I haven't been working on my nearly completed novel much at all, trying to figure out the ending is taking a while, and I've no real stomach for it. I'm distracted by the bright summer lights of my other stories but I desperately want to finish something, and I'm nearly done now. Hopefully Camp Nano will be the finisher.
Anyway, in lieu of being productive I've been writing steamy romance shorts (emphasis on the steam), and as always getting skooled by my characters.
Kat led them along a series of corridors, moving a little slower
compared to the frenzied pace they had pursued before. They stopped
often to peer through the walls, usually into empty rooms but now and
again there was a guest retiring from the party interspersed amongst
them. As the rooms began to thin out and cobweb began to appear they
entered what seemed to be a disused area of the manor, and the rooms
became much more interesting. A few times they stumbled into nooks
that appeared to be made for spying, and once even found a room
replete with a large bed, its purpose quite clear.
“My my,” Kat said as she eyed the moth-eaten covers. “This
manor has quite a history, it seems.”
“It must have been hard back then - not really being able to see
who you want, be with who you wanted,” Tare said thoughtfully.
Kat laughed. “Not for the owner of this though.” Then her face
turned a little sad. “But do you really think it’s so different
for us?” she asked, reaching out to run her fingers along the
bedstead. “Seeing what we want, but never being able to touch it.
You must have felt the same, Tare.”
A lump formed in Tare’s throat as he thought about Claire. So many
times he had wanted to reach out, but never could. “No,” he said
gently, surprising himself. “We are free. Free to fail, free to
lose, free to lack courage. All of these things, but free to love,
most of all.” His hand moved to Kat’s shoulder. “I could have
told her any time, but the time was never right. Maybe there was a
reason for that. At least...I would like to think so.”
Kat turned and smiled softly at him. “What a fool she was to never
see you.”
Tare blushed, his tanned skin turning a deep red. “Now that’s
just the drink talking.”
“You think so, hmm?” Kat almost hummed the word before taking
his hand again. “Let’s go, before I start sneezing.”
