Rainbow Snippets*-- Feels Like Fall

Back in April, when I first started my leave-of-absence, I went on a cleaning sweep. It didn't last long, or maybe I should say it didn't last long enough. Now I'm back at work, but only at a fraction of the hours that I used to put in each week– so I have plenty of time– but instead of housework, I've been reading. Twice as many books as I normally read. It's not the worse problem in the world to have, but I probably need to reorganize my days!

This week's snippet is part three of three, (read part one here, part two 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. It didn't end well:

Except there never was a next time.

The next morning, Brad wouldn’t look at him. He walked around the room picking up his clothes, putting them back on, throwing Jay’s to him where he still sat under the blankets in the middle of the bed. “Get dressed. You need to leave.” The young musician was dazed. “Listen, I was drunk and you’re oddly pretty. I was just curious. You know? You’re a nice piece of ass, but I definitely prefer holding onto tits instead of cock. Get it? You need to go.”

Jay dressed and left, confused and hurt. It was the end of the semester when he had his heart broken and he only saw Brad a few more times in passing, walking with his head down. He tried to catch his eye but Brad pointedly avoided him. Except for the very last day of exams; he caught Brad watching him with a smirk marring his handsome face. Jay felt bare, naked, and heat flooding his cheeks. He turned and hurried away. He told himself it was a lesson learned.

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.