melancholic - Stories

Under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Benjamin and Alexander built a life behind the word roommate. Afghanistan cost them the rest of it. Now, every evening at dusk, Benjamin sits by a river with the only photograph of the day he let himself be seen.

He kept the photograph. The river keeps the rest.

Seventeen years ago, Tyler was Martin’s high school drama club rival, accusing him of stealing the role he deserved. Now in their 30s, Martin has no interest in reconnecting with the guy who made his school years miserable. But when their employers team up to create a theater program for underprivileged youth, Martin and Tyler are forced to work together. It doesn’t help that Tyler is still cute as hell.

As old rivalries give way to some kind of friendship, Martin is plagued by painful memories of the past—and increasingly aggressive fantasies about his former nemesis. Have these theater nerds grown up at all?

Sugar, butter, flour. Love.

After losing their parents, 20 year-old Chase Hollow juggles odd jobs and late-night baking to care for his little sister, Prunella. He dreams of more — but dreams don’t pay bills.

When a job opens up as a bakery assistant at the upscale Keysbridge Inn, Chase applies on a whim… and finds himself clashing with the grumpy, polished Assistant Manager with a sharp tongue and colder stare.

But cookies and time have a way of softening edges.

Original story based on characters in “Cinderella Boy“ by Punko.

Brick has a husband and a man on the side, Vincent, the client across the table. On a trip in Italy for a conference, Pompeii is not on the original itinerary, but Brick needs the distraction. Somewhere between the Forum and a tree off the path, he tries to remember which fire he came here to let burn out.

Nate may have found the one. Cal is built like a farmboy, has the wholesome looks of a vintage baseball card, is amazing in bed, and actually texts back. Nate keeps waiting for the catch and not finding one.

Cal even invites Nate out to his family's timeshare at the coast to meet his mother. Diane is progressive, supportive, and fiercely, fiercely devoted. And that's the catch.

Ly was different. He saw his surroundings differently. There were way too many worlds he had to belong to. His train of thought had no breaks, and his emotions got too loud at times. Sometimes he simply wanted to disappear.

Welcome to the world of Ly trying to figure out how to breathe in his chaotic life without losing himself or the man he loves.

Yorkshire, 1901. A baronet's younger son learns the duties of an estate he will never fully inherit. A groom who survived the Boer War tends horses he has known longer than the young master himself.

Between them: the precise distance that rank requires, and everything that accumulates in the space it creates.

Loose Box is a quiet story about two men who never say what they mean — because one has no words for it, and the other already knows.

Yet another collection of poetry, added to as the mood or fancy strikes me. I hope you enjoy at least some of it.

Sam never expected to abandon his modest life as a blacksmith’s apprentice, yet the harrowing death of his parents leaves him no choice. When the reserved knight errant Ser Graeme proffers him a place at his side, Sam grasps at the chance for escape, despite having no clear destination.

With winter closing in, they aim to reach the city of Langscott before the roads become impassable. Their journey, however, is delayed by a chance encounter: an offer of coin too tempting to refuse. The task is far beyond their expertise, but to earn a living on the road, risk often becomes a matter of routine.