This week has Liam finally had enough?
Blond
The day
things changed a cool autumn wind heralded it.
Karl met Liam for lunch in the
little café close to Liam’s office building. He kissed Liam before he sat at
the table. “Hi, babe.”
The stilted
conversation stalled. Liam pushed his salad around in the side dish. He only
ate half of his burger. He twisted his napkin into a pretzel shape.
Cold fingers
of dread crept up Karl’s stomach. “What is it, Liam?” He lost the fight to keep
quiet and wait for whatever was going to happen.
Liam ran a
hand through his dark hair and it spiked on end at the front. He sighed and his
eyes filled with emotion. There was a plea in his tone. “There’s a launch party
Friday night. I want you to come with me. It’ll mean staying late. Maybe until
one AM—please say you will. It would mean so much to me. I’ve told Evan about
you. I want you by my side. It’s time I stopped hiding what I am…”
Karl winced
at the last words. They resonated with his own plight. He stared at Liam. His
heart filled with tenderness and sorrow. “Babe, I can’t stay. You know that.”
Liam let his
fork drop onto his side plate with a clatter. He leaned away from the table.
“I thought
maybe just this once—Is it a sick relative you go to help? Couldn’t you employ
a nurse? Surely you can be late to whatever it is you run off to, or whoever it is, just for once? Karl, please. How can we ever have a long term
relationship if we never spend the night together?”
Tears
gathered behind Karl’s eyes. This was it. Liam had grown tired.
“I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t say any more without crying.
Liam gazed
at him. “So am I. Let’s call it a day, then, Karl.” He stood abruptly, his
chair legs squeaking on the tiled café floor, and stalked off.
Karl sat for
a time staring at Liam’s empty chair and then at the salad pushed to the edge
of the Liam’s plate. Tears welled and slid silently down his face. They
splashed onto the Italian fabric of his pants, making spiky dark spots on the
pale gray. Finally, Karl asked the server for the bill, paid, and left to go
back to work.
Copyright E.D.Parr, Evernight Publishing
Global Amazon link http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B076L3JC63
HOP to the next midweek teaser
Oh no, heart wrenching! Hope they can work it out. Fab tease.
ReplyDeleteOh no. He should probably offer some explanation. I'm sure he'd be understood and forgiven. :(
ReplyDeleteOh, dear -- this is going to be difficult on both sides, isn't it? Great tease, Elodie!
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet, Elodie!
ReplyDeleteThat's curious, I look forward to getting to know more about these two.
ReplyDelete