A
Honeyed Light
by
Freddie Milano
Genre:
M/M Paranormal Romance
Kunal,
relative newcomer to the strange town of Harmony, has his hands full
preparing for Diwali. That should be enough to keep anyone's mind
preoccupied, but Kunal can't really ignore that he's nearly thirty,
single, and still buried in the closet.
Out
of town at a gay club one night, he bumps into Oscar, proprietor of
Harmony's only sex shop, and figures his secret is now officially
out. What he doesn't expect is a slow seduction, or to have to decide
what it is he really wants in life.
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When the first pretty-boy blond came over his
way, Kunal tightened his hand around his drink and shook his head. "No,
thanks, I'm meeting someone." The lie slipped out easily, but it didn't
work as expected.
The young man introduced himself as Drew, smiled
wider, and leaned closer. "Three's company."
"Sorry," he replied, his voice
tight. "Not into that."
Drew shrugged and walked away, tossing a
"your loss," over his shoulder. Kunal tuned back to his drink,
wondering why he'd bothered to come out tonight if he was just going to turn
down sure things and waste money on alcohol.
He decided to call it an early night. After
paying his tab, he got up to leave, vacating his seat at the bar to the man
who'd just approached. "All yours," Kunal said. "I was just
leaving."
"Well, that's a shame. Here I was about
to ask to buy you a drink."
Kunal paused to look at who was speaking and
froze. He was right. It was just a matter of time before he ran into someone he
knew. Someone from Harmony. Someone who could recognize him. Dammit, the reason
he came here was so he wouldn't run into people from Harmony. So of course, not
only did he bump into someone he knew, it had to be Oscar Murro, local
proprietor of things Kunal couldn't even begin to mention. It wasn't as though
he'd even been in Oscar's shop, but he knew what was sold there. And he knew
who Oscar Murro was. In a town like Harmony, some people stood out.
Oscar was not just the sole Filipino man in
Harmony, he was also one of the most attractive men in town, period. Kunal had
noticed, and now he was worried Oscar had noticed him noticing.
*~*~*
Oscar blinked as the guy turned around. He'd
seen him from behind and liked what he saw. There was something familiar about
the bit of profile he could see, but he didn't expect to recognize the guy when
he turned around. He didn't expect it to be Kunal Sadaram, of all people. He
didn't bother to ask the obvious question—what Kunal was doing here. He had the
same reasons Oscar did. So instead of calling attention to the surprise, Oscar
just smiled. "So is that a yes or a no?"
Kunal swallowed, his eyes a little wild.
"Yes or no?"
"The drink. Yes or no?"
Kunal's eyes widened, panic in them. "I
was just leaving," he repeated, moving to sidestep Oscar.
"So that's a no? Shame. I never get a
chance to talk to you in town."
Kunal stopped in his tracks, turning back to
look at Oscar. "Uh, about that…"
Oscar nodded. "I know. You don't want
anyone in Harmony knowing you were here. Kunal, you know what kind of shop I
run, right? I know how to keep secrets."
Kunal exhaled. "Thank you. But uh, I
really am heading out. Thanks for the offer but…" Kunal trailed off, and
without finishing his sentence, slipped into the crowd.
Oscar watched his retreat with a thoughtful
expression then shrugged. Kunal's presence confirmed something Oscar had
already suspected—hell he'd even speculated-slash- hoped with Olli, when he'd
first noticed the handsome new addition to Harmony—but it had still been a
surprise to see him here at all.
But it also confirmed something else: Kunal
Sadaram was deep in the closet, and it didn't seem like he was ready to let
anyone in Harmony know.
Freddie
Milano lives with her partner-in-crime, two adorable and devilish
cats, and far more ideas than she really has time to set down on
(electronic) paper. She’s been writing since she could hold a pen,
though most of the embarrassing stories thankfully never made in onto
the internet, and can stay safely buried.
She
loves wine, Korean pop music, tea, chocolate, coffee, mythology, and
both video and tabletop gaming. An ESFJ surrounded by introverts,
Freddie has learned the art of socialization in moderation. Besides,
staying in just leaves her more time to write.
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