WIPpet Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! It’s been a busy week, what with multiple performances over the weekend. We’re back to a somewhat normal schedule for a few weeks, but then spring concert/recital season starts. After that, we’re busy through June. Then I send my “baby” on a trip all the way to Texas for a few days.

I’m still working on and off in Minuet, though I’m also doing multiple editing projects, putting together an anthology, curating a book list, and writing a short story for a submission. I don’t have a lot of time for Mack and the gang.

Still, I’m snipping from Minuet again this week. Last time, Jomari agreed to stay for a bit. Now he and Mack are left alone at their table. Let’s see what happens.

WIPmath: 4/18/2018 = 4 + 1 + 8 + 2 + 0 + 1 + 8 = 24 sentences

There wasn’t time for more conversation. The band started another song, and they were loud enough it was hard to hear. Nate tapped Mack’s shoulder and motioned he was going to the bar area, away from the stage where it was somewhat quieter. Mack nodded and watched him go.

He was left alone with Jomari. Being abandoned with a sexy stranger wasn’t a bad thing. Mack could work with that as long as it wasn’t too awkward for Jomari. He brushed Jomari’s hand with the back of his own. There were dozens of ways to make his interest clear. He only had to pick one.

Before Mack could say anything, Jomari asked, “You want to go dance?” He practically had to shout it in Mack’s ear. God, these fools were loud.

“I don’t really—” Mack caught the heated, flirtatious look in Jomari’s eyes. “Yeah, all right.” It beat sitting there wishing the band would turn down the volume so they could talk.

There were a lot of people in the small area, which meant they were closer than they might have been otherwise. Mack couldn’t have said later what happened, exactly. One minute they were simply dancing, and the next they were fully in each other’s personal space. All around them, there were people pressing in, forcing them into tight contact.

It wasn’t any hardship. The heat and the rhythm of the other bodies swelled as the band switched to a slower, sensual song. Maybe this was exactly what Mack needed to get his mind off everything—a crowded bar, ear-shattering music, and a sexy dance partner. He sank into the beat, letting his worries fade.

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!

Happy Wednesday! I’ve got my girl home today because it’s state testing and we opted her out.

I haven’t written much in Minuet for a while because I’m working on other stuff. I know I need to get a move on, but I’ve had projects with actual deadlines. I finished and sent off a flash fiction, and now I’m working on a short story.

I’m still snipping from Minuet, since it’s what I have the most written in. Last time, Mack got a closer look at Jomari. This week, it’s clear they’re on the same page.

WIPmath: 4/11/2018 = 4 + 1 + 1 = 6 paragraphs.

Jomari grinned. “Nice to meet you.” He had a great voice, a high baritone that was smooth as silk. Mack was already warming up, and the temperature rose higher still when Jomari turned his gaze on Mack. He lifted both one eyebrow and the corner of his mouth. Even with his attempt at looking casually amused, Mack didn’t miss it when his eyes traveled downward and then back up, flickering with interest.

Nate and Trevor didn’t miss it either, and they exchanged a significant glance. Nate tipped his head when he caught Cian’s attention, and there was some subtle understanding that passed between them. It clicked. Mack was no fool; this was as intentional as everyone’s showing up to check in with Cian.

More interesting still was how Jomari rendered Nate’s and Trevor’s pleasantries into ASL for Cian. Not, perhaps, as smoothly as Jamie would’ve, but certainly well enough for the brief exchange.

“I have to go,” Cian said. “You know how it is in this place.” He gestured to his hearing aids. The unspoken without Jamie hung in the air. Jomari clearly could’ve assisted their communication, but it made a convenient cover.

Mack licked his lips. “How about you?” he asked Jomari. “Feel like sticking around for a bit?”

“I could do that.” The hinting smile again.

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!

Happy Wednesday! Had a brief scare while my website was down, but it was only offline for a few hours and easily fixed.

This is a busy week. My son started oboe lessons on Monday at school. He’s wanted to play oboe forever, but he ended up playing saxophone. Which is great—he’s really good at it! But he loves the oboe, so this is really fun for him. Tomorrow, we have a meeting at the school, and Friday and Saturday are the All County Jazz Festival.

On to the WIPpet. I’m still working on Minuet. The pace of writing has slowed, mostly due to busy schedules and such. This snippet follows on from last week’s and has been edited for spoilers (though it may be possible to guess from context).

WIPmath: 3/21/2018 = 21 sentences

Mack eyed Trevor, who had gone back to drumming his fingers. What was it that bothered Mack so much? He didn’t have the same level of annoyance with Cian. In fact, he had none at all.

The discomfort was unfamiliar. Mack had never considered himself the type to have issues. He and Amelia both hooked up with other people, and he didn’t even really consider her his girlfriend. The others sometimes referred to her that way, but she wasn’t. He disliked calling her a “friend with benefits” too, as though there were no benefits to their relationship besides sex. They were close, intimate in a way he wasn’t with anyone else. Except Jamie.

He didn’t have sex with Jamie, but their friendship had lasted a dozen years and through every kind of hell. Trevor obviously couldn’t say the same. There it was—the thing he couldn’t stand about Trevor. Jamie had a friend, someone he confided in the way he’d always done with Mack. Cian remained solidly in the Boyfriend Zone. Mack could compartmentalize him easily. He was the one who got Jamie’s dreamy gazes and lovesick sighs. Trevor, though…it wasn’t so tidy with him. It was a lot more complicated than that, and something different from what Jamie had with either Mack or Cian. Mack hated it.

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!