Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

evening?"
    Alex was exhausted. The doctors had spent a good hour prodding and poking at him, taking blood, shining lights in his eyes. He should be relieved; they'd told him he was going to be fine. No lasting damage was how they'd phrased it. Except for one thing he couldn't explain to them. He felt like there was something missing, like he was grieving for something, someone, he'd lost.
    A gentle cough made him open his eyes. Turning towards the door he pushed himself up onto one elbow and stared in surprise. Framed by the doorway stood a familiar figure, his long red-blonde hair was pulled back away from his face which only accentuated the planes of his face. His mouth lifted into a smile, a glint of amusement in the ice blue eyes.
    "They told me that my red warrior was awake again." At the sound of his voice the heart monitor sped up, beeping erratically as Alex tried to catch his breath.
    "Harald," he whispered as he struggled with the wires connected to him to sit up.
    "Yes, well Harri normally, only the family call me by my full name," he said approaching the bed. "I'm the paramedic that picked you up from the pavement last week after your little fight. You really shouldn't pick fights with people bigger than yourself, or with pavements; landing head first on the pavement always ends badly."
    Harald lowered himself into the visitors chair and leant forwards resting his elbows on the edge of the bed. He looked quizzically at Alex for a minute before asking. "How did you know my name?"
    "I'm not entirely sure how to put this," Alex began. "It would appear we used to know each other.
    "We did?" Harald frowned.
    "Very well in fact, but it was a long time ago."
    "What? When? I'm not sure we've actually met before."
    "We have. You obviously don't remember though." Alex leant towards Harald, took hold of his wrists and pulled him forwards. Ignoring Harald's startled expression he continued, "let me see if I can remind you." Lowering his head to meet Harald's, Alex gently kissed him.
    Pulling back slightly he looked into Harald's eyes and asked. "What are your feelings about fate and reincarnation?"
    THE END
    GLOSSARY
    All of these words are listed are described in Old Norse as Nio or insults.
    Argr/Ragr/ergi/regi – willing or inclined to play or interested in playing the passive role in sexual relations with another man. Sometimes used to mean unmanliness
    Ergjask – to become "argr"
    Fuoflogi – man who flees the female sex organ (usually used for a man who avoids marriage)
    Rassragr – literally arse-ragr
    Seior – woman's magic
    The proverb quoted, reads in Old Norse as – sva ergisk hverr sem eldisk (everyone gets argr as he gets older)
    ****
    Author bio: Despite studying chemistry at university and then working in several different jobs within the legal profession for the last 17 years K. still hasn't decided what she wants to do when she grows up. In the meantime, the various animals that own her have decided she needs a full time job to keep them in the manner to which they've become accustomed. When they allow her any spare time she reads (anything that is put in front of her), knits (mainly socks), bakes (cupcakes) and writes (well, argues with the voices in her head as to who controls where the story goes).
    ****

LAZY SUNDAYS
    by K-lee Klein

    A tattooed man sleeping on his stomach in a bed.

    Dear Author,
    I watch him sleep, he looks so young and beautiful.
    We met in a bar a few months ago. I don't know why he came home with me that night, but he did, he stayed the next day and keeps coming back.
    I ask myself: What are we? Lovers? Fuck buddies? Boyfriends? But I only dare ask myself.
    Why does he keep coming back? I'm older than him, a geek, with a boring life.
    But I don't ask him anything, because I don't want him to stop... I'm falling for him, no, that's a lie, I'm in love with him.
    What can I do? .
    Sincerely,
    Adriana

    genre: contemporary
    tags: businessmen; geeks/nerds; rock stars; self-imposed angst; secrets or misunderstandings; tattoos; OCD
    word count: 26,057
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    LAZY SUNDAYS
    by K-Lee Klein
    Watching someone sleep had to rate very high on the stalker scale. It didn't matter if the bedroom belonged to the person doing the watching or that said person was not sneaking around or hiding while they were doing the deed. No, none of that was the issue at all for Scott Weston. It was more the fact he did it every single time Devon stayed over. Since that number was