Happy Wednesday! It’s already into December. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Been a hell of a ride, that’s for sure.
I’m sharing the last bit of Tree of Life for a while. I need to finish Minuet because it’s due April 1 to the publisher, and I have to get it polished and beta-read in time to fix stuff before I send it. It’s all good. I’ve been away from it long enough to see it with fresh eyes, and I know where I was stalling last time. Should be smooth sailing to get it done quickly.
On social media, there’s been a thing going around asking for 5 things about your WIP. Here are the ones I shared for Tree of Life:
- An RV old enough to drink
- A gender fluid hitchhiker
- A dangerous secret
- A scrapbook
- A tough decision
Today’s snippet doesn’t follow directly from last week’s, but since it’s the last one for now, I figured I’d cut to the important part of the conversation. Context: the reason for the phone call is that Connor has asked Luke to come with him on his cross-country trek.
WIPmath: 12/5/2018 = 1 + 2 + 5 = 8 paragraphs, mostly dialog.
Luke’s heart is galloping, and his hands are slick. He takes a few steadying breaths. “Why did you ask me to come with you?”
There’s an extended silence, and Luke wishes he could see Connor’s face. It was too bold, asking outright. He should’ve waited.
“The others all thought I shouldn’t do this alone.”
Of course. And here is Luke, the one among them not securely attached. All of their other friends, now including Adam and AJ, are married. Who better than the person who can’t gather his life together? He knows Jax leaving isn’t part of some vast conspiracy among their group, but he can’t help being angry all the same.
“Right. And you all thought, ‘Hey, Luke has nothing and no one. Maybe he should go.’” His words curl around the edges with bitterness.
“It’s not like that!” Connor’s protest is too swift.
“Sure, it’s not. Because the alternative is that you wanted to spent almost a month and a half with someone who—” Luke cuts himself off.
“Maybe I did.”
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Oh, Luke. That’s never a good feeling to have.
Luke is definitely hurting here. I hope Conner and he can find some peace to talk things over without added resentment.
An RV old enough to drink. Love that description. I look forward to seeing where this story goes in that RV.
This depicts their dynamic really well. I don’t know much about Luke but he clearly has a lot going on. I hope him and Connor can figure something out. It certainly sounds like Connor is keen for that.
Things are not getting off on a good footing.
And this line: “His words curl around the edges with bitterness.” I love the imagery here.