by Andrew Q. Gordon
Book Blurb:
Outted at thirteen, Orin Merritt left
home after high school hoping to escape the hell his life had become.
Ten years later when a tornado destroys his childhood home and kills his
parents, Orin finds himself in an entirely new nightmare. One he can't run away
from.
Blaming himself for failing the
two people who always loved and supported him, he returns home and confronts
his past in the person of his one-time best friend, Thomas Kennett.
Thomas not only rejected him when Orin came out, he led the group that tormented
Orin into leaving.
As he struggles to deal with his
grief, Orin also labors to fulfill the pledge he made to his parents before
their death. In the process, Orin learns that sometimes when you go
away to find yourself, you leave the answers you're looking for behind.
Buy Links:
Cover
Artist: Lily Velden and Jay Aheer
Publisher:
Wayward Ink Publishing.
Book Excerpt:
"Orin, I won't." Thomas stood a bit
straighter and his eyes lost the sad, pleading shine. "I won't hurt you
again."
"You can't promise that. Things happen."
Orin watched as his words dragged Thomas back from the brink of hope.
"If you truly believe that, then there's
nothing I can do. You have to believe there's a chance or else I can't prove
it."
"That's not what I'm telling you." He
locked his gaze on Thomas's. "If I say yes, I'll have to take down the
walls I surrounded my heart with to keep it safe. Once it's gone, I won't be
able bring it back if I get hurt. Not now.
"So what I'm saying is, think about what you’re
asking me to risk. If you really love me, ask yourself if are you willing to risk what will happen to
me if you can't keep your promise."
He knew how unfair he'd been, but self-preservation
had been a skill he'd honed over the past fifteen years. He needed Thomas to
know just how serious the repercussion could be for his actions.
"Orin, I . . . I . . . how . . .?" Their
faces were inches apart, and Thomas moved in for another kiss.
This felt different than the first—less urgent, but
no less intense. Orin trembled at the leap he was about to take. When they
stepped back, Thomas rubbed his thumb across Orin's cheek.
"I do love you, Orin. More than I can say. So
much, that I'm not willing to risk what will happen if I fail you again. I
don't have that right."
Thomas's lips quivered and the tears welled at the
bottom of his eyes. He kissed Orin's forehead gently.
"Good-bye, Orin. Please be happy." Without
looking back, Thomas walked to the front door, opened it, and walked away.
Author Bio:
Andrew
Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads,
ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was
considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook
somewhere quiet when he wants to write.
He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with
his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very
self-important D.C. 'insiders', Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his
reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball
and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day.
Author Contacts:
Twitter: @andrewqgordon,
Email: andrewqgordon@gmail.com
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