About One Way Street
Written by Laney Cairo
110 pages / 39000 words
ISBN: 978-1-60370-288-1, 1-60370-288-1
Available file types - html, lit, pdf, prc
Aussie rules football star Shane is having a rough time of it. He split with his lover, Dale, because of the pressure from his coach and his sponsors, who don't want a gay player on their hands. He's also sick, desperately so, and he doesn't know who to go to. Everyone in his life wants something from him, but no one wants to help.
When he can't take anymore, Shane runs to the one place he knows he's safe; the old love nest he shared with Dale. When Dale shows up to collect his stuff, he finds a very ill Shane, and the two of them remember why they were so attracted to each other. Things won't be easy, between Shane's commitments and Dale's doubts. Can they find a way to find joy in life again?
Review
Mychael Black, author of
the Hearth & Home series, writes: Professional footy (Australian rules
football) player Shane has everything he could possibly want. Or does
he? Beneath the surface, serious trouble is brewing -- inside and out.
Shane's numerous health problems are taking their toll, and thanks to
them, he's become addicted to his medications. His girlfriend is a
self-absorbed, plastic public appearance booster, but behind closed
doors, Shane's past is slowly killing him. In order to save his career,
he turned his back on Dale -- the man he loved, and who loved him.
Dale is determined to get over Shane, to enjoy footy again. But despite
the little warning bells in his head, when Shane pops back into his life
and needs some serious help, Dale's best intentions threaten to drag his
heart back into play. Can he trust Shane again? Or will Shane's love of
the game destroy them once more?
One Way Street is a deep story of a man overcoming fears and addiction,
to rediscover the love that was always there. It's less a story of
reunited lovers and more a personal journey on Shane's part -- his
detoxing, his decisions that he must make, and ultimately, the trust he
places at Dale's feet. The love scenes are subdued and extremely
emotional -- no matter how wild they might be.
This isn't a book you can easily put down. I kept telling myself "just
one more page", desperate to see how Shane's healing progressed, how he
and Dale connected after nearly a year apart. If you want something that
will make you feel a whole gamut of emotions, this is it.
Sample
Shane's breath rasped in his throat, his lungs felt like they were about to burst, and black blotches swum in front of his eyes. One of his team mates -- he couldn't tell who through the fog in his brain -- slapped him on the back as they ran past.
"Last lap," the team mate called.
Last lap? Shane was supposed to be fit this early in the footy season, stripped back and injury free, and the cool-down jog around the oval at the end of a training session shouldn't hurt.
Which didn't explain why his knees felt like they were on fire.
Lindon,
coaching
assistant,
team-runner
and
Shane's
personal
angel,
loomed
up
out
of
the
blur,
grabbed
at
Shane's
arm
and
hauled
him
off
the
track
to
a
bench.
A
water
bottle
was
thrust
into
Shane's
hands,
and
Shane
gulped
down
the
cool,
sweet
liquid,
pouring
the
contents
of
the
bottle
across
his
raw
throat.
"You
pulled
up
sore?"
Lindon
asked,
his
fingers
probing
through
Shane's
lycra,
hamstring-warming
tights,
digging
into
his
quads
knowledgeably.
Lindon
had
fingers
of
steel
from
massaging
Shane
and
his
team
mates.
Lindon tapped Shane's knee and Shane lifted his leg, giving Lindon access to his hamstrings. There'd been a time when he'd resented the intrusive nature of being coached, but he knew now that the coaching staff owned him body and soul.
"Feel awful," Shane said.
His vision cleared enough to make out the figure of the head coach of the Hammers, Jerry Gordon, pounding across the grass toward them.
"Davis!" Gordon called. "Get up and run if you're planning on playing this week."
"Shane's quads have locked up," Lindon said, standing up."I pulled him out of the cool down."
Gordon
made
a
disbelieving
noise,
and
Shane
just
wanted
to
hug
Lindon
for
covering
for
him. "Looks
like
he's
hungover
to
me,"
Gordon
said. "Get
him
rehydrated."
Shane
lifted
his
head
to
meet
his
coach's
gaze,
then
struggled
to
his
feet.
"Thanks,
boss,"
he
said.
"You're
damned
lucky
this
training
session
isn't
open
to
the
public,"
Gordon
said. "Last
thing
we
need
in
the
run
up
to
the
game
against
the
Devils
is
the
media
filming
you
falling
over
at
training
because
you
were
on
the
piss
last
night."
Shane
nodded,
blinking
eyes
that
stung,
not
trusting
his
voice
enough
to
try
and
reply.