Mark is a man on the horns of a dilemma. He's in the midst of a five-year affair with a married man and he wants out ... but isn’t sure he can give up his lover.<br><br>Austin, who lives in the apartment building across the street from Mark, has his own problems. Two years earlier, the man he loved died in a horrible auto accident. Austin is still trying to come to terms with seeing it happen, and dealing with the aftermath.<br><br>After watching Mark from his balcony, making up stories about what he sees, Austin decides to meet him. Will the meeting help the two come to grips with their problems? And if it does, can they move on to something more than possible friendship?

The Man on the Balcony

It took two weeks to settle on one they both liked, and another week to finalize everything, which happened on the last Monday in August. Then, it was time to pack up and move—which they planned on doing the following Sunday afternoon.


As the day approached, Mark noticed Austin was becoming more and more taciturn, barely speaking unless he had to reply to something Mark had said. He didn’t even want to make love, which was a first for him. Instead, he’d kiss Mark then tell him he was too tired to do anything more, suggesting he go home, or going home himself if they were at Mark’s place.


As far as Mark was concerned, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going on. The problem was, he had no idea how to fix it. Or more to the point, how to convince Austin what had happened when he and Jon had moved was not going to happen to them.


Chapter 27