by Nell Iris
Casey rolled off Ellis and flopped down on the floor next to him. Ellis rubbed his nose, and Casey did the same to the impact site on his face.
The absurdity of the situation hit him.
They had more or less just gotten married, and now they were lying in a heap on the floor, nursing war wounds. Laughter bubbled up inside him, spilled out, and filled the suddenly quiet room.
He turned to Casey, who looked at him with wide eyes and his mouth in a little “o,” and couldn’t have looked more stereotypically surprised even if he’d tried. It made Ellis laugh even harder, and soon Casey joined in. His eyes crinkled, the tip of his nose turned up, and his deep guffaws mixed with Ellis’s.
Casey popped himself up on his elbow and leaned over to kiss Ellis. His long hair fell forward and curtained them, as soft lips connected with Ellis’s nose. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t how that was supposed to go.”
“I figured.” Ellis leaned up for a kiss, but something caught Casey’s attention. Before Ellis had time to ask what was going on, Casey jumped to his feet and ran over to the window. “Oh my God!”
Ellis twisted his upper body around to see what had gotten Casey all excited.
“Is that… snow?” Casey sounded breathless.
“Nah, it can’t be.”
“Come look.”
He got up and joined Casey by the window. His mouth fell open. “Holy crap!”
Big snowflakes fell lazily from the sky as if they had all the time in the world to get where they were going. They melted as soon as they touched the ground, but it didn’t make the sight any less beautiful.
“Wow,” Casey whispered. “It’s magic.”
The awe in his voice hit Ellis in his stomach, and he sprang into action. He jogged into their bedroom and snatched a couple hoodies, then he returned to the living room where Casey was rooted to the floor by the window. He helped Casey put it on, and Ellis twisted long strands of hair and stuffed it down the neck before pulling up the hood over Casey’s head. Then he threw on his own, grabbed Casey’s hand, and led him outside.
They stood hand in hand outside their tiny, rundown trailer with their faces turned up to the sky, staring at the white dots drifting down. Every time a snowflake landed on their faces, they shivered at the prick of chill and then giggled like little school boys.
“Wow,” Casey said again and stuck out his tongue, trying to catch a snowflake with it.
“Wow indeed.” Ellis let go of Casey’s hand, and instead threw his arm around thin shoulders.
Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined such a perfect Christmas.
And he was going to do his best to make sure it was the first of many in a long, happy life.
Ellis and Casey together.
Forever.
NELL IRIS is a romantic at heart who believes everyone deserves a happy ending. She’s a bona fide bookworm (learning to read long before she started school), wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without something to read (not even the ladies room), loves music (and singing along, but let’s face it, she’s not Celine Dion), and is a real Star Trek nerd (Make it so!) She loves words, poetry, wine, and Sudoku, and absolutely adores elephants!
Nell is a fortysomething bisexual Swedish woman married to the love of her life, and a proud mama of a grown daughter. She left the Scandinavian cold and darkness for warmer and sunnier Malaysia a few years ago, where she spends her days writing, surfing the internet, enjoying the heat, and eating good food. One day she decided to chase her lifelong dream of being a writer, sat down in front of her laptop, and wrote a story about two men falling in love.
Nell believes passionately in equality for all regardless of race, gender, or sexuality, and wants to make the world a better, less hateful place. She writes gay romance, prefers sweet over angsty, and wants to write diverse and unique characters.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.nelliris.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nellirisauthor
Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/nell.iris.12
Twitter: @nellirisauthor
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/nelliris
By Nell Iris
Red Popcorn Strings and Gumball Rings
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.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.
Red Popcorn Strings and Gumball Rings
© 2017 Nell Iris.
Cover Art
© 2017 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.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 Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-294-0
Published December 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America