Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 10

rose, scooped some smoldering charcoal from the grill with a small shovel and scattered it around a pile of kindling in a beaten copper brazier. The wood caught fire swiftly. Flames flickered in the gathering darkness.
    I finished the last of my wine and Will shared the rest of the bottle between us before pulling a couple of lawn chairs up to the brazier. There wasn't so much as a foot between them.
    "We might as well sit where it's warm." He sank into a chair and stretched his legs out.
    I took the other chair and welcomed the warmth of the fire. The last of the light faded from the sky. A bat fluttered over the lawn toward the house and then wheeled away at the last minute. Fireflies rose out of the grass, tiny green lights winking in the dusk.
    I leaned back and looked up waiting for stars to appear.
    "I have a better idea if you want to star-gaze." Will rose from his chair.
    I sat up and watched him cross the lawn and drag the swing hammock over the grass.
    "Here you go. Better than craning your neck." He placed it on the other side of the fire and brushed dust and bits of broken leaves from the faded blue canvas. "Try this."
    "I might fall asleep."
    "You're allowed. I won't hold that against you." Will held the hammock steady while I settled onto it. "Better?"
    "Much better."
    His grin was brilliant in the darkness. He placed a small plastic table within arm's reach and set my wine glass on it. "That does look comfortable. Room for another?"
    I considered the request and shuffled to one side. "Plenty." There wasn't, but I wanted more than the warmth of the fire.
    The hammock swayed gently when he gingerly settled rested beside me. His arm against mine.
    "That's better." Will sighed and clasped his hands across his stomach.
    "It is."
    The canvas dipped beneath our collective weight, making a hollow where we rested.
    After a moment or two, Will slid his arm beneath my shoulders. "Do you mind?"
    "Not at all." It seemed right to lay my head on his shoulder, especially when he began stroking my hair. I didn't want to think about how swiftly we'd moved from snatched conversations at the kitchen table to this. All I knew was that it felt right.
    We lay in silence, while the crickets whispered in the grass and bats swooped in pursuit of insects. The warmth fled from the day but it didn't matter. I couldn't feel the cold.
    Will shifted and brushed his lips over my forehead. "Is this all right? Are you warm enough?"
    "This is just fine." I settled against him and wrapped my arm around his waist. "It's been a long time since I've been just…held."
    "You and me both." Will's sigh ruffled my hair. "Nice, isn't it?"
    "Yes." I closed my eyes and listened to his heart beat beneath my cheek. Mark and I had long abandoned quiet moments like this. Our last year together had been nothing but arguments and hurt silences. Comfort had been impossible to come by.
    "So, if you don't mind my asking. What happened?"
    "The same sad old story. Mark fell in love with someone else. He pretended he hadn't. I found out. We argued, we made up, we limped along for another year and then both agreed to call it quits. Five years down the pan. He kept the hotel and he's paying me my share over the next five years. It's all nice and legal and the money turns up in my bank account every month. But it's toxic money because his lover is paying it. His rich Sugar Daddy."
    "I'm sorry." Will kissed my forehead once more. He tightened his arm around my shoulders.
    "It's all right. I'm getting there. It's taking a while, but I'm getting there." I looked at him, his skin touched with firelight. "What about you?"
    Will trailed his hand down my arm. "I had someone living with me for a while. But this town was too small for him. Terry didn't understand that some people here just don't…approve. I've learned to live with it. He couldn't." He sighed. "That was six years ago and I've been alone ever since. I'd gotten used to the idea and then you came along."
    "And now…?" I was almost too scared to hear his words. Afraid that they would tether me to this place when I wasn't sure I was ready.
    "And now…I don't know. You make me think that things could get better. I don't want to put anything on you, any obligations, but I do want you to know that if you wanted to stay, you wouldn't get any objection from me."
    Gratitude made me want to kiss him. Afraid as I was to spark something beyond a simple kiss, I had to. I twined my fingers through his short, brown hair