When Vincent takes shelter in a bookshop one stormy day, he happens upon a book of male nudes. One of them brings back memories of his first, and possibly greatest, love -- Daniel McClary. When a sales assistant tells him there’s a man who resembles the model in the picture that comes into the shop every week, Vincent wonders if it could be the same man who broke his heart twenty years ago.<br><br>He looks up Daniel’s Facebook page and is disappointed to discover Daniel is married and has two sons. Nevertheless, he starts to frequent the store, watching and waiting for the man he’s sure is Daniel. Finally, Daniel makes an appearance. Vincent approaches him and says hello, immediately realizing his love for Daniel is still strong. But what difference does it make? Daniel’s a family man.<br><br>However, the next time they meet, Daniel reveals something which gives Vincent a tiny spark of hope.

Down Memory Lane

“For the coffee, I meant. They’re really very efficient over there.”


Vincent pressed his lips together, not entirely convinced she was telling the truth, but not caring one way or the other. He liked Kylie. She made him smile.


At the café, he ordered a flat white and took a seat at a table where he could see the bookshop door. His mobile phone indicated five forty-five. The bookshop closed at six-thirty. Forty-five minutes wasn’t a long time to wait. Not for Daniel McClary.


But the minutes dragged by. He ordered a second coffee, even though he didn’t want it. It sat in front of him getting cold as he watched the door open again and again with no sign of Daniel. All too soon, the café staff began cleaning the tables and refilling the sugar canisters. Patrons started leaving. When he looked at the time on his mobile phone, it read six-twenty.


It seemed unlikely that Daniel would show with only ten minutes before closing.


Chapter 3