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

It’s a long walk, but I don’t mind. My head clears with every step, and when I close my door behind me—my place is blessedly silent—I feel almost sober.


No red light blinks on my answering machine as I pass it on my way to gulp down a gallon of water. I don’t look at it as I go to the bathroom, where I squeeze a huge dollop of toothpaste onto my brush and proceed to scrub away the revolting taste of the unknown guy from my mouth.Sunday, December 2, 1990. 1:25 A.M.


My head is pounding when I stumble into my apartment after my shift at the bar, and I groan. I had been unable to kill my hangover no matter how much water I’d downed all day.


“Never again,” I mutter as I peel out of my clothes and hurry into the shower to wash off the stink of smoke.


Chapter 8