Patrick Donovan has spent the last three anniversaries of his lover's suicide getting drunk at Josh Stevens' bar. It's at the bar he feels closest to his lover and to the man he has loved since high school, Josh, his dead lover's cousin. The summer after he graduated high school, Patrick spent one hot night with Josh. When it was over, Josh maintained it was a casual one night-stand, breaking Patrick's heart. Troubled by Patrick's annual visits to the bar, Josh encourages Patrick to move on from his grief. After a disastrous near-encounter, Patrick decides maybe he should move on and forget his love for Josh. But Josh changes his mind when Patrick decides to date other men. After nights of scorching sex, Patrick wonders where he stands once more, but Josh pulls back as he did the summer after high school. Josh doesn't want to be a substitute for the man he believes Patrick still loves.

Pieces

Patrick had dressed like a shark, which they’d all suggested because of his profession. And Andrew had dressed as an angel with big feathered wings and all. Patrick had chosen the costume because of Andrew’s profession, too, as a nurse.


He’d looked at the picture so many times over the last three years he probably really was pathetic. He opened the top drawer of his dresser and shoved the framed picture inside. All the wishes and dreams in the world wouldn’t bring back those days. Wouldn’t bring back Andrew.


And sure as shit wouldn’t make his raging headache disappear either.


“Fuck,” Patrick mumbled and headed back into the bathroom for some aspirin.


Chapter 5