Happy Wednesday! I’m a bit behind on NaNoWriMo, but I’m working to catch up. It’s been busy, with family in town and the upcoming junior musical. (Grades 6-9, or roughly ages 11-14. Kid 2 is in the cast. Kid 1 has aged out but is on stage crew.)
Aside from busyness derailing me, writing is going well. The story is a road trip across the country, Boston to Seattle, via I-90. It runs right through my part of New York, so I get to write a bit about where I live. Or close to, anyway—I’m sending Luke and Connor to Buffalo at the moment. I think perhaps an order of authentic Buffalo wings is in their future meal plan.
I’m participating in the #LGBTQwrimo hashtag on Twitter, and today is favorite character day. So I thought I’d share a snippet involving Jax. They are androgyne and pansexual. Jax is a dancer, capable in several styles. They sometimes perform at a queer club. They do work as a stock photo model to supplement their income. At the start of Luke and Connor’s cross-country trip, they leave Jax in Boston, where they will be a student at the Conservatory. The photo above is Jax’s mood board.
In this snippet, Luke and Jax are packing. Just to clarify, Jax is actually 21—they delayed college for reasons. Luke (who is 28) is not living with/having sex with a teenager.
WIPmath: 11/14/2018 = 1 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 7 paragraphs and a bonus ’cause I’m generous.
Luke and Jax are separating their lives into keep, toss, and donate boxes. There isn’t much Luke wants to save from the previous few years, and he has almost nothing from before then. It’s Jax who’s having more of a struggle.
Having given up the fight about calling Connor for the time being, Jax holds up a gray racerback shirt covered in Pride flag hearts. “You want this?”
Luke really likes the shirt, and he almost says yes. It isn’t as though he couldn’t fit it in the couple of bags that will hold his entire wardrobe. He hesitates, though. He’s never been comfortable wearing anything like that. He isn’t like Jax.
“You might as well,” Jax says. “You know I’m going to stuff it in your bag later when you’re not looking.”
“Would you really?”
Jax laughs. “Maybe.”
They grasp Luke’s hands and fold his fingers around the soft fabric. Then Jax leans in and kisses Luke on the mouth. It’s as soft as the shirt at first, then hard and insistent. The two of them haven’t done this in a while, and Luke is starved for the kind of touch that consumes him.
Tangled in each other, they roll away from the boxes, leaving the shirt with the other items for packing. Luke knows it’s their last time. He wants to hold onto it, not because he’s in love with Jax but because it’s the last trace of the familiar. His hands slide over Jax’s golden flesh, and he struggles to keep his awareness, to burn every detail into his memory. The fit of their bodies fills his senses and drives away all other thoughts.
Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Wrayburn for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!
That last paragraph is incredible – intense and devastating. I think they’ve got the right idea, though. Packing boxes sucks.
Thank you! 🙂
Packing does suck, as does saying goodbye to a best friend. Even when adventure waits.
“You might as well,” Jax says. “You know I’m going to stuff it in your bag later when you’re not looking.” I love this. And the rest of the snippet too 🙂
I adore Jax. They’re fun to write, and now they are insisting on being a bigger part of the story than I’d intended. Jax was going to go off to college (and perhaps get their own story) and say goodbye to the others. Except Jax and Luke insist on staying in touch.
Steamy stuff!
Intense… on many levels, and a bit heartbreaking. I hate packing
I’m with Debbie on that last paragraph. It’s painful and powerful and worth rereading, so I’m going to do so now.