That’s basically what happens to Paul and Evan in my novella
When Was the Last Time.
They meet, fall in love and set out to journey through life together. They buy
their forever house, plan and complete some renovations, and enjoy Sundays on
the couch in front of the game, a bowl of pretzels between them. They haven’t
fallen out of love. They’ve simply fallen into that comfortable place a couple
often finds themselves in after fifteen years together. It’s a great place. I
happen to love it.
But what happens when that comfortable place becomes
complacent? When intimacy slips between the couch cushions and gets lost with
that old hairbrush and a handful of coins?
How do you get back to that honeymoon stage—without the
U-Haul?
Well, you don’t, not exactly. That’s new love. What you have
after fifteen years is a deeper love. A changed love. That means finding your
way to a new kind of intimacy—and it can’t be easy, or I wouldn’t have a story
to write!
In the following excerpt from When Was the Last Time, Paul has tried to make dinner for Evan. He
burned the salmon and his hand and set off the smoke alarm. He’s frazzled and a
little depressed by the fact his first attempt to rekindle the romance between
him and his partner has failed dismally.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They didn’t talk while Evan cleaned and dressed his hand.
Evan appeared absorbed by his task, and Paul had a permanent lump blocking his
throat. His thoughts shifted from worrying over the state of his relationship
to a more selfish purpose—his emotional fragility. He felt weary, drawn, and
breakable. How had one comment from Evan, at breakfast no less, sent him into
such a tailspin?
Maybe he simply needed to connect with Evan physically. Stop
thinking and just do.
He stood and followed Evan to where they stowed the
first-aid kit, preparing to hug him from behind. Nibble on his neck, the lobe
of his ear. Breathe across the fine hairs there until they stood on end. He’d
grind forward, thrust into the waiting curve of Evan’s ass. Tell him he loved
him, needed him, desired him. That he needed to fuck him, right now.
Who said romance always needed to be sweet?
Evan turned, suddenly, and their heads smacked together,
right at the temple. Thick darkness followed bright light as large black blobs
swallowed the stars dancing in front of Paul’s eyes. Distantly, he heard a soft
curse and a bark of laughter.
“Jesus. Paul…. Hey. Sit. Wow….” Evan guided him back to one
of the tall stools by the narrow island in the middle of their kitchen. “What
were you doing right behind me?”
It was either laugh or cry. Paul chose laughter. It hurt.
His head pounded with each chuckle, and the kitchen grew brighter and dimmer,
as if he were a faulty circuit. That thought only had him laughing harder.
Louder.
Beside him Evan smiled and chuckled. Even laughed a couple
of times. He sobered when Paul touched the distinct red mark at his temple.
“I’m sorry,” Paul said.
Evan took his fingers and kissed them. “I know you are.”
Paul tugged on Evan’s hand until their faces were level and
leaned forward to kiss the mouth he loved beyond all reason. The angle was
awkward. Before their lips touched, their noses collided. Persisting in his
purpose, Paul lifted his chin… and hesitated as a ripple of uncertainty pushed
through him. No, not now. He wasn’t going to try and remember the last
time he’d kissed Evan properly and with heat. Breathing in, he captured Evan’s
full lips. The taste he could never forget invaded his senses. Evan, Evan, Evan! His lover’s name
chased away such things as memory and regret.
Relinquishing one lip, he sucked on the other, the fuller,
lower one. He nipped and tugged. Evan’s surprised outward breath tickled.
Smiling, Paul dove in again, deepening their connection. He invited Evan’s
tongue out to play, and they chased each other through the warm enclosure of
their mouths, sighing, gasping, murmuring softly.
The alarm over their heads bleated once, the sound small and
petulant, but it was enough to break the spell. Looking up, Paul noted the
light blinking in the center.
Evan looked up too, afternoon stubble scraping gently across
Paul’s lips as he did so. “Good thing the battery lasted long enough for you to
burn dinner,” he said. “Otherwise I might have come home to find our beautiful
kitchen destroyed.”
He meant it as a joke, but the words felt sharp. They both
knew it was unlikely Paul would have burned down the kitchen. Yes, he was
absentminded. But while he might have choked on smoke before setting fire to
their kitchen, Evan had unwittingly pointed out the fault that had let their
relationship burn down to a banked ember: His distraction. His preoccupation.
His assumption that the world would continue to turn around and beneath him
while he pursued his career.
“I love you, Evan.”
Evan looked back down from the ceiling, surprise making his
eyes wide. Then he smiled. “I know you do.”
So why didn’t he say it back?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Was the
Last Time
Paul Summerfield is stunned by the gentle reminder it has
been over a year since he and his partner, Evan, have made love. He vows to
take Evan out for Valentine’s Day. Dinner and sex. Lots of sex. There’s only
one catch—he’s supposed to be in San Francisco that week cataloging the art
collection of an important new client. No problem, he’ll just change his
schedule and cut his trip short by a day.
In San Francisco, Paul struggles with regrets and the fear
his love is slipping away from him. Every call to Evan seems only to prove the
distance between them is increasing. All this, and a key piece of his client’s
catalog is caught up in customs. To keep their Valentine’s date, Paul will have
to choose between the career he’s built over fifteen years and the man he’s
loved for just as long.
About Kelly
If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly will not be prepared,
despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will
pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to
survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.
Kelly is the author of a number of novels, novellas and
short stories, including the Chaos Station series, co-written with
Jenn Burke. At lot of what she writes is speculative in nature, but sometimes
it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life
isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever
after is all the adventure we need.
Visit Kelly Online:
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