Rainbow Snippets*-- Goodbye to August 2020

Another week of trying to keep my mental health on an even keel. It's not the easiest thing to do. I live in a rural "red" area where a person's politics is obvious by whether or not they're masked. And, not surprising, our Covid+ numbers are rising rapidly. But I did manage some writing. At this point, if I manage at least 200 words a day, I consider it a positive. I keep telling myself "This too shall pass". Actually, I'm glad I have my writing because it gives me something to focus on.  

The youngest member of our kitty clowder. We simply call her Silver. 

This week's snippet is part two of three, (read part one here) taken from Headphones: In From the Cold. Because the series has such a large cast, I chose to build my characters' backgrounds using flashbacks instead of dialogue or introspection, which would have created too much narrative, I feared. Jay is remembering the first time he had sex:

            In a dark corner of the pub, with a few vodkas making Jay’s senses fuzzy, Brad had pulled him close and kissed him. “Come back to mine?” he’d whispered into his mouth and Jay could only moan his submission. It was a short walk that took an eternity because they stopped often to rub against each other, hands slipping under clothes and tongues exploring in deep kisses—foreplay under bright stars on a warm spring night. Jay had kissed plenty of boys, even given and received a few blowjobs, but this was different. As they undressed each other, throwing clothes around the room, he wondered if he was in love. He was so hard it was painful. “This is passion,” his young mind thought.

He was 19 when he lost his virginity. Brad was rough and it hurt—more than it maybe should have. But Jay excused it. After all, Brad confessed this was his first experience with a man. It would be better next time. 

Except there never was a next time.

(the conclusion next weekend)

Headphones Trilogy, now available on Amazon KU and in paperback. 

*Rainbow Snippets is a (Facebook) group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers who gather once a week to share snippets from a work of fiction–-a WIP or a finished work or even a book recommendation. If you're interested in following a diverse group of authors, check it out here.