A Love in Progress

Neo's best friend doesn't want him hooking up with Royce, the handsome writer. But the attraction is getting stronger.

Writer Royce Horowitz hasn’t settled on a theme for his novel until he meets and falls for Neo during his morning run in the park. Over several days and conversations the attraction grows then Royce accepts Neo’s invitation to dinner where finds the librarian’s life and friends full of surprises.

Excerpt:

Royce wrote articles for a living, not the Times or the New Yorker. He was a writer working on a screenplay or a novel, he hadn’t yet decided. He was just eager to become relevant in a writer’s world. He had a million ideas running around inside his head. He compared it to trying to catch a butterfly in a field of free flying butterflies, without a net. He tried not to think about things like that before a run. It was distracting and a lot to think about before breakfast. For now he would focus on running and let the music be the only thing in his head. He picked up speed.

Neo was lean and lanky. He was tall with jet black hair, ice blue eyes and the very popular two day old facial stubble. He didn’t look like a librarian but that’s exactly what he was. Neo didn’t run…he read. He preferred exercising his mind rather than his body. Reading up on nutrition, healthy eating and keeping up the required minimum of exercise kept his body clean and lean. He admired people who cared enough to take care of their bodies. The young men who ran past him daily fueled many of his sexual fantasies. That’s how he fell into the habit of reading in the local park before beginning his workday. In his mind he pictured himself running alongside his body ideals. He had long ago concluded he was more cerebral than physical. When the time came he felt he would be able to talk the object of his affections into bed. He had a tight and desirable body but that would be his fall back should all else fail.

Royce had worked himself into the mental and physical state he desired. The high was the kind of high that couldn’t be achieved through pharmaceuticals or street drugs. He wished more people realized that, but then he decided the park was already overcrowded. The world for now was as it should be. He stood away from the path, out of the way of other runners and took several swallows from his water bottle. As he raised the bottle to his lips he did a movie double take which caused him to take a moment to laugh at himself. Out of the corner of his eye he had seen Neo running toward him. He turned toward him and got a full view of Neo’s incredibly handsome face. As it appeared that Neo might come up on him, he suddenly slowed down and ended up taking a seat on a nearby park bench. He leaned over and began rubbing his leg. Neo’s leg had begun to cramp.

Royce had never believed in love at first sight, until now. He took another swallow of his water. This was too easy. Falling in love on a beautiful spring day with an incredibly handsome man was just the kind of cliché Royce dismissed in books and movies and thirty minute sitcoms. Yet, he couldn’t turn away. The normally assured and confident Royce was undecided as to whether to approach Neo or not. It was the first sign of his weakness. He found himself walking at a normal pace toward the park bench. He didn’t want to seem too anxious (translation: horny) or chicken-shit intimidated by Neo’s looks. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Neo barely looked up as Royce sat down beside him. Royce didn’t let that discourage him.

“Wow, it’s a great day isn’t it?” Royce ran his fingers through his hair. He thought it was a sexy move, that he had seen it in a porn video once. It was the same as when girls tossed their hair at straight men. Well, teenage boys specifically. Nevertheless, it seemed to have worked. Neo turned in his direction and rapidly sized him up. Not bad, not bad at all.