Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

through his floor to ceiling windows. It was almost too bright with as heady as he still felt from his excesses the night before. He was tempted to go back to bed and call in, but his momentum propelled him to the bathroom.
    Carefully stripping the bandages from his side, Levi saw the shark etched into his skin. Its eyes were glaring and dark. And he felt loved.
    THE END
    Author bio: Clancy Nacht (Donna Clancy) has been writing for six years but only began publishing two years ago. She has published many works with Thursday Euclid including the popular m/m romances: Black Gold (Loose Id), I'll Be Your Man (Loose Id), Le Jazz Hot (Loose Id), and The WASPs (Dreamspinner Press). They are known for spicy, over-the-top stories with a heart.
    Coming soon: Celibacy NOW on Loose Id, and the sequel to Black Gold!
    Contact Info:
    Website
    Clancy's Amazon Store
    ****

THE QUESTION GAME
    by Wt Prater

    A group of friends, one girl, five guys, stand against a wall waiting for the photo to be shot. The group is very different, but they are obviously very close. The nature of how they relate to one another, and what journeys their relationships have been through are just a few of the questions one might have looking at them .

    Dear Author,
    THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW EVER~~ :D But I want to know what happens when the cameras aren't around. Write me a story about different types of gay men living in the same urban community: the conflicts, the flirtation, the ~drama~ You are free to (in fact ENCOURAGED to) break all the rules of romance: No HEA? No problem. Cheating? Bring it on! Experiments with girls? A-Okay with me. If you must focus on a main pairing I'd like to see a combination that defies stereotypes ... like a grizzly bear topped by a flaming queen~~ But everything else is up to you!
    PS - For you sad people who have never seen 1 Girl 5 Gays, STOP. Watch. Immediately: US || Canada || Everybody Else
    Sincerely,
    Isa K

    genre: contemporary
    tags: friends-to-lovers; lovers-to-friends; hurt/comfort; friendship; connections; span of time; infidelity; marriage; death
    word count: 12,770
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    THE QUESTION GAME
    by Wt Prater
    You know your sex life is boring when you start counting the tiles in the ceiling, or worse, the pimples on his back. And that, sadly, described mine even before Zach and I broke up. I was about to flip open one of the many books on his night stand and start reading when he finally came, which meant that I could stop acting like I was enjoying myself and get the fuck out of there.
    But as he flopped onto the bed and turned over, he pulled me down into his embrace and because I am not a heartless prick, I lay with him while he went on and on about how much this meant to him. Meanwhile, I was playing 'The Question Game' in my head.
    "What are you thinking about?" I heard him ask after a couple seconds of silence.
    "Well, I—" I started, but before I could speak more than a few words, he interrupted me, talking about this and that, nothing of which I cared about, until eventually, he talked himself to sleep.
    I took the opportunity and left. Normally, I would have written a note but I didn't figure he cared. Why? Because the only question he asked me, he never let me answer.
    This is why I started playing 'The Question Game' with all my friends. The game is about give and take. It's pretty simple: ask a question, and wait for an answer. There is no rhyme or reason for the game, except for curiosity. It's how I could show that I was interested and cared about my friends. I wanted to know them, and love them. I didn't know what kind of questions they would ask or where it would lead.
    CHAPTER 1: First Things First, What a Boy Wants
    As Jonathan Grant walked through their house, he had the wedding invitation in one hand and his vodka straight up in the other. He admired and simultaneously hated all the pretty things he walked past that he and his partner, Ian, had collected over the past three years. As he walked around the living room, looking at the pictures of celebrations, and the souvenirs they had collected from their various trips, Jonathan found himself getting more upset.
    On top of the mantle sat one of the biggest reminders of their differences and the time they had spent, or at this point Jonathan felt, wasted together: a silver picture frame. The frame was carved with the words 'I love you' in different languages and it contained a picture of the two of them on vacation in