Two men trapped in an elevator are about to discover they have more in common than the inconvenience of lost time. Dr. Mason Grant recognizes Parker Collins, whom he had loved during their senior year in high school, but Parker does not immediately recognize Mason. Maybe it’s the passage of time that has dulled his memory ... or maybe it’s the wheelchair in which Mason is confined. As the two wait to be rescued, Mason recalls their six month love affair -- its uncertain beginning, its athletic highs both on and off the field, its romantic peacefulness spent at the Grant’s remote lake cabin, as well as its painful lows and horrific conclusion. The teenage Mason realized there were two sides to his lover -- the confident Parker, an athletic hero popular with both teammates and female students, and the private Parker, who is unsure, sexually submissive, and needs to be cuddled and petted. All Mason wanted then was for Parker to love him, and not diminish what they shared by giving in to the social pressures that demanded he play out the role of football jock and studly lady killer. Now that they’re grown men, what happens when Parker sees past Mason’s wheelchair and realizes who’s trapped in the elevator with him?

Trapped Nerves

Eventually disengaging, Parker said, “I’d


forgotten what a great cuddler you were.”


Mason wasn’t ready to tell him he’d missed


holding his big frame for the past thirteen years, too.


maintenance man when he told them an engineer from the elevator


company was expected to arrive within the hour.


Mason was thankful the atmosphere inside the


elevator had calmed significantly. Although there were long


silences, they didn’t seem uncomfortable. One or the other would


speak up, recalling some of the highpoints of the time they’d spent


together as teenagers. Neither felt the need to dredge up any of


the less pleasant aspects of their friendship.


“Do you remember Lorraine Little?” Mason


“Yes you do. You dated her for a while. Tall.


“Oh, yeah. She was your date when we,


Mason smiled, “It’s okay.” Mason didn’t want


Chapter 36