6
" Everything Rett had learned about being a man was so wrong. So completely wrong. Sometimes, being a man was surrendering everything to another, giving them absolute power over you, putting your fate entirely in their hands. And then accepting whatever decision came of it.
The coward, the boy, would shy from that and run away from it. The boy would be selfish and want to always make the decision, to control it, to be in the lead. Rett now saw himself doing that at every critical point in his life. He could play back every time he had done that in the past, but now he could see it through different eyes, and it was shameful to him.
The man knew when to surrender, to yield. "
― J.F. Smith , The Last Day Of Summer
12
" Travis took a deep breath. He turned to Matt and put his hand behind Matt’s neck, pulling his face to his own. Their lips met and Travis relaxed into the kiss. He hadn’t realized how much he had needed to kiss Matt all night. Their faces pressed together, their tongues met and slipped against one another, and Travis felt the familiar crunch of the facial hair around Matt’s mouth pressing into him. Inside him, the hot ember burned brighter and hotter, its warmth spreading out through his entire body. Travis pulled back, his face only an inch away from Matt’s. He could see the orange firelight dancing in Matt’s eyes. He ran his hand along the back of Matt’s head. Matt grinned and said, “I love you, Trav.” Travis nodded and said, “I love you, too, Matty. "
― J.F. Smith , Latakia
