Crosscurrents

I've been reading stories here for awhile but I wanted to make an account specifically to comment on this. This story is amazing! It's very deep and emotional, raw and pretty realistic. After reading the entire story so far, I went back to read the Prologue, and it is very depressing. I can't wait to read the rest of the story. Please post another chapter soon!!! great work.

my favorite part so far was when Matt and Andy were singin extreme - more than words...sooo sweet he was singing it for him...hope theres more great screnes between these two. Awesome by the way!

Wow! What an incredible chapter. I knew something along the lines was eventually going to happen, but that was just really intense & wonderful.

 

I don't rememer the exact timeframe, but while Matt has been waiting two some years for that, I think we've been waiting longer (haha, just kidding).

 

Thanks for keeping on this story. It's one of my all time favorites.

If the story doesn't end with this chapter, I have a strong feeling that Andy will once again mess things up. Idk how many times I cried reading chapters 15-18, it was so heart breaking. This chapter proves that even with the significant amount of time, his sabbatical on finishing this story, it was worth being followed & read. Kudos Adam!

On 05/22/2011 05:36 AM, Cjay said:

If the story doesn't end with this chapter, I have a strong feeling that Andy will once again mess things up. Idk how many times I cried reading chapters 15-18, it was so heart breaking. This chapter proves that even with the significant amount of time, his sabbatical on finishing this story, it was worth being followed & read. Kudos Adam!

We'll see, Cjay, right? Our house is being repainted on the inside and re-floored. It's a long project and everything is in disarray. My computer is not up right now. As SOON as things are back to normal, I'll get back onto CC. I have almost finished the next chapter and will have it posted before mid-month, hopefully.

I'm hooked. Really good and promising start. You give us a seemingly clear ending with the prologue and now I just have to read on and wait for you to finish this story to find out if the end is really gonna be this bittersweet as the prologue says.

Thank you for this story Adam. Like many others I wanted to strangle Andy sometimes even though I sympathize with his fears and the running. Really looking forward to finding out where life will take Andy, Matt and Angie even though the prologue has me worried that we may not be heading for the kind of happy ending we want.

Thank you for the story, the emotions, the music and keep it up!

I read this story on the other site, back in the day. I was shocked when I found myself reading what I thought was a new story and having Déjà Vu. I'm glad you are completing this story. It helped my friend when I sent in to him, he was wondering what happened. He had this drama in his life, so Andy wasn't alone with this concern. I just wish he would have read this story when I first started this trek back in 2006. I was a closeted reader. I didn't share it because I didn't like some of the feelings it brought out in me. Now I'm better.

You have a toddler now; this story is at least 5 years old. Congrats.

Hope you have the energy, and time to complete, your story just moves me.

Finally, I read Dan's story, Glad you helped with that. IT is a testament to you compassion, now back to writing your fans await.

<p>After many months of waiting, finally the next anticipated chapter of Crosscurrents is finally here.  And I must say that it never fails the reader to know what they wanna read.  The story is now fast paced which is important, yet we are clueless as how Adam Phillips would end this one.  Thank you Adam for this great masterpiece and waiting for the next chapter to come.</p>

I am pretty new to the community, and havent started many WIP stories, but this one for some reason got my attention, and after reading the prologue, I was right. I am totally hooked, and so glad I have many chapters to read before I catch up with your story.

I'm not sure how someone finds the strength to write a piece like this. Truly a marvel of delicacy: stunningly sensitive, poignant, and heartbreaking, all at once.

Adam, I'm not sure what parts of the story are based on fact and which ones are complete fiction. If you went through half the angst the characters do you are one heck of a strong man. Not sure I could have handled all the pain. Thank you for writing and thank you for sharing. Any chance you may give us updates on the relationship at some point in the future? Cheers bud!

Brilliant story with characters so true that one cannot help but get completely wrapped in the world created by Mr. Adam Phillips. Thank you again for the emotional journey.

This is seriously one of the best stories I've ever read, published or unpublished. You are such a talented writer. I traveled the waves of emotion with your story. It felt like my soul was ripped out and stomped on in the middle there. I loved the ending. Hearing that it's yours and 'Matt's' true story makes me so happy that there is so much love out there.

I look forward to reading more of your stories. Thank you for sharing.

I love this story.  When I joined gayauthors, I added this story to my favorites list or whatever it's called on this site.  What blew me away about this story is the way he weaves the beach and the water and the endless waves into the timeline of his own journey.  It's truly beautiful prose, and having grown up on the Gulf Coast, myself (though, I prefer the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean in Florida, personally, having lived the second part of my formative years there), I share Adam's love of the beach.  The awe that comes over me every time I wander out into the seemingly-infinite-and-eternal-waters of the ocean never fades.  Adam captured the same feelings I have about the beach.  His musings about the beach are incredibly evocative and I couldn't but fall in love with this story.

However, the ending...  Well, doesn't it kind of feel like Andy's getting everything he wants, and yet still, because of his marriage to Angie, ALSO becoming what the world expects of him?  He'll have a wife and kids and a career and nobody except a select few will know about Matt, will they?  I know; he is bisexual and I certainly support and respect his sexuality; no one believes more than me that one doesn't choose one's sexuality, one's sexuality chooses them.  He's in love with Angie and he certainly should, if he does love her, marry her.  That's his right and choice.  Still, I have mixed feelings about the way things turn out.  Adam is, um, less than enthusiastic about those members of the gay community who look or behave in ways that don't fit the masculine "norm" (as he makes clear.)  THOSE members of the gay community won't have the option of meeting the hetero-normative expectations of their peers, while still being in love and engaging in passionate sex with the man of his dreams on the side.  And while things are better for openly-gay, same-sex married members of our community, one would have to be incredibly naive to think that a man with a wife and kids and their shared home that one can bring one's work colleagues to for dinner doesn't have a MUCH easier and better chance of succeeding in their chosen career than said same-sex married or partnered peers will.

I guess that what I'm trying to say (not very well) is that while I do love the writing, the theme, the story, I'm not a fan of Andy, in general.  He certainly comes across, at times, as a smug, entitled, gloating git, especially while he's in college (fair warning: his ego is MASSIVE.)  That, coupled with the (frankly unbelievable) ending, leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. 

Still, if you haven't read this story and you love a well-written story with some frankly beautiful passages, I have to recommend this one.  It will take your breath away.

Fair enough, Briansboy. I appreciate that you liked what you did, and I understand why you disliked what (and who!) you did. Andy IS privileged, smug, entitled, and gloating. It's over-compensation to some degree, as his protracted doubts and agonies illustrate, but that's not an excuse. I can only plead that Andy was in the process of growing up in the narrative and that he's grown more still. And that even though he is all those negative things, he also loves deeply and is loyal to a fault. 😉

The ending ended the way it did because there aren't very many roadmaps for bisexual polyamory, or at least for how to do it within the context of trying to live what would otherwise be an unexceptional suburbanite life in a heteronormative culture. The epilogue concludes with Andy uncertain about everything except for the fact that somehow his trust and love for Matt would allow things to work out, though he didn't know anything of what that sort of "working out" would mean. Along with you, Andy himself was wrestling with finding unbelievable the frankly-unbelievable situation he was in. All I can assure you is that down the road the parties found their respective ways and that Andy and Matt are still good.

I'm taking the time to reply to this because after a lengthy absence to live life, work, and be a family man, I'm kind of itching to do some more writing for Gay Authors! And I hadn't seen your comment until today, so I thought I'd reply. It gets kind of dicey for a guy to read somebody saying what a prick he is, lol, but if the shoe fits...in any case, thanks for your ongoing interest and warm words about Crosscurrents. It truly was a labor of love for me.

Welcome back! Good luck with the writing. 

The first story i read on this forum and fell in love with it. It is remarkable that everyone can relate to a certain part of this story and certainly the 70s, 80s and 90s generations of queer men. Personalities of both Matt and Andy are so relatable and real and I had the fortunate and unfortunate to either lived or been with such people in the past. Though sometimes it feels like a fantasy college where Andy could get it with almost every single good looking guy in the dorm, but boys in hostel and their hornimess must be accounted while perceiving the sex scenes on this story. Above all, I loved the narration of those beach resort scenes and background,. Absolutely brilliant. Cheers