by Marco May
#SomethingLikeFate
By Marco May
Published by JMS Books LLC
Visit jms-books.com for more information.
Copyright 2021 Marco May
ISBN 9781646566914
Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com
Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.
All rights reserved.
WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.
This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
* * * *
I don’t have very many people in my life. So, I’d like to thank the few family members and friends close to me who have supported my writing and believed I could have a chance at some kind of success. You know who you are, and for that, you’re special to me.
* * * *
#SomethingLikeFate
By Marco May
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Chapter 1
While lounging in my studio apartment, I published a new blog post on my WordPress author site using my old laptop. It was the latest chapter of my ongoing gay romance series titled “Something Like Fate.” I smiled with pride because of how well it’d been doing for its over-the-top romance and tasteful erotic scenes. I hadn’t expected it to be as big as it was, especially when it was silly enough that I’d named the main character and his love interest Mario and Luigi, respectively (not brothers in my story, of course). It was a weekly series of flash fiction installments to be read in order, like a telenovela, so to speak, and I posted a new chapter every Saturday. I’d started it in early June, and it was mid-August, not a single week missed. I’d gained hundreds of followers over the summer, but nothing to rave about. After all, I was still a nobody author from Detroit, Michigan. I did get a few nice compliments on my author photo, though, so there was that.
I’d done nothing else that day but hung out in my tank top and boxer briefs, and I tried my hardest not to think about the possibility of a dark road ahead of me after refusing to take my meds for weeks. I was about to read from the Bible app on my phone and get ready for bed because of the time, until a notification popped up, telling me of a new like and comment. That was fast. Normally, I’d just check my notifications later, but something kind of spoke to me and told me to check them at that moment.
Hmm, a gay reviewer who’d instantly become a fan after binge-reading my series in one sitting. There was so much praise and enthusiasm in his comment, and it was actually much longer than any other comment I’d ever gotten, several lengthy paragraphs. His kindness especially put a warm smile on my face while tickling my heart a bit. His account name was “Got Gay? Reviews,” which made me chuckle.
Curious, I clicked on his profile picture to go to his WordPress blogsite. Wow, thousands of followers and so many likes and comments on each post I skimmed through. Was he that popular? He seemed to be, by the looks of it. The site design was also nice and clean, and easy to navigate. The more I scrolled through the main page, the more I realized there were tons of reviews in the span of many months, maybe a year. His reviews were largely oversexed and disgustingly vulgar, which made me roll my eyes, but I supposed it came with the territory of reviewing hardcore gay erotica as a way to entice potential readers, especially since many of the books he reviewed consisted of taboo themes that made me blush. I’d certainly go to hell for reading that trash.
I clicked on the Twitter icon to visit his profile, and my eyes widened at the thousands upon thousands of tweets he’d posted, as well as more thousands of followers. Given that his follower count and the number of profiles he followed were similar in amount, he was clearly the follow-back type. He had no pictures of himself anywhere that I could find, just a shot of two burly men making out, which was the same profile picture as the one on WordPress.
His bio stated that he was a twenty-five-year-old gay man, only four years older than me, and that he was a bookworm with a passion for reviewing all kinds of books, especially “gay erotica with kinks,” as he so put it. I wasn’t surprised by his interest in dirty erotica after scrolling through a lot of his porny retweets. He was clearly an oversexed horndog who probably had lots of dirty DMs, given that his bio ended with “DM open.” Penis pics, butt shots, sex chats? Who knew with him?
Still, I decided to follow him on Twitter, WordPress, and Goodreads, if just to be nice. I never ever followed people like him, much less associated with them, but the kindness in his deep comment had won me over in a way I couldn’t ignore. I’d just turn off his retweets to prevent my feed from being spammed with porn. I finally replied to his comment, thanking him for such kind words and for his interest in my series. I called him GGR since he didn’t have an actual name mentioned anywhere.
He wrote back fairly quickly, but it was more of a conversation starter, unlike most second replies I received. He thanked me for the “follow” and was modest enough to insist it wasn’t necessary. He called me SLF, probably as a joke because he knew what my name was.
From that moment on, we exchanged numerous lengthy comments on that particular blog post of mine, largely but not solely related to “Something Like Fate.” We shared the same interest in many book genres, including tasteful erotic romance, which shocked me because of his horny nature. His kindness and warmth continued to lift my heart in a way I couldn’t explain. Despite the horny way he reviewed the books he liked, and all the gay porn he retweeted on Twitter (some of them kinky and gross), I was intrigued. I suddenly had to know more about him, a mysterious man with a strange appeal. What was really behind those two men kissing, behind that corny name of his, behind his heart-melting words? I just had to find a way without coming across as a creep.
Chapter 2
The next morning, I grabbed my Got God? coffee mug and took a sip in front of my laptop, killing some time before going to church. The only window in my entire apartment unit was large enough to shed lots of sunlight, bringing life into my small personal space of artistically portraited walls and minimalistic furniture. The only downfalls of living there were the occasionally noisy neighbor who made me want to pound on the wall, and the wooden floor feeling cold in the winter that justified my serious need for slippers.
I stared at GGR’s replies to my comments from the night before, and I kept imagining ways of how to message him privately. Sure, he allowed DMs, but what exactly would I say to justify my first private message to him? I was always professional and never personal in my messages under my pen name, since it was also my real name. I had a pristine re
putation to uphold, so I was careful with my words.
I decided to check his blog and noticed a new review he’d just posted, which hadn’t triggered a notification email just yet. It was for yet another kinky book, but unlike incest or piss play, it was solely about BDSM between a Dominant and a sub. The more I read his words, the more I realized how romantic he could be, which made me smile. I’d always liked the idea of being one with a man, submitting my all to him with deep trust and pure love in a way my ex-boyfriends had failed to appreciate. As much as I’d enjoyed sex with the only two guys I’d been intimate with, romance did so much more for me. Oddly enough, GGR was less horny and vulgar in his new review, and more romantic and emotional instead. He expressed how much he related to the Dom—a man described as kind and loving but firm in his dominance—for being much younger than the main character. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be interested in the physical kinks the characters got into, but the meaning behind their monogamous relationship piqued my curiosity. The Dom was as old-fashioned as I was when it came to romance, the only thing we had in common, and it was tough finding a man like that on all the dating apps where I’d wasted my time, especially someone who was emotionally available. On the other hand, the deep submission from the sub that was rewarded with the Dom’s deep love, while melting my heart, made me nervous. It had to take so much trust and the right guy to submit in such a way that the word “no” no longer existed. All it would take was a psycho to abuse the role, and I didn’t want to think about the horrifying results. But the Dom character in the current story was GGR. He said so himself. He poured more of himself into that review than he had in many of the reviews of his I’d read. Because of that, I clicked LIKE on that review, the only one I’d ever do that with.
Hence my intrigue. I had to message him and know more. Why? I didn’t know. I couldn’t explain my irrational interest in him when we were two different guys from two different backgrounds. I was not into any kinks, completely vanilla my whole life, and he was the total opposite. Then again, it wasn’t as if anyone would know we’d be friends, if we ever got that far. I’d never tell a soul about messaging someone like him, especially not to anyone in the LGBTQ-affirming church I attended every Sunday morning. They’d never accept any of it, and they’d question whether I’d been hiding things about myself to justify my association with GGR.
The more I pondered the idea of privately messaging him, the more time passed, and church would start soon. I decided to give it more thought later and changed into something decent—a nice shirt and some dressy jeans—and I still wore a face mask just to be safe.
I was on my way out of the apartment and into the elevator in no time, rushing from the tall building and toward my cheap sedan. As I hopped inside and revved the engine, I couldn’t stop smiling at just the thought of messaging GGR. However, it was time for God, so I said a little prayer while driving to church, and I asked Him if it was selfish of me to ask for a good man to share my life with. I might have been young with my whole life ahead of me, but I was experienced enough to know that I wasn’t made for the single life. Aside from my two exes, I’d dated plenty of other guys that had never led to anything sexual, and at best, a brief kiss on the lips. Yep, I was sure I wanted love, the true kind.
After another beautiful worship service as usual in our quaint little church, Reverend Bo Rayne approached me with a tight smile. He didn’t wear a face mask while at church, only when he was elsewhere, and it was the same with some of the members there. “Santiago? Can I have a moment with you if you’re free right now?” He was always so polite and friendly, even though he was more on the conservative side like most of our members. Sure, he was supportive of LGBTQ rights, but he was traditional in many other areas. It was a drastic change from Reverend Dunn, the former reverend, who was unapologetically liberal.
I returned the smile with my face mask still on and gave Reverend Rayne a nod, following him to his small office. I took a seat in front of his old desk and looked around at the inspirational posters that littered the walls.
He sighed and attempted a smile that couldn’t fool me. Something was up. “Someone told me that you’ve been writing porn. Is this true?”
My eyebrows flew up, and I couldn’t even speak for a moment.
“So, it’s true, then?”
“N-no! Who told you that?”
“I can’t reveal that information, and it’s not important. I’m concerned about you, Santiago. While I fully support gay Christian stories, you know my stance on porn or any kind of erotic material. And it’s not just me who thinks this way, but our members, too.”
I was suddenly annoyed at the thought of whomever had twisted things about my writing. “Reverend, with all due respect, some of my romance stories do have erotic scenes, but, they’re very tasteful and more implied than explicit.”
“That’s still porn, Santiago, so the person who told me about your writing didn’t lie, just as I thought.”
I suppressed a groan of frustration because I couldn’t understand what the big deal was. I’d always been a decent Christian. I prayed every morning and night, I read the Bible every night before bed, and I treated others with respect. Granted, I’d had premarital sex multiple times, which probably wasn’t the greatest thing to do in God’s eyes, but I was human with needs. Besides, I believed in Christ and held Him tightly in my heart, so wasn’t I technically already saved?
“You know how strict I am with our members. While we all sin, we must do our best to stay away from temptation and live our lives in a godly way, in a way that Christ would approve of. And I’m sorry, I understand writing is important to you, but you shouldn’t be writing the things you write.” Reverend Rayne hadn’t been angry or hostile the entire time, just unnecessarily concerned with a slightly stern tone, enough to remind me how much I really did miss Reverend Dunn, who wouldn’t have cared about what I wrote, much less judged me for it. Reverend Dunn would also never lay out any strict rules for the members to abide, the way Reverend Rayne had immediately started doing upon assuming his role over the past few months.
I didn’t know what else to say because I was guilty as charged, even though all my erotic scenes were more implied and never explicit, and all my writing was clean in language, just as clean as the way I spoke in real life. I never even used vulgar terms for genitals the way many romance authors recommended. Still, it didn’t matter. Reverend Rayne would always cling onto his moral views.
He sighed. “Santiago, I’m giving you another chance. While I’d never kick you out of church, since we don’t do that here, I may have to prevent you from joining in on the activities and have you sit in the back pews until you’re ready to be more Christlike.”
I tried not to frown but failed, even though my face mask hid most of my expression, and I lowered my head. “I’m sorry, Reverend Rayne. I just, I don’t know what to say. I really don’t.” I lifted my chin and eyed him with some kind of defiance. “I can’t stop writing what I love. I just can’t, and I won’t.”
He nodded, his mouth corners aiming lower. “I see. And that’s a shame. It really is. So, I guess that leaves me no choice but to have you sit all the way in the back during worship, and you’re no longer allowed to join the rest of us in anything we do. I hope this will get you to think about your refusal to be more Christlike. I seriously do hope so because I’d hate to see you lose touch with our Lord and fall so deeply that you may not even be able to get back up.”
Sometimes, I wondered why many Christians had to be so dramatic about certain things. I’d already had a debate with him a while back about faith and belief being the only requirement to salvation, whereas he believed repentance was also required. Maybe I was just too liberal for a Christian, and I could only imagine what my association with GGR would cause. Oh, I didn’t know anymore. What I did know, however, was that that day would be my last to attend church. It saddened me to decide on it, but I was left with no choice.
Chapter 3
O
n my way home, I couldn’t stop feeling judged enough by the church to be punished for what was a deep passion of mine. I’d never give up writing, especially my gay romances. I’d been attending that church since I’d been eighteen, and I’d never had issues until Reverend Rayne had taken over. What other church was there? There weren’t many in the area that were affirming, much less actual LGBTQ churches, since most stood against homosexuality and the like. So, I was most likely churchless for who knew how long, and it’d be the first time in my life I wouldn’t be attending some kind of church.
I entered my apartment, yanked off my face mask, and since I had no plans to go out, I changed into something more comfortable. All my friends were from church, and I was in no mood to see them anytime soon. I grabbed my laptop and logged in, and I stared at GGR’s WordPress comments again. I decided to bite the bullet and just greet him on Twitter. What harm could a simple DM do anyway?
I wrote…
Hello, GGR! I really hope it’s okay to DM you even though your bio says so. I wanted to thank you for the nice conversation we had last night. I enjoyed getting to know you a little more. I hope that doesn’t sound weird, lol. You seem like an interesting person, and I’m impressed that you can even hold an actual conversation. I can’t say that about many people these days. So, yeah, feel free to message me anytime you want. Talk to you soon! :)
I stared at my message for a while before sending it. My heart raced a little. Why was I even acting that way when he’d already shown interest in communicating with me? I was being silly, and I needed to chill.
After a while of looking through my plot outline for “Something Like Fate” to prepare for writing the next chapter, a DM notification appeared. I rushed to check it. GGR had sent me a reply, and it made me smile like a goof.
Well, well, well. If it isn’t the talented Santiago Lucas Fernandez. I guess it’s better to start calling you Santiago instead of SLF. LOL! And hello to you, too! I enjoyed our conversation as well. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised you even decided to waste your time with a measly reviewer since YOU are the talent of the two. But I digress. How’s your Sunday going? Anything interesting going on for the week? I’m sure you’re probably busy writing the next chapter and maybe with work if you have a job. Thanks for the DM, though. I feel honored that a writer like you would open up and give me a chance to chat with you. Most authors I review don’t even say a word. But that’s okay. I never expect it because it’s really not necessary. I review books because I love doing it, not because I expect to get a response out of it. I’m glad you decided to DM me, and as long as you’re not too busy, I hope we can chat some more. Oh, and I’m not sure why, but something about you tells me I can trust you with my name. I’m Gary Rahim, and yes, my middle name does start with G because we both apparently named our blogs using our initials. Coincidence or fate? ;)
