Song Flash Fiction ~ Dog Days Are Over

Hi everyone and welcome to my shiny new site. Okay, it’s the same place, just with new window dressing.

So… I tried blogging from within my website program, but I couldn’t get the comments to work, so… I’ve redesigned a new WordPress theme. Hoping it’s close to my website. I added a nav bar to take you anywhere in my site, so… hoping it’s fairly seamless. Also, this is a repost of Monday. I just wanted it included in here.

Anyway, it’s time for our first song fiction of the year…yeah, I’m scared, too. I have no idea what kind of music there is. So, pray with me. It looks like the song this month is Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machines. I’ve heard this song a bunch of times, and looked at the lyrics. I still don’t freaking know if it’s supposed to be a happy song or a depressing one. Did love hit her and she’s good? But then why did she have to leave it all behind to survive? I choose to go with not so happy.

And no one is surprised…

Anyway, here’s the video if you want to give it a listen and the resulting story… OMG.. it’s short. Seriously. Short. You’re welcome for the third time.

It’s time.

Tyler closed his eyes, ignoring the looping message in his head—the one that had been screaming at him since he’d allowed Barry to sweet-talk him into coming back. Returning to their flat on the east side of the city. The one that still smelled of Barry’s cologne. That still held all their photographs on the mantle. Ty had pretended he hadn’t noticed them as they’d bumped their way down the hall, leaving a trail of clothes and token promises along the way. He’d even managed to block out the image of Barry tangled in the sheets with Ty’s so-called work buddy when Ty had stopped by for lunch two weeks ago to surprise Barry with take-out. An apology for missing their dinner the night before.

To think Ty had felt guilty over the long hours he’d put in. The endless shifts that never seemed to finish on time. That he’d actually contemplated taking the paramedic job at Barry’s factory, which guaranteed him regular hours. Nights at home.

Right. Nights he’d thought he’d been missed.

He glanced over his shoulder. Barry was out. Muscles slack. Lashes resting against sun-brozed skin. His face twitched in his sleep, creating a spiderweb of fine lines around his mouth and eyes before slowly fading as he relaxed, again. God, the man was stunning—thick blond hair, easy symmetrical features, and a square jaw covered in the right amount of scruff. It was easy to see why Ty had fallen for the man. Barry oozed sex appeal. It radiated from his body, sweated from his pores like an invisible pheromone. But it was all an illusion. Beneath the rippling muscles and roguish charm was nothing but bitter emptiness.

Or maybe that’s what Tyler had inside of him. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that if he didn’t make a change—find the balls to leave and stay gone—he’d end up like a train stuck on the same dead-end track. No hope of ever getting off.

It’s time.

He palmed his ears, willing his inner voice to shut up. To just let him have one last moment. One more minute of pretending he wouldn’t be leaving the shattered pieces of his heart on the floor when he left. That a part of him wondered if he’d ever find someone who loved him for him. Who loved him not despite his flaws, but because of them. Or if he was the problem. If he’d somehow driven Barry to cheating.

Ty groaned at the thought. Now, he sounded like some love-sick teenager. He was thirty for Christ’s sake. He knew what made a healthy releationship and screwing around wasn’t anywhere on the list. All it took was one moment of clarity. A single chance to open one door while closing another.

Barry mumbled in his sleep, snuggling his ass against Ty’s thigh before drifting off, again. Ty clenched his jaw, savoring the heat of the other man’s skin for just a few more seconds before shifting his legs and swinging them over the edge of the bed. He moved slowly, setting the covers back over the other man once he’d managed to stand. To fight the urge to dive back under and put this off for another day. To believe the lies one more time.

No turning back.

He repeated the mantra over in his head as he gathered his clothes, stopping to stare at Barry before heading for the door. Ty held his breath until he stepped into the night air. Rain blanketed the city, dulling the surrounding noises and hiding the usual glow of the moon. He tipped his head up, letting the drops wash down his face. This was it. The first step in a new journey. But this time, he wasn’t taking his heart with him. He was leaving it here. Broken. Used. Remnants of the man he’d been before he’d realized his own self-worth.

Run.

It sounded good. Sounded right. He didn’t need to run far. He’d call his buddy in Portland in the morning. Finally accept the job the other man had been offering for what seemed like forever. A new city. A new start. All he had to do was run.

And that’s it for me. Super short. You’re welcome. Please go visit the rest of the ladies who probably actually understood this song.

Bronwyn | Jessica | Siobhan | Gwendolyn | Deelylah

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