Happy Wednesday! Late again, this time because I nearly forgot. I don’t even have a good excuse this time.
Progress is now steady on the novel. I’m just past the halfway mark, so I’m on track to finish up by the end of next week with the first draft. After that, I’ll be editing and sending chapters to betas. Once I have that going, it will be time to start on my next project, which I’m pretty excited about. It’s quite a departure from what I’ve been writing.
On to the WIPpet. Once again, it’s directly after last week’s. The Boyfriend went from argumentative to “sweetly” persuasive. Now he’s moved on to strategy #3. Some non-consensual touching and an ignored “no” this time, but it doesn’t go any farther than that.
WIPmath: 7/20/2016 = 7 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 6 = 18 paragraphs
He moved one hand down to Jamie’s hip then slowly inched his fingers farther in until they rested on Jamie’s crotch. Jamie flinched, but his muttered, “Stop it” went unheeded.
Nate hated getting in the middle, but once Jamie’s no had been disrespected, he couldn’t help it. “Hey, Jay?” he called, moving closer to them.
The other two fell silent. Jamie cleared his throat and responded, “Yeah?” as he turned toward Nate.
“Want to come help me in the kitchen for a sec?”
Jamie started to step out of the hallway, but The Boyfriend caught his arm. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done.”
“I’m going to help Nate like he asked.” Jamie jerked his arm away.
He entered the kitchen and wiped his face on his sleeve. His cheeks were blotchy and his eyes were bright, but he looked all right otherwise. Nate wouldn’t have put it past The Boyfriend to hit Jamie, though he hadn’t seen him do it yet. He held out the bag of groceries and leaned in as though he were discussing the cream cheese.
“Are you all right?” he asked, low.
“Yeah.”
“Jamie.”
“It’s nothing, okay?” Jamie sighed. “But thanks for getting me out of there.”
“Want to tell me what that was about?”
Jamie shrugged and stepped around Nate to open the fridge. He glanced over his shoulder and leaned closer. “Not now.”
Nate nodded and put the last few items away. He tossed the reusable bag into a drawer and stalked over to The Boyfriend. Nate towered over him, and he wasn’t afraid to use his height to his advantage in this situation. The Boyfriend shrank back a bit, though he was still scowling.
“Probably a good idea to leave,” Nate said.
“Not without him.” The Boyfriend nodded at Jamie. “He’s coming with me like he promised.”
“Hell, no,” Nate told him. “Didn’t sound like he promised you anything.” He crossed his arms and stared down at The Boyfriend.
The Boyfriend gave a whining huff and flounced out, pulling the door shut with force behind him.
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I have a whole crew of characters volunteering to scare the wits out of The Boyfriend. Swords and werewolves and dragons, oh my. Not to mention magic and lawsuits. They all applaud Nate.
Poor Jamie. 🙁 It’s not fun being the person in distress.
LOL! Yeah, I think a run-in with swords and dragons might be just what The Boyfriend needs.
Jamie is struggling a lot more than he’s letting on. He’s at the point where he knows he needs to get out and stay out, but he’s not sure how.
Grrrr. He really needs to get his comeuppance. I can also think of a few of my characters who wouldn’t mind explaining a few facts to The Boyfriend, in a dark, deserted alley.
I think I might already be falling for Nate.
He will. Or at least he’ll get a wake-up call, which should do him more good in the long run.
Nate’s trying. He doesn’t always see his own value or potential.
Oh, Jamie. So glad Nate stepped in there.
I’m sure some of my own characters wouldn’t mind joining Regi’s & Debbie’s. 😉
LOL! You have a number of people in first-responder professions who might be available to help, no? 🙂 All I’m gonna say is that Jamie might need them.
Let’s sic Grace on him! omg that’ll be like the best moment ever. Then Amya can deal with Jaime. I’m excited to read this story. I loved the characters in the first one.
Hahaha! I thought about that. Grace would have zero patience for The Boyfriend. I could absolutely see Jamie opening up for Amya, too.
You KNOW how evil this is… That “man” is SO very, very vile! I’m starting to cringe whenever I hear the term “The Boyfriend”, even when it’s just among my girlfriends. Hooray for Nate!
That said…. people like The Boyfriend happen because people like Jaime put up with their behavior long enough for it to develop into the abuse that it is. So… I hope Nate keeps his cautious protective streak the way it is
Jamie at one point at least thought he was in love. He feels obligated to The Boyfriend for a specific reason, and he doesn’t know how to let go. The Boyfriend is absolutely vile, but he has a lot of his own problems he needs to work on.
Nate’s going to find that being protective means that when he needs it, he gets support right back (under very different circumstances, but protected all the same).
I figured Nate was going to save Jamie. There’s lots of tension between Jamie and The Boyfriend. Will Jamie ever start standing up for himself? He sounded helpless in the last snippet if I remember correctly, unable to defend himself.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia
Jamie will definitely stand up for himself. He’s not really helpless, but the snippets are in Nate’s point of view, so he doesn’t have the whole story.
I agree wtih Eden – The Boyfriend really is vile. So glad Nate stepped in when needed. I hope Jamie can get the support he needs.
He will, as soon as he realizes he needs it. He has reasons for not seeking help sooner.
Hmm…I am also definitely not a fan of The Boyfriend. Several of my characters also offering their assistance if required. Nate is a champion!
LOL! Well, certainly someone needs to get through to The Boyfriend.