Lou Sylvre's Blog - Posts Tagged "friends-to-lovers"
A mostly SFW tidbit from a rather NSFW short:
Expected the Unexpected
is to be my contribution to the M/M Romance Goodreads group's 2014 Don't Read in the Closet event, Love's Landscapes. Here's the cover, and then the opening scene.
***
“What?” Sam Gallagher all but snarled the word, none too pleased about being roused from sleep. Although, if he had to wake up, Josh was certainly the person he would choose to do the waking. He got a whiff of Josh right away, and nonchalantly curled up on his side in an effort to bring his nose a little closer, to breathe in a little more of the man he most wanted in the whole world.
The man who would never want him back.
Sam thought, It’s not supposed to be like this! I’m not supposed to be in love with a heterosexual. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Sam?”
“What?”
Josh forced his breath out on a hiss, which Sam knew meant Josh had become exasperated with him. He knew that because he and Josh had been friends since second grade. And because he always watched Josh like he was the only person in any room. Sam even knew Josh had rolled his eyes, despite being unable to see his face, since Sam’s eyes were level with Josh’s thighs. Suntanned, strong, hottie thighs. Sam rolled a bit forward to hide his erection, while from far above, Josh said, “Blake, Terry, and Ramon all caught full-blown colds last night.”
“Who would have imagined,” Sam said, having found his tongue and his typical morning attitude, “that you could get sick skinny-dipping in the Pacific in an October storm at night… while drunk?”
Josh laughed, which Sam really liked, because Josh had this deep, sexy chuckle that always sounded like it was making love to Sam’s ears. “Probably crazy people,” Josh said. “Maybe people as crazy as the person who could get drunk on lavender vodka and lemonade, sleep through the excitement, and feel all hung-over and pitiful the next day, right?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
Josh patted Sam’s shoulder, and if Sam thought his hand lingered there for a little while longer than it should have, he’d imagined it. He knew that.
“I know, Sammy,” Josh said, and it sounded so much like care. Different from best friend care.
“I’m surprised you remember that, though— the skinny-dipping I mean.”
“Barely. Last thing I really remember is you, bare-assed, jumping off that rock ledge into the pool. That, and being thankful I didn’t have to rescue you afterward.”
“Always the lifeguard,” Josh said, and then added, “Anyway, I’m going to drive them home, so they can sniffle and cough in their own beds.”
In a perfect traffic world, the drive from Sam’s uncle’s house in Newport Beach, where the five of them had gathered for their annual, four-day house-sitting party, to Pasadena, the city where they all lived, would take about an hour. But it always took longer, and Sam knew Josh wouldn’t want to drive three hours or more just to spend the remainder of the weekend with him. Josh loved to party, do crazy things, go off on adventures. A wild man. And Sam? He worked helping to plan exhibits in a museum, played serious music on the piano, took an occasional swim— in a pool, thank you very much— and loved to read. Not up to Josh’s speed at all. Subdued and tentative, Sam said, “So I’ll see you…”
While Sam tried to think of how to end that sentence, Josh spoke up. “In maybe three hours.” After a pause, he added, “It’ll be just you and me, Sammy. Okay?”
“You’re coming back?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss the one weekend per year I still get to spend with my best friend.” He laughed again.
Oh, dick of mine, lay down and shut up! Sam shook his head, wondering how a little chuckle could be that exciting. But he knew it wasn’t that. It was the whole Joshua Heathcliff Brennan package— the white-blond hair, the red-hot body, round butt, quick wit, even that ridiculous middle name.
“You’re shaking your head,” Josh said, and plopped the aforementioned butt down on the bed, which placed his heterosexual crotch right in Sam’s line of vision. “Don’t you want to spend the weekend with me?”
If you only knew, Sam thought. Out loud he said, “No! I mean yes, yes I do!”
“Okay, then! I figure it’ll be kind of like when we were kids and had that treehouse out back of your house.”
Sam smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “We’ll have fun.” Josh had sounded almost as excited as that long-ago boy in the treehouse, and Sam couldn’t help but say that, even though he knew that for him it would more likely be torture.
***
Yeah, not like Vasquez and James at all. It was fun to write, and I hope it's fun to read. :)
***
“What?” Sam Gallagher all but snarled the word, none too pleased about being roused from sleep. Although, if he had to wake up, Josh was certainly the person he would choose to do the waking. He got a whiff of Josh right away, and nonchalantly curled up on his side in an effort to bring his nose a little closer, to breathe in a little more of the man he most wanted in the whole world.
The man who would never want him back.
Sam thought, It’s not supposed to be like this! I’m not supposed to be in love with a heterosexual. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Sam?”
“What?”
Josh forced his breath out on a hiss, which Sam knew meant Josh had become exasperated with him. He knew that because he and Josh had been friends since second grade. And because he always watched Josh like he was the only person in any room. Sam even knew Josh had rolled his eyes, despite being unable to see his face, since Sam’s eyes were level with Josh’s thighs. Suntanned, strong, hottie thighs. Sam rolled a bit forward to hide his erection, while from far above, Josh said, “Blake, Terry, and Ramon all caught full-blown colds last night.”
“Who would have imagined,” Sam said, having found his tongue and his typical morning attitude, “that you could get sick skinny-dipping in the Pacific in an October storm at night… while drunk?”
Josh laughed, which Sam really liked, because Josh had this deep, sexy chuckle that always sounded like it was making love to Sam’s ears. “Probably crazy people,” Josh said. “Maybe people as crazy as the person who could get drunk on lavender vodka and lemonade, sleep through the excitement, and feel all hung-over and pitiful the next day, right?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
Josh patted Sam’s shoulder, and if Sam thought his hand lingered there for a little while longer than it should have, he’d imagined it. He knew that.
“I know, Sammy,” Josh said, and it sounded so much like care. Different from best friend care.
“I’m surprised you remember that, though— the skinny-dipping I mean.”
“Barely. Last thing I really remember is you, bare-assed, jumping off that rock ledge into the pool. That, and being thankful I didn’t have to rescue you afterward.”
“Always the lifeguard,” Josh said, and then added, “Anyway, I’m going to drive them home, so they can sniffle and cough in their own beds.”
In a perfect traffic world, the drive from Sam’s uncle’s house in Newport Beach, where the five of them had gathered for their annual, four-day house-sitting party, to Pasadena, the city where they all lived, would take about an hour. But it always took longer, and Sam knew Josh wouldn’t want to drive three hours or more just to spend the remainder of the weekend with him. Josh loved to party, do crazy things, go off on adventures. A wild man. And Sam? He worked helping to plan exhibits in a museum, played serious music on the piano, took an occasional swim— in a pool, thank you very much— and loved to read. Not up to Josh’s speed at all. Subdued and tentative, Sam said, “So I’ll see you…”
While Sam tried to think of how to end that sentence, Josh spoke up. “In maybe three hours.” After a pause, he added, “It’ll be just you and me, Sammy. Okay?”
“You’re coming back?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss the one weekend per year I still get to spend with my best friend.” He laughed again.
Oh, dick of mine, lay down and shut up! Sam shook his head, wondering how a little chuckle could be that exciting. But he knew it wasn’t that. It was the whole Joshua Heathcliff Brennan package— the white-blond hair, the red-hot body, round butt, quick wit, even that ridiculous middle name.
“You’re shaking your head,” Josh said, and plopped the aforementioned butt down on the bed, which placed his heterosexual crotch right in Sam’s line of vision. “Don’t you want to spend the weekend with me?”
If you only knew, Sam thought. Out loud he said, “No! I mean yes, yes I do!”
“Okay, then! I figure it’ll be kind of like when we were kids and had that treehouse out back of your house.”
Sam smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “We’ll have fun.” Josh had sounded almost as excited as that long-ago boy in the treehouse, and Sam couldn’t help but say that, even though he knew that for him it would more likely be torture.
***
Yeah, not like Vasquez and James at all. It was fun to write, and I hope it's fun to read. :)
