Elin Gregory

Welcome to a stop on the Midsummer Madness Flash Fiction Blog Hop, where M/M authors provide short original works to read between doing whatever people do on Independence Day. I’m British so my ideas of Independence Day activities are very much drawn from popular culture so, if you celebrate the holiday, please enjoy barbequeing stuff while wrapped in a flag and singing the Star Spangled Banner and shooting down alien star ships. If you don’t celebrate the holiday, enjoy your Saturday.

Here is a full list of the blog participants:

1. velvetpanic Heloise West | mmromantic historical
2. Alexis Duran | Writer of Fantasy, Science Fiction
3. Elin Gregory | Telling it Like it Was
4. Kimber Vale | Come for the sex. Stay for the story
5. C.E. Kilgore | An Author Without Genre
6. Sexy Erotic Xciting~ Evelise Archer
7. Rian Durant | delights of imagination
8. Diane Hartsock | Stories from the Heart
9. Amelia Bishop
10. Bronwyn Heely | Unrandom Randomness

And here is my story, written in response to a picture prompt:

Sunshine and Daisies

Jake blinked sleepily and shifted, feeling the foliage crunch under the back of his head. The beat of the music rose in the hot air and he grinned, jogging a knee in rhythm.

“Mmmwhat?” Bry turned over. “Huh? Oh I like this one.” His hand began to beat time on Jake’s chest. After a moment he began to sing along.

Jake opened his eyes and looked up into the deep clear blue beyond the fringe of gently swaying grass heads and the ox-eye daisies blazing like cheerful little miniatures of the sun. The music drowned out the sounds of all but the heaviest lorries. All he could smell was the crushed greeness of the patch where they were laying, good clean sweat from himself and Bry and a pleasant tang of petrol and metal from the bike parked a few paces away.

It really was one of the most beautiful afternoons he could remember.

He and Bryan had promised themselves a trip to Glastonbury years ago, soon after they had met, even before they had moved in together. But the tickets were a bit steep on their wages so it had been one of those promises they renewed year after year. This year Jake’d had a tax rebate that coincided with some back pay for Bry and so they had done it. Jake grinned, remembering their excitement when the tickets had arrived. They celebrated so hard that night they had broken the bedhead. And now they had got the tickets, got a tent, got the trusty old Yamaha serviced and dug the trash out of the sidecar and everything. It was even fabulous weather, and a line up to die for.

Glastonbury – and they would be there tonight!

Just as soon as the AA turned up with an innertube to fit the sidecar. Where they had picked up the nail God only knew but at least they had made it to this lay-by safely and had somewhere comfortable to wait where they didn’t have to breathe in exhaust fumes. There was even a pub over the road where they’d had pies and shandy for lunch, and the music drifting from the open windows wasn’t half bad.

The tune finished and the radio presenter began to deliver a news report. Bry’s fingers flexed against Jake’s chest, just catching a nipple, and he moved a bit closer. His knee crept over Jake’s and down and between …

“Oh yeah?”Jake raised his head and looked at him. “The grass is long but I don’t think it’s that long.”

Bryan grinned, his eyes still closed, but he grunted with disgust when the music blared out again.
“Eww Britney,” he said. “Ruined the mood, that has.” He placed his head more comfortably and relaxed with a grumble.

Jake chuckled. “You div,” he said. “But I love you.”

“Awwww.” Bry picked him a daisy.

“For me?” Jake took it and kissed the top of Bry’s head then flopped back with a happy sigh.

Edited to add: I forgot to offer a prize!! Comment below with an inventive explanation of what ‘hesh’ means [look at the guy’s tee-shirt in the photo] and I will choose my favourite explanation and award the winner – um – a paperback copy of Foolish Encounters, an anthology from Wilde City press. It has one of my stories in it, but don’t let that put you off – there are stories from Tinnean, Angel Martinez, Amy Lane, J C Wallace, Tali Spencer and Freddie MacKay. Don’t forget to leave some means by which I can get in touch with you.