A love story told in answering machine messages. Saying “I love you” to someone who says it first, isn’t supposed to lead to a break-up, but that’s what happens to Sully and Lou. Sully is out and proud while Lou is in the closet, so when their relationship deepens, Lou runs. But then Lou starts leaving emotional messages of remorse on Sully’s answering machine. Sully is torn between his love for Lou and his attempts to get over him. With each message, Lou’s regrets deepen. With each message, it becomes more difficult for Sully to forget him. With each message, Sully finds it harder to want to move on. Can old love poems and heartbreaking honesty help Sully and Lou find their way back to each other?

Late Night Poetry

So I climb into the car and let them drive me to the apartment they’re sharing as roommates, and when Lyle pours wine all the way up to the rim on one of the glasses he bought “twelve for one dollar” at a garage sale, I take a deep breath and force myself to smile.


“Cheers,” I say and down the entire contents in a few huge gulps. A shudder racks my body when my glass is empty; red wine isn’t meant to be chugged like ice water on a hot summer’s day. But Lyle and Brian slap me on the back as though I’d just won Olympic gold and refill my glass.


More people show up after a while, and soon the place is packed from wall to wall. Everyone is drinking and dancing and laughing and I join them, pushing late-night poetry readings and heartfelt confessions and half-swallowed sobs to the back of my mind.


Chapter 7