Hudson Bartholomew

I'm glad you like the pacing. That's always something I worry about

Thanks, Lisa!!

Maybe I should get some stock in Best Buy, too! Thanks!

Thanks, Mac! Hopefully this will become clearer soon, but Erik's not as heartless as people seem to think he is. I think you put it exactly right, he's a bit better at balancing his emotions, or at least hiding them

I think a lot of times people just don't care. Especially in places like hospitals, they deal with a million people every day and I'm sure that patients can easily become just another body they need to treat. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending them, but I can see why they're less than careful about people's names. I don't know how many times people have gotten my name wrong. Even when I'm spelling it out for them, they can't seem to wrap their minds around the letters I'm saying. I was trying to get into a building once and the security guy had to look up my name on the visitors list. I spelled my last name for him, gave him my ID with my name on it, and I watched over the counter as he typed my last name wrong. I spoke up and corrected him, and he re-typed it... wrong again. It took him 3 tries to get it right... my last name has 3 letters in it, not that difficult, folks.

I don't know if there's a best way to approach a situation like this, because as others have said, this is hard. I think it's important to communicate, though, especially with an open-mind, knowing that everyone is trying to make the right decisions and no one is out to hurt anyone else. Sometimes we hurt people without meaning to, and being able to forgive is important for rebuilding trust. So be easy on yourself and be easy on your mom. *hugs*

That sounds like a conversation I would have loved to sit in on! I find this stuff fascinating!

Definitely. Chemistry is great for the camera, but not enough for a real life relationship.

I'd say that Ryan's natural defense is to go inwards, where as Erik has other ways to cope. But yes, trying to live up to other people's expectations, regardless of the context, is hard.

Erik really knows how to sell it, doesn't he?

I wouldn't want to leave any spoilers in the reviews, but you're right... there's a 50% chance

Interesting observations about Erik! I think there's more in the next chapter that addresses some of that.

Swish, swish. Ryan had almost forgotten how good it felt to push off against the ice, the feeling of his blades biting into the slick surface, and the chilly air blowing across his cheeks. He did a couple of laps around the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, crouching low and swinging his arms to build momentum. He wasn't sure how Gary had managed to get a permit to film here, but sure enough, here they were, with Ryan doing his laps while Gary and Erik conferred with a camera guy by the boards.

Thanks for the mention!!

The prompt sparked a bunch of ideas, and I'd like to develop it into a full length story. So we'll see where it goes! Thanks!

Thanks so much!

Thanks! I think he will come back to the clearing, although maybe not the way we'd expect?? I'm plotting out a full length story from this, so we'll see!

You're right, I think there is more to this story. Now, I just have to figure out what that is!

Good point about the Quebecois Spoiler Alert: Ryan's technically only half French Canadian, the other half is just plain Canadian, unfortunately.

Thanks for the review! I love your comment about Ryan talking to his cat, because I'm pretty sure he does

Prompt #559 – List of Words: Pine tree, toy soldier, a book, a full moon, and a blanket. I am a creature of the night. I mean, I’m not a vampire or anything. I just really like the night. It’s quiet. Everyone’s gone to bed, and I’m all alone in the world. There’s no need to talk to anyone because there’s no one around to talk to. Perfect. One of my favorite things to do at night is to drive out into the vast wilderness that lies beyond the boundaries of my small town. There are turnoffs from t

Interesting point. I'll have to go back and reassess that. Thanks!

I think there's a difference between not connecting with a story (which is completely understandable, there are plenty of stories I don't connect with) and having constructive feedback. I'm just saying that I appreciate constructive feedback just as much as I appreciate the positive feedback. If a story just doesn't speak to you, that's completely fine!

True! I tend to assume that people default to polite, but I guess that's not always a reasonable assumption to make.