Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving’s Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he’d never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde’s life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair’s desperate eyes. Since the evil they encountered on that shore, his first love has been lost to him ... until he learns a friend’s wedding is to be officiated by a priest named Father Alistair Genet. Amid the rush of emotions, one thought crystallizes: Ryde’s love for Alistair has never died. It’s stronger than ever. But can it win over the repressed memories slowly tearing Alistair’s mind apart?

Craving's Creek

“Yeah, okay, thanks.” I quickly go back to my bedroom and shut myself in. I make sure I’m cool. “Hello?”


But there’s only dead air on the line. I check my window and see him standing in his. I wave at him, and slowly, the embers inside me turn cold. I’m not angry about the door anymore. “Look,” I say, “I don’t care if you slammed the door in my face.”


“You didn’t go to the party?” He sounds upset. It’s not about the party. I know this. It’s something else. He’s lonely, but too proper to ever admit his feelings about anything.


“Yeah, I’m still going, but not right now.” I move away from my window. “So, what are you doing?”


“Sounds fun.” I lie back on my bed. Downstairs, I hear the clinking of dishes and my mother singing along with the radio. Then I hear Alistair sniffle on the line and tense up. “Something happened at your house?”


“They’re making me go to the camp again,” he says.


Chapter 7