee.

Lee turned to him, eyes wide in shock. 

“I’m a cop, remember?”

Lee slumped down on the chair. If Moe had told Gabriel and he kept it a secret, Lee wasn’t going to be nice about it. “What was he thinking? This is too much of a responsibility for some outlandish kid he barely knew for a couple of years! I can’t even decide what to wear, let alone make a call for his life!”

“The way I see it, he made the right choice. You signed it and he’s probably gonna be up and running in a few weeks.”

“You don’t know if that’s going to happen.” Lee’s voice quivered. 

“You don’t know what’s going to happen either. But I do know that if it weren’t for you today, Moe wouldn’t get a chance to fight for his life. So let’s have a little faith in Moe.”

Lee nodded then stared at his phone. “I need to inform his family.” 

“Do you want me to leave?” Gabriel asked.

“No, stay. I feel better with you here.”

After the phone calls, they waited until Moe’s surgery was over. He was moved to the Intensive Care Unit for further monitoring. Gabriel had to leave but promised Lee that he would return once his shift was over. In the meantime, Lee contacted the part timer and explained the situation. He asked her to hang a sign that the cafe would be closed until further notice. 

When Gabriel arrived at the hospital in the evening, Lee was surrounded by Moe’s family. One of them had her arms around him, soothing Lee who obviously had been bawling his eyes out. He took the chance to tell them that Lee had had a long day and should get some rest. 

“I should stay until Moe wakes up,” Lee said as Gabriel buckled him in the passenger’s seat. 

“I’m sure one of his children will call you then.”

“I don’t have anything to do at home.”

“Nothing for you to do in the hospital as well. You haven’t eaten anything today, am I right? Let’s get some food.”

Lee turned his head sideways and stared at Gabriel. “Why?”

“Why what?” Gabriel frowned.

“You didn’t seem that interested in me when we went out on dates. Why the sudden interest?”

Gabriel sighed audibly and started the car. “I’ve always been interested in you. You misunderstood me.”

“Yeah,” Lee snorted. “Like, are you even gay?”

“Just because I haven’t kissed you, doesn’t mean I’m not gay.”

Lee narrowed his eyes as he studied Gabriel’s fingers on the steering wheel. “Did you make a chastity oath or something? Like that club in high school where you wear a ring and promise to guard your virginity?”

“How long ago did you think I graduated high school?”

Lee gasped. “So you were in that club!”

Gabriel shook his head, smiling. On the other hand, he was glad that the conversation somehow took Lee’s mind off of Moe. 

“I want to learn how to do CPR.” Lee declared as soon as Gabriel put the car in park.

“I’ll help you to sign up.”

“Kissing a CPR doll would be better than not kissing at all.”

Gabriel barked out a laugh. “I would only kiss on my sixth date.”

“Mhmm.”

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“This could be our sixth date.”

“No way! I’m not dressed up for it.”

“Lee.”

“Yeah?”

“Come over here so I can kiss you.”

Gabriel’s kiss melted Lee’s brain and the rest of his worries away.

 

~The End~
 

 

[YellowMelon]

Title: Routine
Theme: “911, what’s your emergency?”
Words: horizon, benign, slippers
Word Count: 1054

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“911, what’s your emergency?

“I think I’m having an allergic reaction! Please, send someone quickly!” 

“Who called?”

“Me, I called! I ate something and my body is suddenly heating up!” There was a long pause. Blue eyes looked at me up and down. Pupils dropping to my feet then trailing up my body.

“Are you ready for the injection?”

“No.” 

“Oh..uh...do you have an epi-pen?”

“You skipped several lines.” I could hear the sound of a crumpled piece of paper unfolding as the man in front of me glanced at his script. The script that I wrote. 

“It’ll have to be administered rectally.” 

“You’re still wrong.” There was silence as I crossed my arms. 

“I don’t get why we’re doing this.”

“Because we need some excitement in our lives!”

“I think my life is just fine how it is.” 

“Yeah, I know.” I had to roll my eyes at his statement. Of course he was the one who didn't see a problem with our relationship, but, to me, it had become much too benign. 

“Also, do you really think it’s appropriate to be role playing a medical emergency? These things should be taken seriously.”

“I know, I know. But I didn’t hear you come up with any exciting alternatives. An emergency that requires mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is much too prolonged.” All I want is a good, quick fuck. I don’t need foreplay and I don’t need kissing. Years ago, I used to think that a perfect relationship was achievable by transparent communication. This was something I’ve always emphasized as a requirement in my dating profiles - I was looking for someone who was “open and honest”. After going on several dates, I soon realized that those adjectives meant something different for everyone. Thus, I broadened my description: “Looking for someone who is effective at communicating their thoughts, feelings, and is truthful.” Was being truthful and honest even the same thing? Well, at that point, I didn’t care about linguistics. I was tired of dating people who sugarcoated the truth and who showed too much affection. I had never been fond of overt displays of affection or even personal displays, for that matter. Not when it was excessive. Finding people who share a distaste for those physical desires is difficult and individuals who claim they are like me often get offended when I don’t want to hold hands. This, really, should not come as a surprise to them, in my opinion. 

The first time I saw David was six months ago when I swiped right on his profile picture, categorizing him as someone who’d I’d hook-up with. After my hour of swiping left and right on pictures of strangers, which became a Sunday routine, I sent the following message to a select few who I matched with: “Nice to meet you. Are you interested in meeting up sometime this week?” Now, you might think that this was a tactic of mine and I would make judgment on a person depending on how they responded. Truthfully, I was bored and wanted to do something other than just going home after a desk job. David was a recipient of my message who agreed to meet with me. It was, as I expected, an awkward meeting, as we didn’t make small talk prior to seeing each other that Wednesday, but neither I nor him acted as though we were bothered by the awkwardness. Did we hook-up? No. Did we end up in a monogamous relationship only a week after that meeting? Yes. Sex then came the following day of our mutual agreement to date. I admit the first time we had sex was passionate. There was a lot of teasing, kissing until our lips were red and swollen, and we both came more than once. Standing here, watching the man I was once lovestruck with holding a script in his hand that is supposed to spice up our sex life, makes me question what happened where we became too comfortable with each other. Where neither of us feel the need to make the other feel desirable. 

“Give me that.” I sighed, taking the script from David’s hands and throwing it in the kitchen waste bin. “Come in and don’t forget to put on your slippers.” 

“So, we’re not going to have sex?”

Had he always been this dumb? Probably. “Not today.” Just like the past couple of weeks, I think. I take a seat on the couch next to my partner, leaving a small gap between us as I’ve always done. It seems as though I am the only one bothered by our abstinence. The shrug of David’s shoulders in response to me confirms that. 

“David,” I say calmly, not looking at him but staring at the TV, turned off, across the room, “I want to break-up.” I am direct, emotionless. I am no longer in love and don’t care to spare anyone’s feelings. I can tell, somehow, that David feels the same way. That, at one point, he had fallen out of love with me but, for some reason, stayed. Perhaps it is because both of us need to be in a relationship despite being in a loveless one, pretending that everything is okay when it really isn’t. Well, I don’t really know David’s reasons.  

“Is that all?” 

“Yes.” It sounds like a business transaction. The proposal has been made, there is no discussion or negotiations, and both parties accept. It is a sign that the individuals involved felt resigned to the outcome long ago. 

I don’t move as my - now ex - partner walks out the door. The door doesn’t even slam shut. Only when I hear the sound of a car engine do I get up to look out the window. He waves to me and I wave back as he pulls out of the parking spot. Then, I return to my spot on the couch and occupy myself with my phone. Call me heartless but I feel nothing. I don’t feel relieved, nor sad, because I know that when the sun rises over the horizon, marking the dawning of a new day, that is when my emotions will hit me. Until then, on this Sunday night, I am able to continue a routine I stopped six months ago. 

 

[Kujaku]

 

                

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Five different alarms in the morning? Am I Lee or is Lee me?

Happy to see Lee and Gabriel again and I'm really curious about their relationship. But before that, hope Moe is going to recover. I just knew something happened to him, I'm glad Lee found him before it was too late to even try and get him some help.

And now back to Lee and Gabriel. On the first entry featuring them I thought Gabriel is a curious guy and now he's even more so. I want to know what's going on there, why does he wait until the sixth date to kiss? And why does he give Lee the impression he's not interested? Gabriel saying Lee misunderstood him makes me think he knows exactly why he misunderstood and how to explain his intentions, but for some reason he does not. So what's going on? Hmm. I have quite some questions about these two and I hope to see them again and have some of the mystery cleared up.

 

 

 

                

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I really, really like the direction this took. I was a bit confused at the start—what professional talks like that?—then I realised what's happening and I love it. Whenever a prompt goes into unexpected direction I'm a fan.

Kind of feel bad about the main character (what's his name, btw?), he tried to save his relationship despite knowing there aren't any feelings left between him and David. No one's fault for that, but I will say that David acted pretty cowardly. He was happy to let his partner look for ways to improve things for both of them while him not even cooperating or at least make everything easy for both of them and come clean. But I'm glad they had such a smooth breakup, hope the MC won't be too sad about it and also find the absolute right guy for him.

Enjoyed your entry a lot and I hope you had fun writing it!

 

 

[YellowMelon]

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Oops, you saying “ I was a bit confused at the start” made me realize I made  a mistake in not properly transitioning between the phone call and then ”Who called?” Guess teleportation was at play here. (I didn't really think of a name for the main character so I'm just going to throw one out there - Lewis). 

(Note: 3ruri did tell me that you use the same characters in your stories, but I haven’t read any prior contest stories, so my commentary is as though this is a stand alone story.)

I’m not really sure who Tyler is, but it sounds like someone Elias is not fond of and wants to forget, so I’m rooting for Elias to make a move on Jamie or at least make a confession! Yes, rejection can hurt but if he keeps his feelings suppressed then the friendship may get unintentionally awkward. Plus, I’d definitely take the “Whenever you need it, I’m here” as some sign of hope since Jamie did invite Elias in after a day of work because (although it might not apply to Jamie) work can really tired a person out where you just want to chill at home alone and not have to deal with any more people. 

Overall, I enjoyed the story and Elias is such a cute character. 

 

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Initially, I thought this was a relationship between Lee and Moe and it would be a tragedy, so I am pleasantly surprised that Lee isn’t in a relationship with Moe because that sounds like a huge age gap,  and this doesn’t result in a death. 

I really like how straightforward Lee is with Gabriel at the end. His questions about being gay and Gabriel’s chastity are valid questions. Gabriel may be more conservative with physical affection or has a preference to take things slower, but if that’s what caused the misunderstanding that could’ve been cleared up easily if Gabriel was genuinely interested in Lee. He also just kissed him in the end so what’s up with that. I want to know more about what this misunderstanding really is...

 

[3ruri]

I'm so sorry for the belated feedback, but her they go:

First thing first:

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A lot of questions about Lee and Gabriel's relationship. Too many things are going on at once so I didn't get to explain it in the story. Hopefully I can develop it more when we have a suitable theme in the future!

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From the way things are going between Elias and Jamie, I got the impression that something bittersweet will happen in the future. I'm really curious of how the whole relationship will turn out, but I'm really rooting for Elias with a better person because he deserves it. 

Anyway, I felt awkward on Elias' behalf. I felt like I was in the same room with them and it was so intense. I didn't get the intimidating air from Jamie before, but this time, he appeared to be like someone who is domineering. I wonder if it's because Elias is younger?

The story was pretty simple (in a way that it was only one scene where they're sitting together and have a few exchange of words), but there were a lot of emotions going on, like confusion, anxiety, concern...it's deep. Do I need to get ready with tissues next time?

 

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Why am I the only one who writes happy stuff? 

I mean, seems like your MC is pretty much happier after the breakup, but man, you guys are so good at knifey penmanship. 

It's sad that when the two of them breakup, there was no reaction at all. Makes you wonder where had all the love gone to. 

I think you did really great in your first challenge. You understood the assignment and used the theme as well as the words given in a creative way. I know you mentioned the word count is a bit of a challenge for you, but your story delivered everything that needed to be delivered in those 1k words. So don't worry about it too much; quality is better than quantity anyway.

It's almost time for this month's deadline. We'll be looking forward to read your submission again!

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by 3ruri

[YellowMelon]

Title: Black Cats and Pigeon Poo
Theme: The world was unfair in my favour. That doesn’t happen very often.
Words: cultivate, bluff, oily
Word Count: 1498

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James didn't grow up superstitious and even to this day he just considers himself to be an extremely unlucky individual for unexplainable reasons not caused by ghosts or magic. In fact, he didn't believe in ghosts. The day James started to have bad luck was when he was four years old and their house cat - a white, American Shorthair - had kittens. The strange occurrence that day was when the third kitten to be born, out of four, was black. The rest shared the exact same coat color as their mom without a speck of a darker tone. From that day on, little James was cursed with always tripping over something every single day, whether it was from an actual object like a carpet or over his own two feet. Of course, James and his family just thought he was clumsy.  The next batch of kittens to arrive in the family was when James was about to begin Junior year of high school. The mother of these kittens was the single black cat from the previous litter and the father was another black cat. Yet, the oddity happened again and the third kitten out of four was black while the rest were white. Now, not only did James find himself tripping over something once a day but now a bird pooped on him at the same time every day. As soon as he walked out the door a pigeon poop would strike him. The family and James just believed he was at the wrong place at the wrong time consistently.

In his last year of college, having moved to a different state and in an inner city, James had a cat of his own he called Miami. She was a black cat from his family home. Having moved away seemed to have fixed his bad luck for a while. That was until two months after settling into his new apartment the pigeon seemingly found him and started pooping on him like clockwork once again. Of course, James only joked to his friends about it being the same pigeon, and now he's adjusted to it by holding a piece of cling wrap over his head so when the bird poops he can just dispose of the plastic instead of having to go back inside to wash his hair every time. In addition to the poop bombs, James started to trip again and then he found out his house was haunted, or at least that's what his friends suggested. He and his family, once again, didn't believe in that nonsense. Whatever happened he easily blamed his cat. His cat had a schedule and for the three years he's been in the apartment it's been like Groundhog Day. Thankfully, his alarm is never toyed with so he always wakes up in time but what ensues after is organized chaos. Well, it became organized once James got used to it.

Upon waking up to change his clothes, his shirts are scattered all over the floor, even though he's always neat about hanging his clothes. Then, when he fills a mug with coffee, the mug always falls after he walks out of the room. No matter where the mug is, it'll be on the floor when he returns to the kitchen. The one fortunate thing is that it's sturdy and, surprisingly, hasn't broken. When he's frying eggs - the breakfast of his choice - his olive oil container is always oily as though someone wiped the outside with oil. He still washes it everyday and now uses gloves while making breakfast. His toothbrush is in the toilet, his shoelaces are tied together, his keys are between the couch's cushions, and he is always locked inside his apartment for five minutes before he's allowed to leave. Now, besides the faulty lock which shouldn't be an issue since he's had it replaced once a month, the other occurrences could easily be explained by his cat, although he's never actually caught his cat in action.

Today, waking up bright and early at 5 AM on Monday to walk an hour to his campus, James expected the beginning of the week to be no different. The alarm went off and he was already glancing at the floor to pick out the shirt he wanted to wear. To his surprise, nothing was on the ground and his shirts could be seen hung up inside the open closet. Definitely strange. James changed his clothes wondering where his cat was and still expecting the usual disturbances throughout the morning. He walked into the kitchen for his usual coffee and eggs and, to his surprise, the olive oil container was not slimy at all. Well, when he walked out of the room, his mug had to fall. James stepped out of the kitchen to go to the bathroom where he saw Miami sitting on the closed toilet lid. Instinctively, he shooed the cat off and was already reaching into the toilet when he opened the lid. However, he stopped in time before his hand touched the water as there was no foreign object floating there. Miami stared at him, meowed, and walked away. She was definitely going to knock over the mug. Yet, after freshening up, James found his mug in the exact same spot and his cat not in the room. His usual morning routine was like a normal routine and he didn't have to play tug-of-war with the door today. The cling wrap on his head was left clean, even though he glanced at the sky and saw the usual offender flying over him. Now, James was worried whether this was actually good luck or bad. He still had yet to trip.

His hour commute to his college campus was always pleasant and today was no different. When he got to his lecture room, going down the steps, his foot missed a step and he was ready to fall on his behind but his ass never met the ground. Instead, his back pressed against someone's chest. James held his breath. This had never happened before. Whenever he tripped or stumbled, he always landed on the ground. He turned his head to see who had caught him and it was Anthony. Someone he had gone out of his way to cultivate a friendship with in class, despite being a normally introverted person, because Anthony was his exact type - slender with defined muscles, six inches taller than his 5'4" height, black hair unlike his blonde, and bright blue eyes that matched his. 

"Woah there." Anthony chuckled but didn't let go.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there!" James exclaimed, embarrassed.

"It's alright. It's not like you tripped over me. You were just lucky enough for me to catch you. Falling on these stairs can leave a nasty bruise." James was very familiar with how big of a bruise falling on the stairs could leave. "Now, let's get you to your seat without another mishap." With arms still wrapped around the shorter boy's waist and fingers locked, Anthony rested his chin on James' left shoulder and slowly teetered them down the stairs, then ushered James first into the row where they usually sat together. 

Having Anthony care for him like that made James skeptical. Now, he was friends with Anthony and they even flirted with each other before, but, despite knowing him for a year and a half thus far, neither of them had gone beyond flirting. They strictly saw each other on campus and not beyond. And Anthony had never been with him to catch him when he fell. Throughout being on campus and going to the rest of his classes, James felt unusually worry free. Normally, by the afternoon, he was anticipating what might've happened and what will happen at his apartment. The morning was a routine but the afternoon was always a surprise. He shared his last class with Anthony and at 5 PM was when they'd say their goodbyes and head in different directions. Today, though, Anthony asked to come over. Now, James hesitated because he didn't know what to expect when he got to the apartment and if the place was trashed he didn't want Anthony to think that was how he lived. 

"T-today, because it's a Monday, may not be a good time." James averted his eyes from looking directly at Anthony.

"Why?"

"Because what if we stay up too late? We have classes the next day."

"Why would we do that?" Anthony inquired cluelessly.

Well, why do you want to come over? James wanted to ask, but instead, blurted, "Because if you come over then what if I can't keep my hands off of you and one thing will lead to another and then we'll be up all night!"

"I'll call your bluff." A slight smirk formed on the corner of Anthony's lips.

"But I'm not bluffing." James whispered. He could feel his face burning.

Today, truly, was a lucky day, no matter what happens when he goes back.

 

 

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: August (2022)
Theme: "The world was unfair in my favour. That doesn't happen very often"
Words: capsized, social, polish
Extra word: cardigan
Word count: 1499 words
Rating: 17+
Warning: Strong language, mature content, derogatory words

Title: Just my luck

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

When I arrive, some of the assholes are looking at me, cackling. I ignore them and grab my backpack before slamming the old truck’s door. It’s almost six now, the sun no longer as harsh as when I was stuck changing the truck tires with Old Ted earlier in the afternoon. But the damage is done. I’m only a shade lighter than a cooked lobster.

I’m used to these assholes poking their fun at me. I mean, who wouldn’t when they bake nicely under the sun while I look like I need to soak in a tub of aloe vera gel for twelve hours straight? 

“Hey Bailey! Looks like you’re rooming with Old Ted again tonight!” Asshole A shouts out at me as I walk past them. 

Asshole B finds it hilarious which can be seen from the way he holds his stomach and slaps Asshole A’s back while laughing like a hyena. 

Disgraceful. And they dare look down on me. My howl may not be intimidating enough, but at least I have a decent laugh.

Stupid beta wolves.

I know what you’re thinking. No, this is not that kind of A/B/O story. Although, yes, we do have a hierarchy. Werewolves exist, and of course we travel in a pack with a leader and all. Scientifically, there is no such thing as A/B/O dynamics in wolf hierarchy. We use it because labeling makes it easier to understand. A dominant wolf is equivalent to a leader, also equivalent to an alpha. Get it?. We also live our own lives, have jobs and social circles outside of the pack, just like other people. It’s just that during the full moon, the pack needs to let loose and run around a little.

Obviously we can’t do that in front of “normal” people. We can’t all be dog lovers. So, here I am, with my pack heading toward a private piece of land owned by our alpha for the monthly gathering.

Before I forget; no, I can’t give birth to pups. None of the guys here can. Despite the ability to shift into another species entirely, we are still biologically males. Maybe the Wereseahorses can. I don’t know. I never met them.

Do they even exist? 

I’d consider myself lucky if I ever met one. 

Translation: Never.

I used up all my luck when I survived a childhood accident. Wolves are naturally good swimmers, but when the boat I was on with my parents capsized during a summer holiday, I came out of the ordeal as an orphan. 

Ugh, that sucks. I’m not going to pretend I’m not sad, but… Story of my life.

I’m also at the bottom of the hierarchy, thanks to the toxic masculinity exuded by most of the dude-bros in my pack. 

The pack is not a big one. There are less than thirty of us. We have family branches. Meaning, my alpha has brothers and cousins who become alphas and lead their own packs. Basically, it’s a family business. Each piece of private land neighboring the one that belongs to my alpha is owned by the other pack branches, so we’ll see them at the gathering as well.

They call it a family gathering, but I’m positive when outsiders see us, they would think that we’re going to a motorcycle club conference. For some reason, the members of my pack all ride big ass motorcycles. Except for me.

I travel in the supply truck with Old Ted because I can’t afford to buy one and I don’t know how to ride… Ok, those are excuses. I fucked up my left leg during the aforementioned accident. I don’t have a limp, but to simply put it, everyone’s grandmother and their puppies could kick harder than me. 

I don’t think I need to explain that they would put me in the same room with Old Ted again. The old man’s nice and I don’t mind him at all, but he farts in his sleep. You’d think wolves are more elegant than dogs, but no. The two species are related anyway. 

Since Old Ted is taking the truck to a nearby repair shop, I go up to the counter to collect our room keys. I prepare to take out my ID card just in case the receptionist asks if there is an adult accompanying me during my stay. Sometimes when I’m too tired of explaining that I’d graduated high school a decade ago, I would just point to Old Ted. 

But for the first time since I can remember, the receptionist smiles and tells me to have a good stay. Suddenly, Cain, my alpha, appears and sidles up next to me. I cuss as he takes my hand and pulls me away. 

“Is that Russian?” he asks. 

“No,” I say indignantly. “It’s Polish.”  

The asshole chuckles in return.

Apparently, Cain decides that I need pampering. In other words, I don’t need to share a room with Old Ted (yay!) but on the other hand, I’ll be sleeping with my alpha (damn!).

I don’t know enough Polish so I switch to cursing in Italian while Cain takes my clothes off, starting with my cardigan, then dumps me into the bathtub filled with hot water and bath salt. 

Fantastico. 

Uh, yeah. I should probably mention that Cain and I are fuck buddies. It happens recently, but no one knows because I refuse to be called the alpha’s whore. We’re both consenting adults, but why am I the whore? 

Welcome to the dude-bro society. 

“If I’d known you’d be stuck with flat tires, I would’ve made you ride with me,” Cain says as he lathers shampoo onto my hair. 

Whores would never get this kind of treatment, thank you very much. If I had known sooner how nicely Cain treats his bedmates, I would have presented my ass to him a long time ago. 

“I’d rather ride shotgun with Old Ted than giving your bros more ammo to make fun of me.” I grouse. 

“I’ll tell them to stop.”

I rolled my eyes so hard at his promise. “Like that’s going to work. And once we stop fucking, they’d go back to it.” 

“I have a solution for that,” Cain whispers in my ear after he rinses my hair. “We just have to keep on fucking.” 

“Ha! We’ll see.”

Cain pulls me out of the bathtub and dries me off. We move to the bed and although I’m a tad tired, I’m not going to turn down Cain’s offer to suck me off. It doesn't take long before I come in his mouth while he fingerfucks my ass. I must be exhausted.

Sometimes I wonder why unfortunate things happen to me. I mean, things happen for a reason. Perhaps it’s karma or whatever cosmic intervention crap people believe in. So, when I wake up to the smell of food and blanketed in soft sheets, I wonder what divine tribulation I had passed to receive such rewards?

“Hungry?”

“Mhmm,” I reply as I rub my eyes.

“What do you want to eat first?” Cain asks so he could prepare me a plate.

I glance at the spread that he must have ordered from the room service. My alpha obviously has money, so he doesn’t skim on the steaks and doesn’t forget to add a few choices of sides to go with them. My stomach rumbled.

“It’s on you, right?” I have to be sure. I’m not paying for a premium priced steak just because I’m too lazy to get out of bed and find a wallet-friendly diner for my meal. 

Cain sighs and dumps all sorts of dishes onto my plate. “Stop comparing me to your past flings. Even if we’re not sleeping together, I’d still take care of you as a member of my pack.”

“Then how come I end up sharing a room with Old Ted every time?” 

“That’s ‘cause Old Ted only talks to you. You’re the only person ever allowed to ride in his precious truck. The old man’s looking out for you.”

I shovel some potato gratin into my mouth and chew quickly before speaking. “If your bros aren’t such assholes, maybe I don’t need him looking out for me.” 

Cain takes my half-consumed dinner and puts it aside before he pushes me down. “If they aren’t being assholes to you, they’d be fighting against each other to get into bed with you. I prefer the former to the latter. Would be ugly if I had to downsize the wolf population just ‘cause they have their eyes on my mate.”

The mate concept is another made up crap but that is some romantic shit he’s spouting. I could never resist him when he touches me, my half-hearted resistance futile. It’s crass to say we fuck like dogs, but damn, he makes me feel like I’m a bitch in heat. 

At least that takes my mind off my half-eaten dinner for a while.

Just my luck.

~ The End ~

 

[Kujaku]

          #011  August| A Good Day| word count 1145
                    theme  The world was unfair in my favour. That doesn't happen very often.
                                words  trepidation, elusive, whistling

 

   Notes:
     So sorry for the super long wait, guys! I was so certain that I won't ever be late on an entry when we started this challenge, and look at me now. But I'm determined to get myself back on track, and after some changes at work, hopefully I'll be able to do just that. 
     Also, regarding the entry for August, some changes took place. I tried to follow my 'theme' and feature Elias, Don, or Jamie, but it is not happening, my boys will have to take a break. As for the actual entry, I imagined it was going to turn out more fun, but it is quite ordinary and bland. However, I do hope I was not way off the mark and it is still enjoyable.
     Without further ado, onto the story!

 

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    Clinton narrowed his eyes at his mother trying to make sense of what she was telling him. She was either making fun of him or something was seriously wrong with his hearing. For a few beats none of them said anything. The silence was perturbed by the soft whistling of the tea kettle and his mother rushed to seep the tea and pour two cups. A dash of milk for Clinton and two sweeteners and milk for herself.

    “Well. Aren’t you going to say anything?”
    “Mum… I love you, but if you are joking, this is not funny.”
    “I am not joking, why would you think that?”
    “Last week when I got a bit too close to the fence with the car you yelled my ears off for half a day and now you are telling me you’re getting me a car?”
    “Well, as I see it, if you have a car mine is going to be still running by the end of the month. But there are conditions, Clinton, I’m not just giving you a car.”
    Clinton took a sip out of his tea. “Let’s hear them.”
    “You are going to be responsible for taking the car to the mechanic, the gas is going to be all on you. You are not going to ask me to lend you even 50 pence for the car because I’m not going to give It to you. And if I need a ride I am going to expect you to give me a ride. This is not mandatory, but will be greatly appreciated.”
    Clinton rummaged the information. This was absolutely too good to be true. He fought with his mum for ages to get him a car and she kept saying no. Clinton almost wanted to probe further on why she changed her mind, but didn’t want to risk her changing her mind yet again and snatching a sweet set of wheels from under his nose.
    “Right.” She said. “Off to school you go.” Clinton had the impression his mother meant to say something else. He narrowed his eyes again, but when she didn’t betray any emotion, he got up from the table and grabbed his backpack. His mother drove him to the bus and Clinton spent the journey to school daydreaming of never having to ride the stinky bus again.

    “Hey, Clinton, what did you write the essay about?” Mark asked him as soon as Clinton dropped his backpack on the desk.
    “Essay?”
    “Yeah, the one about a 19th century novel of our choice.”
    “That was for today?” Clinton completely forgot about the essay and there was no way he was going to write one in the next two minutes until Miss Breadcrumbs will enter the class. He was screwed. The young professor looked harmless and kind, but Clinton knew better.

    He heard the heels in the hallway, too late now to get out and skip the class. Clinton had the sensation that he could feel the trepidation of the heels, every step, on the hard floor and he lowered himself in the chair trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Of course, there was no way Miss Breadcrumbs would not see him, but he could at least try.

    “Good morning!” The cheerful voice of Mrs. Caplan rang out. “Hope you guys are ready for an extra class of history because that’s what we are going to do now. Miss Breadcrumbs is not going to be at school for the rest of the week so you’ll do other classes.”
    As his colleagues started a flurry of questions towards Mrs. Caplan, more vicious than a popular youtuber’s Q&A, Clinton could not believe his luck. He hadn’t even come up with a decent excuse when all this weight was lifted off his shoulders. He felt like dancing. And the rest of the week with no English? Sweet!

    The rest of the day went by uneventful. Clinton and his classmates were as silly as always, Mark helpfully reminding him once every ten minutes about the essay after Clinton asked him to remind him by next week, and speculating what ‘personal reasons’ Miss Breadcrumbs might have to not come to school for three whole days.

    Back at home Clinton was excited to talk to his mum about his future new car. Can he pick the one he wants? Yes. Even the colour? Yes. When are they going to look for one? Friday after school or Saturday. But Clinton already started looking online and planned on scheduling a meeting or two for when his mum could drive him. He was besides himself with excitement and forgot all about the essay until Mark texted to remind him about it again. Fucker.

    “Right, Geordie is coming over later. Is that fine?” He knew that it was, but he asked anyway. He had to yell his question because his mum was in the bathroom. The door was open, though.
    “Of course. How late?” Pause. “I might not be home. There’s food in the fridge for you both.”
    “Where are you going?” His mum got all his attention now. It was unusual for her to go out. And now that he was thinking, she had been on the phone most of the afternoon. And when she got out of the bathroom she was wearing nice clothes and makeup.
    “Oh, you know...” No, he did not know and she did not continue because the doorbell rang. Clinton rushed to open the door before she had the chance to.
    “Dad!” He exclaimed surprised. He saw his dad often and they had a good relationship. It helped that he lived in the same city and he could go and visit him whenever he wanted to and even spend the nights.
    Clinton looked at his mum who became very quiet suddenly and almost a little shy. That was odd. What was going on?
    “You alright?” He greeted Clinton then looked at his mum. “You ready?”
    “Yes, all done, let me just grab my coat.” She said and in two seconds flat she was done and ready to go.
    “Be good and don’t wait up.” Clinton’s mum said before she and his dad went outside and into his dad’s car. Clinton was left speechless. His parents have been divorced for almost as long as he could remember. What on earth was happening? Was that why his mum has been so… elusive?

    Before Clinton could even start making sense of it all, Geordie showed up and Clinton forgot all about it for the time being. Having the house all for himself and his boyfriend for the entire evening posed interesting challenges that needed his undivided attention. And the day has been really sweet, somehow everything seemed to go in his favour which was so weird, but so very welcome, and it was just silly to ruin the day right before dessert.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Kujaku

[Kujaku]

          #012  September | He is my Path | word count 1202
                    theme  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
                                        I took the one less traveled by,
                                        And that has made all the difference.
                                                                     (Excerpt from Robert Lee Frost's "The Road not Taken")
                                words  omnibus, boulder, pinching
                                                  + cygnus

Note:
     For some reason in my previous entry I wrote "Geordy" instead of "Geordie". September features the same couple, only with the name spelled correctly.
 

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Geordie took a long drag out of his cigarette. The air was chilly now that autumn was there, but it was still not cold. It was nice. During winter he will smoke less, he usually did. Clinton did not like him smoking in the house, he made that clear even before they found a place together. He also kept nagging him to quit smoking, and maybe he should. Less smoking would mean more time spent with Clinton, right?

Geordie checked his phone before heading back inside, causing him to almost trip over the small boulder on the right side of the driveway. He kept saying he needs to get rid of it, but he never did. Clinton occasionally nagged him about that one too.

Back into the house, Geordie could hear soft music, one of the jazz bands Clinton liked. He never could get into jazz, but he learned to tolerate it. He kept saying jazz is an acquired taste that he could never get a grasp of.

He found Clinton in the living room, leafing through some omnibus he was raving about all week. Geordie wasn’t even sure what an omnibus was, but he loved it when Clinton got excited about something like that, while at the same time wondering what his super smart boyfriend saw in him.

“What do you think about Pavo?” Clinton asked when he saw Geordie. Geordie paused mid air while sitting on the sofa chair, looked at Clinton confused, then sat all the way down.

“About what?”

“Name for the puppy.” They were supposed to go get the puppy later that day.

“Oh, um…”

“Not good? What about Cygnus?”

“Where are you getting these names from?”

“They are constellations.”

“Why constellations? It’s a Samoyed, not a Dalmatian.”

“Good point… Then, Neige?”

“I like the sound of that. What’s that?” Geordie never felt self-conscious about asking Clinton to explain something to him, he never made him feel bad about not knowing something.

“It means ‘snow’ in French.”

“Oh, that’s fancy, I like it.” Geordie had a fleeting thought that he should have not skipped French classes. Even while working he encountered a lot of French words.

They settled into a comfortable silence, Clinton going back to his book, and Geordie pulling out his phone to check the orders for next week.

There was a time when Geordie thought his life would take a completely different path. He grew up in what he thought of as a loving family, he had his future pretty much figured out with his dad aiding his future law career. Geordie didn’t actually like law, he didn’t want it and didn’t understand it, but it was hammered into him for such a long time, since he was a kid, that he never considered doing anything else. And he also kind of enjoyed the lack of pressure about choosing something himself.

That all changed after he left high school. Since he started dating Clinton at age 17, a whole new world opened in front of him. Seeing Clinton and his mum made him realise his family wasn’t as affectionate as he thought, and later when his parents got back together he started craving that type of a relationship, where it was okay to spend some time apart and work things out instead of sticking together while silently, and quite obviously for your own children, you hate your spouse. And he felt like he could have something like that with Clinton.

When time came for them to leave for college, Geordie and Clinton had a really big fight. Clinton accused him of being a spineless coward for not standing up to his family, and Geordie yelled at Clinton saying he can’t possibly understand what it’s like for him. That night, after the fight, Geordie stayed up until morning thinking about what he’s going to do. At this point he’d been dating Clinton for more than a year and he already couldn’t imagine himself without him.

By the time he fell asleep in the morning, Geordie took a decision: he would not follow his parents’ path for him, he would make one himself. And that’s how he went to follow Clinton to college, in Birmingham, get a job at a bakery and find out he’s a damn good patissier. From then on he worked on learning as much as he could and managed to open his own bakery when they moved in Leeds, after Clinton finished his studies and got a job offer there.

Geordie remembered how scared he had been, how worried that they are not going to make it, that Clinton will have to support both of them, how insecure he had been that he didn’t pursue college. But somehow it all turned out well. All of the worries and hardships they went through proved to have been worth it. Now, at age 33, he still couldn’t believe the way his life turned out, how much different it was from what he’d been told since he was a kid. He regularly needed a strong pinching just to assure himself that he was not dreaming.

Geordie was still looking at his phone, scrolling away, but he was not taking in anything. He only noticed he had been sort of reviewing his journey so far when Clinton’s phone started ringing. He spoke briefly then stood, leaving the book on the sofa.

“Time to go pick up Niege!” He said excitedly.

Geordie grabbed the keys and followed Clinton to the car. Clinton was so excited he could barely contain himself.

The drive was short and despite Geordie’s insistences, Clinton kept the sleepy fluff ball in his arms on the drive back. They had already bought and installed a dog car seat and they had everything else they needed at home, like bowls, food, and a dog bed, but Geordie had a feeling that the dog bed, same as the car seat cover now, will not get much use. That was fine, but next time he will insist more about having the puppy in the back, keeping him in the front seat was plain dangerous.

“Can you, please, open the door for me?” Clinton asked when Geordie parked the car. But Geordie did not move after turning off the engine. Instead, he looked at Clinton, at his happy face, and their new puppy.

“We are doing this backwards.”

“What do you mean?” Clinton asked confused.

“I think the wedding comes before rising someone together.” Clinton’s eyes widened in surprise. “Clinton,” he continued “we’ve been dating for 16 years, we’ve been through so much together, you are my everything and I don’t see us any way else than forever together.” He paused. “Marry me?”

Clinton started nodding his head frantically, overwhelmed by the sudden and unexpected proposal. Holding the puppy carefully, Clinton leaned over the same time Geordie did and they kissed long and sloppy, then they both started laughing.

“This must be the world’s least romantic proposal. I love it.”

In fact, Geordie thought of something more elaborate, but right now seemed so perfect, this mundane moment of their lives, that he just had to do it. And good on him, romantic or not, it was perfect indeed.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Kujaku

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: September (2022)
Theme: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
  I took the one less traveled by,
            And that has made all the difference.
                                                                     (Excerpt from Robert Lee Frost's "The Road not Taken")
Words: happenstance, savory, foreboding
Word count: 1497 words
Rating: 13+

Title: My road leads to yours

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

Nate couldn’t recall when was the last time he had driven so far. Driving in the city or around the suburbs where his parents lived was normal, but it had been such a long time since he had driven for hours, usually relying on his chauffeur for such menial tasks. 

Almost there. He thought. He could see the fences lining the roadside towards the farmhouse. Nate pressed the window switch and let the fresh air in. They had a hot summer, but with the arrival of autumn, the weather was warm, but pleasant. 

The agent welcomed him at the door as soon as he arrived. Nate already had the keys, but there were a few more papers to sign. Once the agent took his leave, gone was the Nathaniel Brooks from Wall Street and what was left was just… Nathaniel Brooks. 

A simple dinner was something he had come to appreciate, but a company would be nice. Maybe he could drive out and see if there are animal shelters nearby and adopt a dog or a cat. Maybe both. 

After he polished his dinner clean, Nate took his plate to the sink. The farmhouse kitchen window was wide and clear, so while his hands were washing, his eyes observed row after row of conifers in his backyard. 

His previous residence, a penthouse, had a city nightscape view. Sometimes, he would stand and watch the scenery as a sense of foreboding swept him. That didn’t happen here. 

An hour later, he was ready for bed. Though it was hard to adapt to this new lifestyle, he found it less stressful. Back in the city, he’d be at private clubs with his friends and acquaintances, talking about stock markets and current economic trends until late at night. Now, he finally had time to finish reading all the books in his collection.  

Nate had just found a good position on the bed with a book in his hand when there was a knock. Putting the book aside, he went downstairs to open the door.

“Robin?” Nate discovered the identity of his visitor.

“Why do you look surprised? I told you I would come to visit.” The other guy rolled his eyes and tugged his suitcase inside. 

Nate closed the door after him and helped Robin hang his coat. When he turned around, Robin grinned and wrapped his arms around Nate’s neck, giving him a long kiss. 

Nate had been dating Robin Schaeffer for about eight months. He was a runway model who had fitted seamlessly with Nate’s past glamorous lifestyle. He was beautiful, fun and very much the life of every party they went to. When Nate decided to embark on a new path, he didn’t think that Robin wanted to be a part of it. 

“I’m hungry,” Robin said as soon as they parted. “Is there anything I can eat?”

Nate nodded and led him to the kitchen. “Scramble eggs okay?” He asked.

“Not in the mood for savory things right now. Do you have Pop Tarts?”

“I don’t eat junk food.” 

“Ice cream then?”

“Are you allowed to eat that?”

“Ugh, babe, you’re my boyfriend, not my agent!” Robin grumbled. 

Nate took out a box from the top cabinet and showed it to Robin. “I can make you some pancakes. There’s butter and honey in the fridge.”

Robin smiled and gave Nate a big hug. “You’re the best!”

………………………………..

In the morning Nate got up and made breakfast. When he first started cooking for himself, he he would burn the toasts and the scrambled eggs came out dry. After he got a hang of it, the food became more palatable, but it was a far cry from what he was used to. Robin joined him and Nate felt nice that he didn’t complain about the taste and finished everything.

He was also pleased that Robin wanted to tag along with him to check out the farm. 

“Why a Christmas tree farm?” Robin asked as they walked together hand in hand. 

“No reason. I just happened to find this place and I like it. So I bought it.” 

Robin hummed. “So you’ll be planting and cutting Christmas trees from now on?” 

“It’s going to be more than that, but, essentially, yes.”

“I always wanted to date a sexy lumberjack. So I guess my dream will come true. Well, sorta.” He chuckled. 

Nate’s steps halted. When he first decided to overhaul his life, he was ready to abandon everything that he was used to. His family was against it. They didn’t understand why someone with a successful profession and a comfortable life wanted to throw it away and live in the middle of nowhere. His circle of friends thought he was going crazy. An Ivy League graduate ditching his five-figure-sum-a-year paycheck to play Christmas tree farmer? Nathaniel Brooks must be possessed!

In the late afternoon, he made some tea and brought them to the back porch. Robin was on the phone with his agent discussing some matters about his modelling contract. Nate laid on the outdoor lounge chaise, basking in the warm autumn weather. Not long after, Robin crawled over his body and laid comfortably on top. 

“Everything’s okay?” Nate asked. 

Robin rubbed his face against Nate’s chest. “Fashion Week.” 

“Didn’t it start already?” Nate looked down and only saw Robin’s nest of hair. 

“Yeah. I had a few days break after the show in New York, so I sneaked out here to see you.” 

“Your agent called to scold you?” 

“Mhmm.” 

“When’s the next show?” 

“In four days, but need to attend the rehearsal.” 

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.” 

Nate sat up and pulled Robin to straddle his thighs. He knew from the moment he decided to follow this path, not many people would be with him. His meeting with Robin was a happenstance; but from the start, he felt that the model was special. Regardless, how long would he bear to stay in this Podunk town when he was accustomed to travelling from capital city to capital city for work? 

“You know what I’m going to say, right?” Nate said somberly. 

Robin wasn’t dumb. Even though their relationship was relatively short, he could read Nate pretty well. 

“We can make it work, I promise.”

Nate sighed. He wanted them to work too. “It’s not fair for you. This, here, is my life from now on. You still have years to live out the glamorous life I know you love.” 

Robin slumped against Nate’s shoulder and hugged him tightly. “But there’s no you in that life.”

“I’m sorry.”

Robin looked up at Nate and smiled, albeit a little bittersweet. “Don’t be. You look happier here. I’d miss seeing you in designer suits and making out in your penthouse, but this place is not bad either. I think you made the right decision.”

Nate’s heart swelled at Robin’s words. Neither his friends nor family approved of his choice to leave the corporate world and start a Christmas tree farm. Yet this little guy whom he dated just for fun in the beginning understood where his heart lies. If only he could keep Robin there forever. Unfortunately, every human has their own path to follow, and he had chosen his. Robin needed to follow his own path as well.

They cuddled in bed for as long as they could, until it was time for Robin to leave. Nate prepared a light breakfast for him, knowing Robin would otherwise rely on just coffee for sustenance the whole day.

“You sure you don’t want me to send you to the airport?” Nate asked as he helped Robin take his suitcase out to the porch. 

“Nah, the taxi’s almost here. Besides, I don’t want to cry when we get to the airport.” 

Robin wrapped himself in Nate’s arms as they waited for the taxi. When it arrived, the driver parked in the driveway and helped with the luggage. Nate stood beside the car and watched as the trunk closed, knowing their lives would diverge from here on.

“Have a good time in Paris,” Nate said instead of saying goodbye.

“I will,” Robin replied, giving Nate a final peck. 

Nate retracted his steps so Robin could close the door. The window rolled down as the driver started the engine.

“Hey, Nate,” Robin called out. “You better keep the house warm for me so I won’t freeze my ass off when I move up here in winter!”

Nate smiled and waved his hand as the taxi slowly drove away.

“I mean it! Once I’m done with fashion week, I’ll dedicate my whole life to be your Mrs. Claus! It’s a done deal!!” Robin shouted before pulling his head back in and rolled the window back up.

Nate stood there until the taxi was no longer in sight. Only when the engine sound disappeared that Robin’s words registered in his mind. 

Maybe, he wasn’t the only one who would choose the road less travelled by.

 

[3ruri]

Congratulations us for catching up with the August and September challenges! I know RL must have been a pain to deal with but we did it anyway.

Before we move on with the November challenge, let's do a little review for the past 2 challenges:

Please Register/ Sign In, in order to see the links.

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August review:

I love that your story has animals in it, especially the cats. I also love the superstition elements and how it has a light paranormal thing going on, but at the same time, it feels like a real experience rather than a fantasy (although it's fiction!) I'm also entertained by the fact that you made James your height (lol, exposed!) and I think he's adorable. I hope he and Anthony will continuously have good luck even when the night is over.

 

September review:

And you said the theme was difficult to grasp! It's wonderful how you came up with the details and able to compose them into a short story without making me feel lost about what's happening. I'm happy that rather than escaping alone, Adrian took Jonathan with him despite their relationship being somewhat estranged. I think it has a potential to be developed further, so if ever you feel like revisiting this couple's story, I would very much like to read the continuation.

 

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August review:

I'm pleased to be introduced to the new (unrelated) characters! The story is purer compared to the threesome drama, so I think it's a breath of fresh air. Since we're talking about good luck-bad luck, I didn't really get much bad luck vibes from Clinton's experience, but that's fine. I think it fits the theme well enough. Too bad we didn't get to see Geordie in action. On the other hand, I'm very interested to know what's the situation with the parents. I hope there will be good news!

 

September review:

Yay a continuation of August's story and a happy ending for both Clinton's parents and himself! The way you described Geordie's struggle after he took the "road not taken" feels very deep. But it's a sweet story and it hits my fluff spot. Also a story with animal in it is always a plus! Love it!

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by 3ruri

[Kujaku]

Wohooo! Feedback time! First of all, loved reading the past entries, we were late, but I kind of feel like I got a reward, lol.

 

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August
 

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You have to ask, at one point, what is wrong with James. Poor guy, there's bad luck, and then there's this which is way beyond bad luck. I have to say, though: suspecting the cat, but not getting rid of it, James is my kind of people.

I am, however, very curious as to what happened. Where was the bad luck coming from? Are we sure it's not magic? Did the evil fairy godmother curse him? Did someone bribe both the cat and the pigeon? Were the cat and the pigeon in cahoots? I have questions, but my money are on the evil fairy godmother. Also, is the spell broken once James finds his one true love? Did Anthony break the bad luck spell?

Well, questions or no questions, awesome story, you pulled off the theme wonderfully and I enjoyed it a lot! Super unlucky MC, hilarious bad luck, one day of respiro where he wonders what happens and keeps looking over his shoulder expecting everything to go south really fast. Really, fits perfectly, awesome job!

 

September
 

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Woah! You really went ahead and created a whole dystopia. It's kind of scary too and I love that. You created this terrifying concept that really feels like something someone would really want to make true. I am grateful I get to only read about it.

There is so much information in such a short story and that makes me think you spend a lot of time thinking about the ins and outs of this world, of the characters, of how this society works and I would absolutely love to read an extended version of it. If you ever write it, please send it my way.

Along with the plot itself, I would love to see what's going to happen with Adrian and Jonathan. The exchange between them when they learned their 'responsibilities' rang some alarms and I don't know if that means something or not. I feel like Jonathan is hiding something, but I really don't know. Either way, loved reading it, wonderful job!

 

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August
 

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'Wereseahorses' hit me like a pillowcase full of bricks. I am honestly shook.

Moving on, did I just read an A/B/O story that I liked? Yes, yes I did. All thanks to Bailey, I love his personality, the guy's so done with everything, I feel him. I also liked Cain, they seem to be great together, and I really liked that this is not the usual omegaverse dynamic (well, from little that I read in the genre).

I'm also intrigued by Bailey, he seems to speak quite a few foreign languages. How did he learn those? By travelling or he is just a polyglot? But I keep going back to his and Cain's relationship, I like it so much! Cain is the leader, but Bailey doesn't treat him as a leader at all, they are fuckbuddies ffs! I love that so much.

Sice you wrote 'The End' I don't suppose I'm going to see Bailey and Cain again, but I have to ask, how on earth do you manage to make me care and fall for your characters in less than 1500 words? Show me the demon you made a deal with because I want in, lol.

September
 

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I do hope that Nate kept at least one suit. With all the muscles he's going to get from his new occupation it would be almost a crime not to wear a tight suit at least once a year. Although, peeling off a plaid shirt and discovering what's underneath is a treat on itself. One that I have a feeling Robin will enjoy greatly.

And woah, Nate made such a big jump in careers. Is this something he always wanted or was it the spur of the moment? And about Robin, despite the relationship being relatively new, it's great that he's sticking around. That must be real love there, hehe. I'm curious, though, if this will pose some unexpected challenges for them. I really don't know much about them so I can't say, but I do have fun wondering about it.

I like how you fit the theme, you went for the double combo here, one being the metaphorical interpretation and the other a more literal one. I mean, Nate literally went to work in the woods. Awesome job!

 

[YellowMelon]

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August Review

I did not expect Bailey to have such a tragic backstory ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ But that fits the theme perfectly when the world wants to be unfair in his favor, even though luck won’t bring his parents back. 

“Toxic masculinity” and “dude-bros” make me think this is a pack of frat boys or the toxic bodybuilder types (more-so the latter since they ride motorcycles). I am scared for Bailey. 

Hmm…I started out thinking this would be a pairing between Bailey and Old Ted but having it be between Cain and him made it even more enjoyable, although I am suspicious of Cain. Does he only pamper Bailey this way? Because Bailey said that the mate remark was just talk, so I am trying to figure out how loyal Cain is or is he just possessive. On the other hand, maybe it’s Bailey who should think a little more about his feelings than just about the physical aspect of the relationship. Not that the latter isn’t great and getting treated like a princess by the alpha isn’t worth it. Overall, it was a pleasant read.

(Side note: Please make a story  about wereseahorses)  

September Review

Wow, I have to say I did not expect Nathan to be running a Christmas tree farm. I thought he was just going to live on the down-low enjoying a nice peaceful escape out in the farmlands….actually, I first thought Nathan was being forced to go into hiding for some reason. So even having Robin show up surprised me as I thought is this allowed? 

…ok, I have to admit I was getting a little angry at Nate. I thought he was kicking Robin out of his life for good which would be totally unfair so I am so happy with the ending! It is such a cute story and I really want to read an update about their life when Robin does move in with Nathan. Great execution of the theme!

 

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August Review

Reading  “Last week when I got a bit too close to the fence with the car you yelled my ears off for half a day and now you are telling me you’re getting me a car?” sounds like a joke, so I totally understand Clinton’s confusion and not immediate gratitude toward his mom. 

sadjadsa Miss Breadcrumbs?? Sorry Miss Breadcrumbs but I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face while saying your surname. 

This…this seems more like Clinton is having a dream than this being a day in his life as things almost seem too good, especially with his parents in cahoots now. But I like how Clinton doesn’t question it and is just enjoying his luck. Personally, I think I’d need to hear a little more about Clinton’s bad luck for this to fit the theme better. Overall though, It was a good read. 

September Review

Genuinely forgot about Geordie within the split second of finishing your August story to reading the first sentence of this one. 

I really liked how this story was about Geordie but, dang, why’d he wait 16 years to propose to Clinton? He couldn’t have gotten him a promise ring earlier? Not that this isn’t a cute love story and I 100% support them. In fact, I would love to follow their journey together with raising a dog and how they’d live their lives as newlyweds. I can already imagine Clinton still nagging Geordie but even more so over minor things.

 

[Kujaku]

         #013  October | Come back to me [16+] | word count 1480
                    theme   He could not believe how much things changed in just one year.
                                words   sloppy, enamoured, cockroach

 

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Geordie came forcefully in Clinton’s hand, his warm come coating Clinton’s fingers, some of the specks landing on his abdomen. Clinton came too, shortly after, with a similar result. After a few moments where they both caught their breaths, Clinton got up and grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom. He wiped himself off, then rinsed the cloth and brought it over to Geordie. After he wiped himself off as well, Geordie took it back into the bathroom where he rinsed it.

“Goodnight.” Clinton turned his back towards Geordie and was off to sleep.

“Night.” Geordie turned his back as well and closed his eyes.

Neither of them could actually sleep. In just a few days they were celebrating their first year as a married couple, but instead of being happy about it, they seemed to have drifted apart. Without speaking to one another, they were asking themselves the same thing: what changed?

Their wedding had been gorgeous, a small gathering with their families and close friends, and after that, their life has been like a fairytale. Clinton got promoted at work, Geordie’s bakery started doing really well, and they moved into a much bigger house. Just the two of them and Niege.

They decorated the house, they started hosting parties, they planned on hosting one for Halloween; the invites were out already. Geordie will take care of the food and Clinton of the decorations. They planned to spend Christmas with Clinton’s parents and New Years with Geordie’s family.

They did not make any plans to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They both planned on buying the other something, but not to spend the day together. It fell on a Sunday this year, they could have made plans.

Yet, neither of them said anything.

How had they become so sloppy with each other when previously they had been so enamoured?

By morning, sleep swept them away, and they woke up as they normally did. When Clinton entered the kitchen, Geordie was talking on the phone.

“I’ll handle it. Yeah.” He looked at Clinton. “Actually, you know what, call the pest control, there’s the phone number in my office. Yeah, thanks.” He disconnected the call.

“All good?” Clinton asked while pouring himself coffee from the freshly made pot.

“Yeah, CJ saw a cockroach and freaked out.”

“That’s not good.”

“Right, it’s not… If they are out in the open there must be more than one.”

Clinton sipped the coffee and took his own phone out of his pocket. He usually checked the news in the morning. It was no different today, the routine really settled in. Geordie looked at Clinton’s profile while feigning interest in his own cup of coffee. Was that it? Monotony? He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped himself. Clinton turned his head, as if he knew. They stared at each other for a few moments. Clinton frowned.

“Everything alright?”

“No.” He paused. “No, I don’t think…”

Clinton left his phone on the table, his attention fully on Geordie now. Geordie thought then that Clinton still loved him. Then he wondered when he started worrying he might not.

“You’re right, we probably should talk.” Clinton said.

“I’m calling CJ again, telling her I’m not going in today.”

“Yeah, I’ll call work too.”

He was right, of course he was right. Clinton picked up his phone again, hands a bit shaking. He made a quick excuse of not feeling well, nothing hard to believe. His voice didn’t sound right even to his ears. Clinton realised he was scared. He didn’t question Geordie for not going at the bakery, but maybe he should have, maybe it would have given him a clue of where this conversation will go, and help him keep his rising anxiety in check.

“Let’s… Uh, let’s go in the living room.”

“Yes, let’s.”

They took their cups of coffee. Neige was lounging on the sofa. They meant to not let him climb on, but looking at that sweet face, they couldn’t deny him this simple joy. So they got a white cover for the sofa so at least the hairs won’t stand out on the previously turquoise shade. Clinton wondered for just the briefest of moments who will keep the dog. Then he mentally slapped himself.

They sat facing each other. Neige looked at them curiously, then went back to nap. They put off this conversation for so long they didn’t even know where to start.

Clinton drank a bit of coffee and Geordie took that as his cue to start talking. One of them should do it and he was fine with being first.

“I’m scared, Clinton. I’m terrified I’m going to lose you. We’ve been drifting further and further apart and I don’t know how to reel you back in.”

Clinton started at him, momentarily stunned by such a direct and raw confession.

“I’m scared too. I- I don’t know what happened to us. Just one year ago we were sharing vows, and I love you, Geordie, I love you so much, but I think I forgot how to show you that.”

Geordie nodded once. He didn’t say anything for such a long time Clinton feared he was going to tell him he doesn’t love him any more. Which was silly, he’d just told him he was scared too. But if they were both scared of the same thing, why weren’t they doing something about it?

“It’s the routine, isn’t it?” Clinton spoke again. Of course, it was so simple.

“How the fuck did we manage before we got married?”

They both knew how: after marriage they both became comfortable, that piece of paper made them think that’s it, they did everything. But that wasn’t how this worked.

“Should we start seeing a therapist?” Clinton asked. Geordie thought for a moment.

“Let’s start with a vacation. This weekend, let’s escape somewhere, just the two of us.”

“This weekend? How would we do that?” It was Thursday. “We can’t arrange for something such short notice.”

Geordie heard the words and Clinton was probably right, but Geordie also saw the spark in Clinton’s eyes, something was igniting there. And he could feel it too, starting deep inside his chest and spreading all over his body. In the next second, Geordie had his phone out, scrolled rapidly while scanning the screen, then announced: “We are going to Prague.”

“What?”

“Tickets…” He mumbled as he kept scrolling. He looked at Clinton. “The flight’s tomorrow at noon.” He didn’t purchase the tickets yet, he waited for approval. A few more seconds and Clinton was also scrolling on his phone.

“Found a hotel!” He said excitedly. “Hope it’s a good one because there’s not many to pick from on short notice.”

Geordie took care of the plane tickets and Clinton of the accommodation. Technology was amazing like that and when they were done, they were both breathless. There was a new, but at the same time familiar spark between them. They were truly excited.

“We need to pack.” Clinton said.

“Yes, but first, I can’t remember how carpet burn feels.” Clinton laughed and then they were kissing passionately. They couldn’t remember the last time they kissed like that, like they needed it to survive.

No one got carpet burns, after Niege scurried away from the room, they took advantage of the sofa. They kissed and touched like they were a pair of fumbling teenagers. They were rediscovering each other. They had sex in the most fiery way, and then they collapsed one on top of each other.

“I love you too, you know that, right?” Geordie whispered then kissed Clinton slowly, enjoying the sensation of his lips on top of his own, tasting him, remembering how it felt like the first time he did it.

Then they took a nap and woke up refreshed and happy. They took a shower together, they arranged for Clinton’s parents to keep Niege over the weekend, and they packed.

On the night of their anniversary they did not exchange gifts, instead they looked each other into the eyes and confessed their love. They would start over, their first year of marriage was a trial run, they made mistakes, felt too comfortable, but now they knew better, they learned.

The champagne glasses were all but forgotten on the table while they kissed. Slowly. Tenderly. There was no rush. They had each other and nothing would pry them apart. In just one year they discovered so many things, they both were successful at their jobs, Geordie had his own business! It still gave him whiplash sometimes. Magazines wrote about it. They married, they moved into a big, beautiful house, they almost lost each other then found one another again. It was overwhelming to think back, so they didn’t. They looked forward instead, ready to deal with anything and everything that was thrown out at them. Together.

Edited October 29, 2022 by Kujaku

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: October (2022)
Theme: "He could not believe how much things changed in just one year."
Words: spooky, serendipity, nutritious
Extra word: western
Word count: 1360 words
Rating: 15+
Warning: Might contain sensitive issue regarding one's beliefs

Title: A Better Year

 

 

 

3ruri's note:

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I decided to revisit the couple from the story I posted back in October 2021 for this one-year anniversary. I think the theme fits them perfectly, so why not. To be honest, their story is a bit heavy and controversial, but I tried not to go too deep into it as much as I can. Remember people, it's fiction!

Anyway, for those who have not read this couple's first story or have no intention to check it out, let me share some background details a little bit so you guys wont be too lost:

Nadim is a mix of a French mother and a Moroccan father. He was born and raised in Morocco and spoke fluent French, Arabic and English. His previous job was a tourist guide which was how he met Daniel. 

Don't ask me what his religion is because it could be any religion that exists in Morocco, I'm not pointing to any specific religion, so google it and make your own assumption.

The Story:

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

[Please leave a message….]

 

Nadim sighed as he heard the recorded message that played after his phone call was redirected to voicemail. He glanced at the clock and it was a little after seven in the evening. His baba may have a phone, but just like the typical older generation, he hardly ever had it on his person. 

Daniel came into the bedroom and saw the phone in Nadim’s hand. He only had to take a few strides with his long legs and ended up by Nadim’s side. 

“Call didn’t get through?” he asked. 

Nadim shook his head and put the phone away. “Maybe he’s listening to a sermon. Usually he won’t check his phone until it’s over.”

Daniel kissed Nadim’s temple and rubbed his shoulder soothingly. “Let’s try again later, okay? You said you want to check out the night market, let’s go.”

Daniel grabbed Nadim’s hand and led him out of the cottage they were staying in for their holiday. It was Daniel’s idea for them to spend their vacation in the English countryside, now that Nadim could expertly navigate his way around the city of London on his own. At first, they had a hard time looking for lodging, but a stroke of serendipity fell in their lap when Daniel’s business partner offered them to stay at his timeshare. It also happened to be in the location they wanted to visit. 

The countryside was ideal for long walks, so the couple headed to the night market on foot. Nostalgia hit Nadim when they arrived, as he recalled the rustle and bustle of the souks in Marrakech.  There was no aggressive haggling or shouting the promotion of the day at the English night market, but it was still buzzing with life. 

When he was little, his baba and maman would take him to the souks on the weekends. He felt like they were the happiest little family on earth. Then, his maman got sick when he was in secondary school and passed away a couple of years later. By the time Nadim was in university, his father had remarried and started a new family. He never begrudged his baba for it, but the distance between them grew farther. With him leaving the country, the link between father and son was critically fraying. 

A tug on his hand brought him back to present time and the look of love in Daniel’s eyes. 

“Hungry?” Daniel asked. 

Nadim smiled and nodded. Daniel could always read his mood and knew how to lift up his spirit. He reminded himself that he was there on a vacation with his beloved person, so he shouldn’t let his past ruin their time together.

“What do they have?” Nadim followed Daniel to one of the food stalls.

“Jellied eel, mushy peas, black pudding…” the Englishman read from the display board. 

“Uhh…those sounds a little…”

“Classic? Thrilling?” Daniel grinned.

“...too rich and disgustingly nutritious.” 

Daniel chuckled and pulled Nadim to the next stall selling a dish with stewed lamb and seasonal vegetables. Although it was different from the food offered in the souks back in his hometown, Nadim had grown fond of the western flavours. It wasn’t laden with spices or sold in big portions, but it was fulfilling and filled with warmth.

“What do you want to drink?” Daniel asked after they got rid of the emptied food containers. 

Nadim looked around at several drink stalls. Then, he spotted one that sells orange juice. Daniel followed where his eyes landed and without Nadim having to say anything, made his way over and procured two bottles of freshly squeezed orange juice.

“It wasn’t the one we had in Marrakech, but it’s pretty good,” Daniel commented after taking a sip. 

He was right, they didn’t taste the same, but it wasn’t bad either. Thinking about how a shift from the usual won’t always be a negative thing. Like his new job, for example. Despite no longer working as a tour guide, he gets to meet new people by teaching French and Arabic at a private learning centre. 

He made a comparison of his life before and after coming to the UK. He still cooks dinner at night, but instead of eating alone, now he has someone to keep him company. He used to avoid watching spooky movies before, but now it has become his favourite pastime since he could use it as an excuse to keep Daniel on the couch with him throughout the night. Back then, whenever he met with nosy Moroccan grandmothers, they were always trying to matchmake him with some unmarried young ladies. These days, Daniel's mother and aunts were the ones pestering them to tie the knot. 

He could not believe how much things changed in only one year, but at the same time, some parts were still familiar. The one thing that was consistent in his life was Daniel. Since Nadim made the big move and followed his true love, Daniel had always been by his side like a solid pillar. It gave him strength to face whatever challenges thrown their way.

When they returned from the night market, Nadim’s phone rang. His baba’s number flashed on the screen. Daniel smiled and left the room to give his lover some privacy. Taking a deep breath, Nadim slid his finger across the screen and his father’s face appeared.

“Hello, baba.”

“Nadim.” 

No matter how many times he rehearsed the lines in his head, Nadim still felt nervous. He casually asked some mundane questions to settle the butterflies in his stomach. Boring it may be, he genuinely wanted to know how his father was doing. Reluctantly, he also inquired about the wellbeing of his father’s family.

“They are also your family, Nadim,” his baba replied. 

Nadim didn’t respond to that, because he never felt like he was a part of them. And he wondered if they would still want him as part of their family once they heard what he was about to tell his father. 

“Baba, I want to tell you something,” Nadim carefully approached the subject. “I got engaged recently.” 

He fiddled the ring Daniel had put on him when he proposed the day before but didn’t show it to his father. Men don’t wear engagement rings in his father’s culture. 

There was only silence on his father’s side, and Nadim could only look cautiously at the screen, wanting to gauge his father’s emotions. His father appeared to be deeply in thoughts, but seeing that he wasn’t exploding in anger gave some relief to Nadim.  

“Nadim, my child, I know that you feel like I have abandoned you since your mother passed away, but that is not true. A father always knows what their son is up to,” a pained smile appeared on the old man’s face. “I have never restricted you and let you make your own life decisions. Even now, I appreciate that you wanted to share this news with me. My child, you know it is against baba’s belief…”

Nadim had expected as much, but the tears involuntarily flowed down his cheeks. 

“But Nadim, my child, as a father, I always want you to be happy. Even though I can give you neither approval nor blessings, baba still loves you.” 

“I love you too, baba.” Nadim choked on his tears as he replied. 

“You’re a good son, Nadim. I’m sure your maman thinks so too. You take care now. If you feel like you need me, I won’t turn you away.” 

They said their goodbyes and Nadim hung up the phone. There was a soft knock on the door before Daniel’s head peered into the room. When he saw Nadim in tears, Daniel came in and pulled his fiance into an embrace. 

“Did he react badly?” 

Nadim shook his head against Daniel’s chest, wiping his snot on Daniel’s t-shirt. “It wasn’t the result I wanted. but it wasn’t the worst reaction either.”

Daniel kissed the top of Nadim’s head and rubbed his back gently. “Don’t worry. Look how things changed for us in just a year. It will get better in the future, surely.” 

“You think so?”

“Time will tell.”

 

~The End~

 

 

[3ruri]

Writing Challenge Accepted!

Month: November (2022)
Theme: Bad Boy
Words: Pirate, spruce, gallery
Extra word: Pixie
Word count: 1495 words
Rating: 17+
Warning: Sexual content, strong language, bad behaviour

Title: The Other Wolf's Mate

 

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>> This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. <<

 

I woke up with my dick wet and a full head of blond curls bobbing at my lower section. I thought I had nailed the kid good last night, but seeing how he was lively this early in the morning, I guess I hadn’t done him well enough.

I grabbed his hair hard to get his attention, but not enough to hurt him. He looked up at me and I almost splatter on his face. This kid should be illegal, but thankfully, he’s not. I checked. He was more than legal despite our age gap. I don’t usually go for someone ten years younger than me, but the kid sure got me good.

And I was horny. Very.

It was all thanks to the last full moon gathering.

My brother who was a year younger had officially introduced his mate in front of everyone. My parents were ecstatic. I, however, was filled with dread. 

Cain and I had always been in sibling rivalry since he was born. Obviously I had a one-year advantage, but other than that, we’re pretty much equals. We both lead our own pack, are elite businessmen and make big bucks. Seeing how he was in a stable relationship, I appeared to be a step behind. 

I need to wipe the smile off his mug. 

Asswipe even suggested to mom to set me up on a blind date. 

So I fled to Maui by disguising a long awaited vacation as a business trip. A friend of mine operated a seaside bar and although I’m technically the big boss as I owned more than half the shares, I decided to ditch my suit and be a tourist instead. My buddy knew I’m here for fun, but he thought it would be cool if I could do the undercover boss thing.

The blondie riding on my dick was one of the servers at the bar. I’m not one to shit where I eat, but I don’t actually work there, so I consider it permissible. 

Also, he rode me like a champ and made me come so hard, I saw stars. The kid sure knows how to spruce up my sex life. 

As soon as we caught our breaths, blondie got up and walked to the minibar in my hotel suite. I would be lying if I said my horny dick didn’t stir up watching the naked young man grab a bottle of cold water and pour it down his throat. I never saw someone so thirsty before. 

Now I’m thirsty too. For him.

“Leave some for me,” I said, after he half-emptied another bottle. 

I took it from him, finished the rest of the cooling liquid before pulling him back to bed.

I wasn’t kidding when I said I was horny.

…………………….

Aria - yes, I knew his name since I checked his driver’s license the first night - worked the evening shift at the seaside bar. Since I wanted to keep him in my bed at night, I had my dinner there and lingered around until he clocks out.

I snapped a few photos of Aria and sent it to Cain. Sometimes I do creepy old men stuff, but since I’m considering Aria as a potential ‘mate’, one or a dozen sneaky pictures in my photo gallery were excusable. 

My phone vibrated seconds later and I knew it was a text from Cain.

“Cradle robber.” 

I rolled my eyes at his two-word reply. 

I didn’t want to get finger cramps from texting him, so I called him instead.

“Bailey wasn’t that much older than him,” I said in place of a civil greeting.

“Yeah, but Bailey’s twenty-four and I’m thirty. You’re ancient and he’s what? Eighteen?” 

“I’m thirteen months older than you, fuck you very much. And he’s turning twenty-three in February.”

A voice interrupted us in the background. “Ooh, I smell daddy kink.” 

That would be Bailey, Cain’s mate.

“And what’s up with those piercings? Since when did you go for a juvenile bad boy?” 

“That’s rich coming from a man who leads a brethren of werewolves in leather pants and rides on hogs to our monthly gatherings.” I pointed out to my judgemental brother. “Besides, that tongue piercing did wonders to my cock. Don’t knock it till you try it.”

“I don’t need to know what you’re up to in bed!” I heard Cain's indignant reply.

Bailey, bless the guy for putting up with Cain, laughed and I hung up immediately when my brother did a bad imitation of a pirate growl. Just like how he didn’t want to know my activities in bed, I didn’t want to know his as well.

I heard a commotion as soon as I disconnected the phone call and looked up. In the few minutes I was on the phone I had missed someone harassing my potential mate. I didn’t know what entailed the harassment, but Aria was standing by a table, locking the arm of a man who was almost triple his size. 

I got hard at how hot he looked.

I shot up to my feet to check on him when my friend - the owner - got it under control, telling the customer to leave the premises and never to come back. He also announced to other patrons that drinks were on the house as an apology for the disturbance caused by the jackass and that he won’t tolerate such harassment in the establishment. 

Guess who just earned some extra renovation budget out of my pocket?

Thankfully, the rest of Aria’s shift passed without much excitement. He served his final table and walked back into the kitchen so he could change out of his uniform in the locker room next to it. I left a few bills on the bar top before going after him. The kitchen was off limits to non-staff… I don’t like to repeat myself. 

When I walked in, I couldn’t see Aria anywhere, so I stopped one of the kitchen staff and asked him where he went. I was told that he had offered to take the thrash out. 

I’ll have Cain know that Aria may look like an exotic delinquent, but our mother would definitely approve of my choice.

Pleased that my mind’s made up on Aria, I opened the back door so I could grab my future mate to fill him in with the details of my kind. I just hope he likes wolves. 

The were kind.

What greeted me was the sight of Aria slamming some dudes against the dumpster. I recognized that one of them was the asshole who got kicked out earlier. In my trance of watching Aria kicking those bastards’ asses, I totally missed that one guy blew something like a pixie dust to Aria’s face, instantly making him gasp for air. 

Shit! What was I doing just standing there watching?

I rushed over and grabbed two of the guys and slammed them together. Typical action movie move, but it actually works if you have werewolf strength. Another guy slung Aria onto his shoulder, ready to make an escape while the last one made a bad choice by taking out a butterfly knife. 

You know what they say, don’t take a knife to a claw fight.

Normally I would play around a little before finishing off this kind of gangster wannabes, but hearing Aria gasping desperately for air made me realize how urgently I needed to get to him. I slashed the butterfly-knife guy in his back, because obviously I can’t show him I actually have wolf claws. I followed by slamming him against the dumpster enough times to knock the wind out of him before making my way to the one that had Aria. 

As cliche as it sounded, he knew he wouldn't win the fight so he dropped my mate before making his escape. I rushed to Aria’s side and the horrific revelation that I might lose my mate when I had just found him scared the fuck out of me.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Hold on, baby, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“Wa…er”

I barely caught on what he said. 

“Toss…e…in…ter.”

“Tossing butter?”

He lifted his hand with great effort and pointed it to the empty beach beyond the seaside bar.

Did he just tell me to toss him in the water?”

“No…w.”

Secured in my arms, I ran to the beach and didn’t stop until I was waist deep in the water and carefully put him down. 

If Cain was here, he’d be shitting puppies.

Aria’s skin shimmered as the seawater engulfed him. He stopped gasping as soon as he shifted into a…mermaid?

“What, never seen a wereseahorse before?” He said and splashed me with his curled tail. 

I felt it wrapped around my legs as Aria put his arms around my neck. 

“I think we’ve got some explaining to do,” I said with a smirk.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

I told him to start with the pixie dust.

~The end~