#RainbowSnippets – February 9, 2019 – ’Til Death Do Us Part

Posted on February 9, 2019February 8, 2019 by Addison Albright 26 Comments

I’ve joined the Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook. From their description: “Rainbow Snippets is a group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week to share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation (no spoilers please!).” Pretty cool, eh? Don’t forget to “Like” my Facebook page and/or my Facebook profile while you’re over there checking out this fantastic group!

My “Hot Flash” short story, Okay, Then is out today. It’s essentially a prequel to ’Til Death Do Us Part, although technically, the action in Okay, Then takes place toward the beginning of the timeline of the flashback scenes in ’Til Death, detailing Sam & Henry’s first date.

This thread of snippets is from the flashback scenes leading up to the action in Okay, Then. Next week I’ll move on to something else.

For a little extra context, Henry and his colleague, Sam, are together on a research trip in Honiara in the Solomon Islands. Henry has a crush on Sam, and the evening before he’d asked Sam back to his rooms for drinks, and Sam had politely declined the drink…and what had been implicitly implied in that invitation.

From Henry’s 3rd-person POV:

(Expand the spoilers for a quick and easy review of earlier snippets in this thread.)

’Til Death Do Us Part - January 12, 2019

Henry made his way down the breakfast buffet line and filled his plate. He didn’t see Sam in the room yet and hoped his colleague wasn’t going to avoid him now. Henry didn’t want things to be awkward between them. They still had a few more days to spend together in Honiara, then weeks in close proximity on some of the smaller islands. Then they’d be back to rubbing elbows in the biology department at the university.

He decided it would be best to just prattle on as if nothing had been said next time he saw Sam. Simply ignore the incident and hopefully Sam would forget all about it, and things would get back to the way they were. Except for Henry; Henry would always know that the man who occupied his dreams didn’t want him.

’Til Death Do Us Part - January 19, 2019

Sam joined Henry at his breakfast table about five minutes after Henry sat down. Henry proceeded with his misdirect efforts by launching immediately into a discussion about the relative nutritional benefits of the different varieties of seaweed found in the waters around the Solomons. He followed it up with a question for Sam about the fruits he’d been studying the previous week.

Sam gaped at him with wide eyes as he nattered on, but when Henry finally gave Sam a chance to talk in reply to his kumquat inquiry, Sam ignored the question and undid all of Henry’s efforts with a single statement.

“I feel like I should explain…about last night.”

’Til Death Do Us Part - January 26, 2019

So much for avoiding awkwardness. Henry picked at a loose thread at the seam of his shorts. This was going to hurt, but Henry could hardly refuse to listen. He didn’t have to encourage it, though, so he remained silent and waited for Sam to continue.

“Uh, it’s not that I wouldn’t be interested. It’s just that I don’t want to jeopardize our working relationship. I don’t think it’s a good idea to hook up with someone I work with and see almost every day.”

’Til Death Do Us Part - February 2, 2019

Sam cleared his throat and bounced his leg. He stared at his plate, occasionally peeking up, as he continued. “I guess I should confess that I’ve had a bit of a crush on you, otherwise I could probably just be an adult about it and not think anything of a little fling with you while we’re here. I just don’t think I’ll be able to go about business as usual once we get back to reality and this little affair you’re offering is over.”

Henry blinked. “Is that what you think? That I’m just interested in a couple rolls in the hay while we’re here, then go back to innocuous conversations about curriculum and lab results as if this summer never happened?”

This week’s snippet:

’Til Death Do Us Part - February 9, 2019

Sam lifted his gaze from the table to stare inquiringly into Henry’s eyes. “Um…”

“It’s not. I’ve been drawn to you all year, too, Sam. I like you. I want to get to know you on a more personal level. I’d absolutely love to date you, now and continuing when we return to Seattle.”

Sam’s jaw dropped. “Oh.”

His jumpy leg shifted into overdrive, but the corner of his mouth quirked up into that adorable half-grin that always made Henry melt a little inside, and he added, “Okay, then.”