"4 STARS!...This is a wonderful tale of the love that dare not speak its name, or at least not until the two people who share the same attraction are stranded together in a broken down car in a rainstorm. Even then, fight and flight responses have to be conquered before truth can shine forth...Ms. Espinoza is to be congratulated for making this story appear so real..."--British Bull Dog, Rainbow Reviews
"... This short story (~40 pages) is sweet, sensitive, and gives a lasting relationship to a childhood crush...The writing is good and gives the characters an honest description, rather than a false sophistication...One of the best things about this short story is the semi-historical setting yet the atmosphere feels entirely modern. Although the draft no longer exists, the elemental fear of it still looms for many young men...This solid short tale...is definitely worth reading. The beautiful emotions are easily translated and depict two young men on the verge of the scariest time in their lives, grabbing a hold of the few constants they can. There is an uplifting emotion though and ends on a positive note. Fans of the author especially will adore this short."--Kassa, Reviews By Jessewave
He wasn't going to move his hand until Sammy made him, but his fingers were starting to tingle from the contact. Sammy's shirt was still damp, but his skin was so warm through the material that it almost felt like he wasn't wearing anything at all. Ed imagined himself leaning forward and inhaling, catching the scent of rain on his skin. His mouth watered to taste the clean, salty tang of his neck.
Lightning slashed across the sky, cutting it in two. Ed hadn't realized how dark it was getting until the flash illuminated Sammy's face, and he saw something in Sammy's eyes that he hadn't noticed before. The boom of thunder shook the car, and sent a new shiver down his spine. He hated thunder. He hated loud noises in general, but this was worse. Being stuck in the middle of the desert in what amounted to an oversized tin can during the worst rainstorm of his life made the thunder so much worse.
"You shouldn't worry about the thunder. There's not a safer place you can be in a lightning storm."
"I know. I still wish I was in a house. Hell, I'd settle for some little hotel room at this point."
"With a bed?"
Ed swallowed. "Well, most hotel rooms do have beds, right?"
"Something you can stretch out on and watch the rain roll down the window."
"I suppose you could watch the rain here, too."
"We could lay down in the back."
"You could. I don't think we'd both fit in the back seat." Ed said it lightly, like it was too ridiculous to ever take seriously.
"No, I meant all the way in the back. We could probably fit back there."
Ed finally released Sammy's shoulder--it was ridiculous to keep such a tight hold on him--and looked over his shoulder. Sammy was right. They could fit back there. It wouldn't exactly be comfortable because they were both a little too tall, but the back of the station wagon was empty. They could crawl back there and...
And what? Just lay there and pretend that they weren't touching each other in a tiny, cramped space? Watch the water sluicing down the back window and silently follow the patterns? It seemed like a silly way to pass the time. Worse than that, it seemed like a maddening way to pass the time. There would be no avoiding or ignoring Sammy's natural, musky scent. Or just how good his chest looked covered in a damp, thin T-shirt.
"Come on."
Ed didn't even have a chance to protest before Sammy was climbing over his seat like a monkey. He nearly kicked Ed in the head in his excitement.
"Are you really serious?"
"Yes. Do you have anything better to do? Besides, we could be stuck here for awhile. We might as well get comfortable."
"I'm comfortable here."
Ed glanced in his rearview mirror in time to see the tight curve of Sammy's ass. It was so nice, it didn't need the wet denim clinging to it, but that certainly helped.
"We might as well get more comfortable."
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