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  “Waves of Love”

  M/M Gay Romance

  Max Hudson

  © 2019

  Max Hudson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18.

  Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life. If you’re not sure where to start, see here: http://www.jerrycoleauthor.com/safe-sex-resources/ (courtesy of Jerry Cole).

  This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

  Edition v1.00 (2019.02.20)

  http://www.maxhudsonauthor.com

  Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: William G. Wallick, Penny T., Jon Niehus, Bob, Rudy, Chris F., and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter One

  The ugly grayness of the city blurred into something barely decipherable as the chug of the train's engine sped up. The thick smog, the hideous, often pretentious, skyscrapers, the endless office blocks filled with other miserable employees, all became one. Flint’s escape back to the gorgeous apartment that he shared with his girlfriend could not come quick enough.

  Flint’s head thumped, his chest ached, stress and frustration coursed painfully through his veins, but the thought of getting back to Maria was enough to bring a smile back to his face. Having Maria made everything worth it, nothing seemed quite as bad knowing that she was there.

  The day Maria walked into his life was the best he had ever experienced. Everything shifted, she flipped his whole existence on its head, and it was exactly what he needed. Flint was working in his parents’ gift shop at the time, drifting through life, not sure where he was headed after finishing school, when Maria burst through the doors with her father in tow. She was tall, almost as tall as Flint, which was rare for someone at six-foot-four, with legs as long as the eye could see. She had long, dark, shiny hair flowing down her back. Her bright blue eyes zeroed in on Flint, making his heart skip about ten beats, then as she started to talk, Flint felt like the sound rang through his heart, altering his soul forever.

  Maria was yelling at her father, berating him for something silly, but Flint’s rose-tinted glasses couldn’t see any of that. All he could focus on was her beautiful face.

  Maria was perfect for Flint. He could tell in that moment that his life would never be the same again. Okay, so she seemed a little older than me, but that was all right, I didn’t mind any age, I was already tumbling into love.

  Things moved quickly from there. Flint bravely asked Maria out on a date and that turned into a holiday romance like no other. She left him flying higher than air, happier than he had ever been before. Even as he said goodbye to her when she returned to her home in New York City, he knew it wouldn’t be the end.

  Of course, as soon as he got to New York, Flint needed to make some serious money to keep up any kind of lifestyle, never mind the sort that Maria was used to, which was how he fell into banking. It wasn’t where he envisioned his life heading, but he had Maria and that was all he cared about. Maybe it wasn’t all perfect, but they had love to keep them together.

  ***

  As my feet crashed from the train and hit the hard, cold concrete below, my mood lightened considerably. I couldn’t wait to get home, to see Maria, to have the whole evening with her. My Friday nights were normally spent chained to a desk. So, the idea of a nice dinner out, or takeout and a DVD with the love of my life was very appealing. Uh, just to have her in my arms would be enough.

  The horrible day trailed off my shoulders as my apartment keys jangled eagerly in my pockets. My body transformed itself into relaxation mode in preparation for the long, exciting evening ahead.

  “Hello, honey, I’m home!” The door flung open to reveal the sort of house that should've been featured in a magazine. Maria decorated every single inch of it so that it was always ready for an audience. Luxury poured off of every wall. It was clear that only the best would do for her. “Where are you?”

  A cold silence rang through the apartment, which was disappointing but not totally surprising. Maria didn’t have a job as such. She had her father to bankroll her, but she did have a very active social life. She was often out with her group of girlfriends, drinking, getting treatments, or attending the latest hot charity event. I unhooked my tie and tossed it over the coat rack, before forcing my weary body toward the shower...

  Wait!

  My feet stopped dead in their tracks, my ears pricking up as I thought I heard a noise coming from the other room. Talking, by the sounds of it. Maybe Maria was on the phone, which was why she didn’t hear me coming in.

  I tiptoed through the hallway, excited to surprise her, happy at the thought of seeing her beautiful grin, but as I pushed the door open to the spare bedroom, I saw the sight I least expected to see in the whole world. It made my heart stop dead in my chest, my blood run cold, my limbs freeze in place.

  “What… what the hell?” My breaths came out short and ragged. “What…?”

  I grabbed my knees, my body falling backward, an icy terror tearing through my body. I didn’t know how to even see this sight, never mind process it.

  Maria was there all right. She was home, but she wasn’t alone. The person she was talking to was a man I vaguely recognized. A naked man with his limbs wrapped all around her. He was all over her, as she was him, in a way that she hadn't been with me in a very long time.

  On hearing my voice, Maria turned to look at me but there was certainly no apology in her eyes. If anything, there was only disdain. “Flint, what the hell are you doing here? You’re home early.”

  My heart completely shattered in my chest, a physical pain that I had to grab onto, but as I clawed at my skin her expression didn’t change. It was almost as if she’d never actually cared about me at all.

  “I… I finished work early,” I gasped lamely. “What’s going on here?” I cocked my head at her, blocking every inch of him out. If I could spot even an inch of regret in her gaze, then I felt like there might be something for us to rebuild upon. I needed that, I
couldn’t let this go… I’d given up too much to let go now.

  “What does it look like?” She rolled her eyes, showing no remorse at all. “Now will you get out of here already?” She made a lame attempt to pull the sheets up over her body, but it didn’t really matter. The image was already burned into my brain forever more.

  “What, so you can finish?” I screamed, throwing my hands above my head in shock. This was ridiculous, like a bad joke. “Are you insane? Yes, sure please carry on. Just don’t expect me to be here when you’re done.”

  I slammed the door loudly behind me, but that act of temper did nothing to dispel my mood. Anger was radiating through me, boiling my veins, sending me on a sickening rollercoaster… my body was shaking, my eyes flickering everywhere, I felt like I needed to do something I just wasn’t quite sure what yet.

  Then something happened without my consent. I wasn’t even expecting it until it consumed me entirely. What started out as one sad little tear, trickling down my cheek, quickly became sobs that racked my entire body. My system shook, sickness swirled, my body slumped to the ground in shock. Maria and her lover were still mumbling away to each other, probably mocking me in every way possible, and much as I needed to get away from them, I couldn’t quite seem to make that happen.

  No, fuck that! I jumped up as an unexpected burst of what seemed to be strength overcame me. I wouldn’t be weak anymore, I couldn’t continue down that path. I had to focus on the burning rage that was still in my stomach, rather than the heartbreak that wanted to keep me in place.

  I’d been a fool for far too long, I’d tried to slot myself into a life that I was never going to fit into, it was time to leave.

  “I gave you everything, Maria,” I yelled through the door, not quite brave enough to shove it open again… not when I didn’t know what I was going to find on the other side. “Just remember that when you’re sad and alone. You will never find a man who treats you the way I do.”

  The door flung open, a red faced, crazed looking woman stared back at me. An ugliness etched into her features that I hadn’t spotted before as she snarled.

  “You are pathetic!” she screamed in my face. “How could someone like me ever love you? Did you honestly think that it was only you in my life? Holy fuck! If that was the case, I would’ve killed myself years ago. You’re a weak, sniveling guy with absolutely no backbone. The sooner you’re out of my life the better. Get the fuck out of my home, and never come back.”

  I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, trying my best to come up with some sort of response, but my mind was frustratingly blank. I couldn’t think of anything to say to those gut-wrenching remarks.

  I honestly thought Maria loved me. How could I have been so wrong?

  Chapter Two

  The warm, salty air filled my nostrils, filling my lungs with a real sense of home. The ocean rolled out over the rocks, and the breeze whipped up the golden sand, only slightly disturbing the intense calm that hung over the beach. The waves were lazy now, but there was something building under the surface, something that would soon drag all the surfers out to play.

  “That’ll be nine eighty,” I smiled at the kid setting himself up for a long day out on the ocean. “Thank you.”

  “You sure know a lot about this stuff,” he exclaimed happily with a lazy smile on his lips. “Do you surf yourself? Or do you just know everything about the water because you work here?”

  My eyes flickered back toward the massive window, spotting a different side to the view now. The ocean seemed darker, more of a deep, terrifying abyss, the waves looked angrier, the excitement brewing underneath screamed ‘danger.’ “Oh, well I did when I was younger, about your age, but not so much anymore.” I crossed my fingers behind my back, hoping that would be the end of it, but of course it wouldn’t be. It never was.

  “Oh, why not? You should get out there now, it’s awesome. This is the perfect time of year for it. The waves are great.”

  My teeth gritted together, which the boy seemed to sense because he took a rapid step backward. “Yeah, maybe I will at some point.”

  “Well, thank you. It’s been awesome chatting with you. It’s nice to talk to someone who knows what they’re doing, I’ll probably be back for some more advice later.”

  Although the subject of our conversation made me a little uncomfortable, I couldn’t help but agree. He didn’t make me feel small and stupid, a sensation that I’d seemingly become very used to in New York. It was really nice to feel needed. “I look forward to it.”

  In fact, I was slowly starting to see that I was much better off here. However much it hurt to say goodbye to the life I’d worked so hard to get, I liked not having to jump out of bed at five thirty in the morning with my heart pounding and nausea swirling around inside of me. I enjoyed not forcing my body into a suit that didn’t quite fit. I loved not squashing myself into a cramped train with millions of other miserable commuters. Instead, I could roll out of bed at nearly nine o’clock, throw on some board shorts and take a leisurely stroll into work. It’d been difficult, but overall very positive.

  “Hey,” a confident looking girl sauntered into the store, eyeing me up and down as she did. She had wavy blonde hair with flowers woven into it, big brown eyes and the taut, yet curvaceous body of someone who kept up a good level of fitness. “How’s it going? I’m looking for some surfboard wax.”

  “Oh, yeah over here,” I smiled politely, showing her the selection. “Is there anything in particular you want?”

  She shot me a look, one that was filled with something I didn’t quite understand, and my chest clamped tightly shut. Was that desire? Did she like me? What the hell would I do if she did? I couldn’t handle this, I wasn’t ready for anything just yet, but I didn’t want to shoot her down either. I hated hurting the feelings of others.

  Oh God, maybe I was weak!

  “Uhm, or brand…?” My face heated up. “We’re running a bit low on some brands, but I think there’ll be another shipment later in the week…”

  It wasn’t working, I couldn’t seem to stop her from staring at me however hard I tried. I could practically hear my nerves jangling inside of my body. With a dry mouth, I tried to speak, but before I could get anything out she spoke out once more.

  “Did you used to live here?” she interjected quickly. “I feel like I know you from somewhere. Is your name Flint?”

  “Uhm, yeah?” I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering how this girl knew me and I didn’t know her at all. “How did you know that?”

  “Oh, I thought you might be! My name’s Romi. You were in my sister’s class at school, Helen Peri. Do you remember her? Yeah, I think you’re standing next to her in the end of school class photo, looming over everyone else because you were always so tall! Plus, I’d recognize that brown curly hair anywhere.”

  I inadvertently touched my curls, remembering how much I used to hate them in my younger days. I always felt like it was too cutesy to be considered sexy. So, I’d cropped my hair close to my head as soon as I moved away. But, in the last few weeks I’d allowed it to grow out a little.

  “Yeah, I was always the tallest one, that was a lot of fun in school I can assure you.” My smile was a little less strained now that I knew who this girl was. “So, how is Helen? She obviously isn’t here anymore, is she? I didn’t realize it until I moved back, but everyone is gone now!” I didn’t want to tell her that I felt lonely, but that sensation was there. I’d half expected for at least someone to still be around!

  “She’s living in England now with her husband and two kids.”

  “Oh wow, that’s crazy.” God that made me feel like crap, someone my age had everything sorted out, while my life was falling apart around me. I assumed I had it all figured out, but I was so wrong. “Lucky her!”

  “I don’t know, I think I’d prefer to be here. I like the sun too much,” Romi giggled and shrugged her shoulders, giving off a very easygoing vibe. “England sounds cold and gray. I love
the color here, you know? The smell in the air. I like living by the ocean too much. I don’t know how I’d cope in the city.”

  I knew, all too well and it certainly hadn’t worked out great for me!

  As she ran her hands over the display, I sucked in a tense breath of air, wondering how I could ask the girl if she wanted to hang out—but just as friends. She seemed to be just what I needed now, someone to have a bit of fun with, but I wasn’t sure how to frame that question without sounding like an idiot.

  Luckily, at that moment, she spun around to face me and took the words right out of my mouth. “Hey, I know this might be a little weird, but if you’re new here again and you’re looking for someone to hang out with, you can always give me a call.” She grabbed my hand and wrote her number on it, refusing to look in my eyes the whole time. “I don’t mean… there’s nothing in it, you know, just as… whatever. I work at the surf school anyway, with a bunch of really cool guys that you’d likely get along with.”

  “Cool,” I replied as casually as I could manage, while my heart raced like crazy in my chest. “Sounds good. Maybe I’ll come and find you at work sometime, thanks. It’s been really good to meet you.”

  “Well, here’s my card, so you can call me if you want,” I said.

  “Yeah, you too, Flint. I’ll see you around.”

  She handed me the cash for the wax and left the store, leaving me with a sense of hope. My lips were smiling so brightly I probably looked like I had a coat hanger stuck between my cheeks. After hitting such a low point in my life, any human connection felt good, and I had a feeling that Romi would be a lot of fun to hang out with.

  Summer was on its way, and if I had her and some of the guys to hang around with that would be awesome. The subject of why I didn’t go in the water anymore would likely come up, but I could probably just bat that off. I didn’t like talking about it, even though it completely defined my life, and I couldn’t see that changing anytime soon.