“Well, I missed you, but you’re here. Give me a proper hug now.”
Maria leaned closer to him, wrapping her body around him. He rubbed an arm up and down her back, holding her close. By the time they parted, most of their friends had spilled out from the kitchen and the living room to watch.
“Finally,” Kent groaned. “You know this movie is like two hours almost?”
“How?” Maria asked. “It’s literally about kids in detention for like, one morning. How could that be so long? Did you bring me the extended edition?”
With Julian’s hand in her own, Maria sauntered down her hallway to grab the DVD case from Kent. The two of them exchanged barbs back and forth, while Josie and Davis waved from their position on the couch. Julian saw Hannah clicking away on her phone, looking up long enough to wave, then go back to texting. Aisha, Kent’s girlfriend, had also managed to stop by. She waved to Julian, then pointed to a thickly bound sci-fi collection on the coffee table.
“For me?” Julian asked, then moved over to the collection. It was from Lightspeed Magazine and contained a special about LGBT people in space.
“Nice. Thank you so much!” Julian called out, then pocketed the book. “I’ll return it when I’m done.”
“Are we done now?” Maria asked, still holding The Breakfast Club DVD.
She surveyed the room, counting the heads. Julian did the same.
“Wait. Where’s Aiden?” he asked. “I thought he was coming?”
“I did too,” Hannah said. “I’ve been texting him to remind him, but so far, nothing.”
“So you’re not the only late one?” Maria asked, staring at Julian.
“Maybe we should start without him?” Josie suggested.
“Maybe.” Maria sat on the couch, pulling Julian with her. She waited another five or ten minutes, chatting with everyone, before she let out a final sigh, curling her hand through Julian’s hair. She was about to get up and put the DVD on when another knock sounded at the door.
“Oh, what a relief,” Maria said overdramatically, then nudged Julian. “You get it, mi novio, while I finally get this movie on. I have a feeling the door’s for you, anyway.”
After squeezing Maria’s hand, Julian jumped to his feet. He moved toward the dark hallway, stepping over many piles of shoes before his hand gripped the knob. He could hear the muffled sounds of music from Aiden’s iPod before he even opened the door. He waited, trying to place the song—but another knock interrupted him before he could.
“Hello?” Aiden asked from the other side.
“Hey, sorry,” Julian said, opening up. “Things are a bit hectic in here.”
“Sorry I’m late. I got lost,” Aiden confessed.
“But you’re here now.”
Aiden nodded with a smile. Julian moved from the doorway, allowing Aiden enough room to take off his shoes and jacket. Julian was just about to ask Aiden what he had been listening to when Maria yelled from the living room.
“You’re missing it!” She turned up the volume so the theme song of the movie overtook Julian’s mind. “And it’s getting good!”
“All right, follow me,” Julian said, taking Aiden down the long hallway and to the roomful of friends. Aiden smiled as people waved, before he took a seat next to Hannah. Julian squeezed next to Maria, who looped his arm across her shoulders.
Julian fell in sync with the movie, knowing he could ask Aiden a million questions about his music later. There was time now, and no one was going anywhere.
FRANCIS GIDEON is a writer of m/m romance, but he also dabbles in mystery, fantasy, historical, and paranormal fiction. He likes to stay up late, drink too much coffee, and read too many comic books. He credits music, especially the artists Patti Smith, Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Florence + the Machine, and The Pixies as his main sources of inspiration, but the lists grows every day. Since age twelve, he’s been trying to figure out what genre is best suited for a strange, quiet kid like him and so far, he’s happy to be where he’s ended up.
When not writing fiction, Francis teaches college English classes while he studies for his PhD. He has published several nonfiction and critical articles on everything from the Canadian poet and artist P.K. Page, transgender identity in the YouTube community, using fanfiction as a teaching tool, and character deaths in the TV show Hannibal. Those are all under different his “real” name, though. He writes his novels using his middle name, Francis, so that his students don’t google him and ask too many questions.
In the past, he used to own at least three cats but due to allergies, now can only own a betta fish named Mike. Both Francis and his partner live in Canada, where they often disagree about TV shows and make really bad puns. Most of Francis’s novels are dedicated to his partner because he tolerates Francis’s long hours spent locked away without contact. Also, Francis’s is a hopeless romantic at heart, in case you hadn’t already figured that out.
Website: francisgideon.wordpress.com
E-mail: [email protected]
Twitter: @francisgideon88
By Francis Gideon
The Santa Hoax
Published by HARMONY INK PRESS
www.harmonyinkpress.com
Published by
HARMONY INK PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
[email protected] • harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Santa Hoax
© 2016 Francis Gideon.
Cover Art
© 2016 Alexandria Corza.
http://www.seeingstatic.com/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].
ISBN: 978-1-63477-426-0
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-427-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016904301
Published December 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
The Santa Hoax Page 27