Good morning! Welcome to the TRS St Patty’s Day Party!

 As usual I’m happy to be here sharing excerpts, interacting with readers and doing giveaways. Since it’s 3 days, I’m leaving one day for each muse! Today will be Rawiya’s day, tomorrow, Michael Mandrake, and Sunday BL since she’s releasing a short story Sunday for the holiday.

Lets start off with the first Triad antho before Rawiya checks in!

Only THAT Night Anthology is a collection of short m/m stories by the Triad of BLMorticia, Rawiya, and Michael Mandrake that will be converted to full sized novellas at a later date.

Overall Blurb: Fate has given you one night with someone from your past, giving you a chance at relationships, but as with everything else there is no guarantee of happiness.

One Helluva First Date Blurb: Bobby Leslie has returned home to Amarillo only to meet up with the man he’s loved for over a decade, Cade Spencer. Their first meeting isn’t exactly what either of them had in mind.

Demon Be Mine Blurb: Valios, the soul catcher demon, is searching for his longtime companion and meets him at his club that same evening. This someone isn’t a complete stranger. What will happen when he finds out who his newfound friend is?

Unforgettable Valentine Blurb: Rhett Vorhees is looking for a date just to enjoy Valentine’s day with and instead gets a lot more than what he’s bargaining for

 

Amazon      All Romance     Smashwords

Rawiya’s story, Unforgettable Valentine Excerpt

With the lights dim and his favorite band Depeche Mode playing in the background, Rhett finished up the dishes that had been sitting in the sink the last few hours. He wasn’t a neat freak but compared to his best friend and roommate, Matt, who was a slob, it made him look like a person who was anal about housekeeping. As much as he complained to his friend about not leaving dishes, Matt retorted with excuses or that he’d do them later. And of course, Rhett would end up doing them instead which irked him but nonetheless, he did it anyway.

Once he dried his hands, he grabbed a cola out the fridge and turned off the light to retreat to the living room to relax. Although tomorrow was a day off, it would be a very emotional day for him and he wanted to be prepared for it.

When February 6^th rolled around, he took the day off to go visit his mother’s grave in the cemetery to pay his respects and spend the day mourning the loss. It had been almost eight years since she died from breast cancer but he missed her so much and decided no matter where he was or what he was doing, he’d go visit her resting place to honor her memory.

Once he settled on the couch, he picked up his laptop and switched the power on to see if he received a return message from the guy. He hoped he did so he’d be able to shut Matt up about his prospects for finding someone.

“Mhmm…” Rhett rubbed his hands together when he noticed the return email. “Hi back. Valentine’s Day isn’t that stupid but I’m all for making it better. Let’s chat. Hit me up in a PM. DKnight90.” “ Cool.” Rhett opened his soda and went to the personal message part of the site. When he clicked into it, his eyes narrowed and he looked closer at the screen. “Wow, you’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” He tapped the mouse once and read.

I know this is crazy but did you go to Rosner Elementary and graduate in 2001? Miss Bretter’s class? If so, please PM me back right away and we can exchange phone numbers. DK.

“Seriously? Whoa, does he know me from the past?” Maybe that was why Rhett found him to be so familiar. He typed back.

Hey, yes I did go to Rosner and graduated from Miss Bretter’s class in 2001. Wow, what a coincidence. J RV1990

And it really was a coincidence. Small world to meet someone online you might’ve gone to school with over a decade ago. Rhett swore he looked like someone he used to know but couldn’t place him. After all, if this really was a person he used to see in grammar school, that was a long time ago. Their looks would be distinctly different.

Rhett waited with bated breath to see what the response would be. Who was this that knew him back then? An old classmate? A friend he’d lost touch with?

Disturbing him from his thoughts, the laptop beeped, alerting him of a new message.

Rhett Vorhees? Please tell me this is you. DKnight90

Looking at that, Rhett cocked an eyebrow. How the heck does he know my name?

Yes it is Rhett. How did you know? Are you psychic? Perhaps I should ask you for the winning lottery numbers. LOL J

Rhett tried to make light of the situation but in all seriousness this bothered him. How did this guy know his name? Did he have a stalker? All kinds of thoughts traveled through his head. Still, the man was a hunk. Who wouldn’t want to be followed by such an attractive man?

The alert sounded again.

Rhett this is Darren McKissick. I still have the valentine you gave me almost 11 years ago. Please call me, Rhett. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that day. 773-997-8458

Upon looking at the note, Rhett’s eyes bulged and he almost choked on his cola. “Ugh, omi…” Rhett placed the laptop on the couch and shook his head profusely, knowing this couldn’t be happening. The guy who made fun of him all those years ago when he tried to tell him how much he liked him? Darren McKissick? Goddamn, he was still hot. Still, he was the one that caused him the hurt, the one that made him feel like a fool that day. The one that made him sour on relationships in the first place.

What the hell could he possibly have to say to me?

With trembling fingers and beads of sweat forming on his brow, he typed the response.

Darren? Why would you want to talk with me after all these years? You laughed at me when I gave it to you.

Just when he was about to type more with the anger bubbling within, Darren beat him to it.

Please Rhett. Meet me in the chat room I created, Unforgotten Hearts. Darren.

Rhett couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A message from Darren McKissick, the guy he used to have a crush on, the guy… “Wait…” Rhett shook his head in disbelief. “Darren you’re gay? What the hell, this just gets better and better! You laughed at me for giving you the valentine and now you’re…you’re gay?”

Curious about what Darren had to say, he clicked the link to the chat room. A message popped up asking to turn on the video cam.

“I guess. This couldn’t get any more, strange.” Rhett smoothed down the hairs on top of his head and licked his lips before tapping the mouse to accept the video request.

When he did, a young caramel skinned man appeared with a big smile on his face. His eyes looked glassy as if he’d been crying or smoking something.

Jesus, he’s still gorgeous.

Rhett couldn’t believe his own eyes. He settled in front of the camera to show himself. “Well, here we are, Darren McKissick. After all these years, you’re gonna tell me you’re gay,” he smirked and leaned back on the sofa.

Darren rubbed his eyes. “Yeah I am, Rhett. I can’t believe it’s you. I’m having the hardest time believing that I’m actually talking to you.”

“Okay, why?” He rolled his eyes and fingered his locks.

“Because I wanted to say I’m so sorry for hurting you, for making you feel bad all those years ago. I was closeted, Rhett. Too concerned with what the boys thought about me. I didn’t want to be teased so I pretended to like girls to fit in. Truth is I was too much of a chicken shit to do what you had done.”

Rhett nodded and nibbled on his bottom lip. He tapped his foot and sighed, “I see. So you still have that card I gave you?”

“Yeah I do, right here.” Darren looked away from the cam and showed a crumbled piece of paper with a heart on it and Rhett’s chicken scratch writing. Rhett couldn’t help but smile at that. “Darren, you kept it all these years, why?”

“Because, I liked you, Rhett. I was too concerned with what my so called friends would think so I didn’t acknowledge it. I even dated Terrell from last year of high school until college. Can you believe that? I really tried to forget you but I couldn’t, Rhett. I carried this around with me every day like a keepsake, just to remind me of you and now… damn…” he moistened his lips and looked away. “I found you man, or I should say you found me.”

Rhett grinned like a Cheshire cat. No doubt, Darren McKissick was still cute and he’d love to spend some time with him. Despite that, he still wasn’t sure about anything more but he’d tackle that much later. “So, okay, I guess I accept your apology. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. I’m closeted myself right now at the company I work at. I’m too scared to come out because I think I’ll lose my job. Not only that, I just don’t want the hassle from my coworkers or bosses. I like the fact no one knows about my personal life.”

“I feel you but… in school you wore it like a badge on your sleeve. Why did you change?”

Rhett tried to use his words carefully. What would Darren say if he told him the chiding is what did it?

“Um, well after that day you turned me down, it kind of made me self-conscious. It’s not the whole reason but, it is a part of it.”

Darren shook his head in agreement. “I get it man. We really embarrassed you that day and I’m really sorry. Let me make it up you, huh? What about dinner and a nice night together on Valentine’s Day? My treat.”

Rhett agreed that would be a wonderful thing to do. It would settle two things. His date for Valentine’s Day and satisfy his curiosity about Darren McKissick. Back then, he really had it bad for him and now he’d get to find out more about the young man who used to make him swoon.

His mother would be proud of him for letting bygones be bygones and moving on with his life. “Yes that would be great. The date we never had huh?”

“Yes, the date I’ve wanted for a long, long time, Rhett. I can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me right now.”