About Strictly Halloween

by Stephanie Vaughan
21 pages / 7800 words
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc

Danny's new neighbors are just what he needs after his bad break-up, asking him out and introducing him to Aaron, who's just the thing to drag Danny out of his slump. After meeting Aaron at a Halloween party, one where Aaron is wearing a sexy, and unexpected, costume, Danny thinks he might just be ending his bad run of luck. Are he and Aaron meant to be?

Sample

Danny Valdez hoisted the box onto the counter of the empty apartment.  He didn’t need the six-inch high lettering that read “Kitchen” scrawled across it in blue marking pen on the box to know that was where it belonged.  The metallic clank of pans rattling against skillets was a pretty good tip-off, even if the box hadn’t weighed close to thirty pounds.

It was hot as hell in the little one-bedroom place, located upstairs as it was with the western exposure soaking up every bit of the heat rolling off a late afternoon sun in Southern California.  The manager’d told him the place got a good breeze off the ocean in the afternoon, but on this particular blazing June day Danny hadn’t felt even a hint of one. 

His T-shirt was soaked with sweat and his cargo shorts hung off his hips like they were made of neoprene instead of cotton.  Shoving his hair out of his eyes for the hundredth time, Danny was ready to take a pair of scissors to it, just to have it out of his way. Except that would require knowing which box he’d thrown the stuff from the junk drawer in, though, and damn if he had the first clue which one it was at this point.

“I love your hair.  Don’t ever cut it.”  Long fingers stroked his scalp, tenderly brushing his hair behind his ear, followed by several dozen long, languorous kisses.  Across his face, down his neck and chest.  Danny sighed and promised of course he wouldn’t.

Shaking his head, Danny pushed the memory aside.  He’d made a lot of promises while he and Gabe had been together, but at this point dwelling on the past, obsessively recalling everything that had gone wrong wasn’t going to do anything but make him more depressed than he already was. 

He’d made up his mind, damn it.  What was done was done, and all he could do now was move forward--quit living in the past, and start looking ahead.  Gabe was gone and he wasn’t coming back.

The prickle of tears that threatened at just the thought of Gabe pissed Danny off.  Hadn’t he cried enough over Gabe already?  He was sick of feeling like a sap and a loser.  He loved Gabe, but fuck if he was going to give up his life for him.  He couldn’t.  He just couldn’t and part of Danny hated Gabe for making him push Gabe away. 

“Knock-knock.  Hello?  Anybody here?”