Funny really that today’s flash fiction is called ‘once’ because today’s post is certainly not just about one thing!

Of course it is Wednesday so we have our Silver Flash with the prompt of ‘Well someone’s got to stop him’ and I’m in on Wank Wednesday this week with the prompt ‘Once’ but before all that (I like to keep you in anticipation!) a quick reminder that tomorrow I am Chatting at The Romance Reviews tomorrow, so come on over and say hello AND there will be several opportunities to win brilliant Blisse prizes tomorrow!

I’ll have a guest blogger on here tomorrow, but I will send out a chat reminder on facebook, twitter and google+ (add me!) in case folks forget.

Okay, now on to the Flash!

“He listened to me once upon a time, but not now.”

“But someone’s got to stop him,” Dee slapped her hand down on the coffee table, “he’s going to self-destruct otherwise.”
“Let his girlfriend deal with it,” I sighed, “he’s not spoken to me since they got together.”

“Didn’t you know?” Dee looked at me, mouth agape, “they split up about a month ago now, that’s why he’s gone off the rails.”

“Oh.” I let the new info sink in.

“So? I hear he’s going to be a Gregg’s party tonight…”

“I’ll be there but that’s all I’m saying.”

“Cool,” Dee smiled smugly. She knew she’d won.

That night I turned up at Gregg’s fashionably late. Not on purpose, just because it’d taken me forever to decide what to wear. I’ve not been to a party for years, once I was a party queen, once I’d not let a Friday night go by without going out. Once was a long time ago, when Mark and I were still friends.

I couldn’t see him at first but I could hear him. He was angry but I couldn’t work out why.

“Thank God your here,” Gregg hurried over to me, “Mark is going crazy, I don’t know what to do.”

“And you think I do? Gregg, I’ve not spoken to the guy for almost five years.”

“Can you try, please?”

I sighed and nodded. Gregg pointed me in the direction of the disturbance. Mark had some poor guy cornered and he was yelling in his face.

“How dare you say that, how dare you? We were together for five fucking years man, how dare you tell me she never loved me.”

I took a deep breath and pushed myself between Mark and the scared gent.

“Calm down, love, calm down, there’s no need for this.”

“Thank you,” the guy behind me whispered, “thanks so much.”

“What the hell are you doing, Kay, it’s none of your business.”

“Well, it seems a lot of people disagree. What the hell do you think you’re playing at?”

“I’m not talking about it, not with you, not with anyone.” He stormed off, then turned and yelled over his shoulder,
“And you mate, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you.”

I’d not seen so much anger in his eyes for a long time. My ex-best friend and long-time crush was hurting a lot.”
I turned to the guy behind me.

“Don’t worry about him, it’ll blow over but what did you say to him?”

“I wasn’t even talking to him. Someone mentioned about his girlfriend leaving him and I said that she’d been seen in clubs with other men on a regular basis over the years, hell, she went home with my mate Carl a few months ago. She was not in love with him.”

“Ah, okay, well lesson learned. Don’t gossip about a person who’s there in the flesh.I better go and see where he’s got to.”

A sea of hands point me through to the back room and then people there tell me he’d gone out into the garden. I followed through the opened patio doors.

“Mark,” he didn’t even turn to look at me, just continued to stare at the patch of grass before him, “Mark, love, what’s the matter?”

His shoulders shook, I knew he was crying. Mark had never cried before. I took a chance and I laid my arm around his shoulder. He turned to me and buried his head in my shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight that it fairly took my breath away.

“Oh, darling, what has she done to you?” I whisper and stroke my hand down his back.

He doesn’t reply.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” I continue to talk in a low tone, “I’m here, hush now.”

“Oh, Kay,” his words drip with sadness, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.”

“I’m so sorry I chose her over you.”

“It’s okay, my love, it’s okay,”

“She did love me, once.”

“I’m sure she did,” I was all about soothing him, I didn’t want him to feel any worse.

“I should never have given in to her jealousy, though. You’re my best friend, you are still my friend, yes?”

“Mark my love, would I be here, wrapping you in my embrace if not?”

He pulled back a little and looked at me, his eyes red with tears,

“No, I guess not.”

“Once upon a time,” I said, swallowing a lump of sentiment rising in my throat, “I promised to you to always be there when you needed me, all those years ago I promised to be your friend for always and forever. I don’t break promises, Mark.”

We looked at each other, then. It was surreal. I’d always loved him, was his friend for ten years because I loved him. I knew it was stupid, he’d never love me in the same way back but he was brilliant company and we made a brilliant pair, even if it was only platonic. I’d missed him so much. It had hurt me more than I can express when he told me his new girl wanted him to have nothing to do with me and he had to agree, she’d dump him if he didn’t. He was besotted, I understood but it still broke my heart.

“Once,” he said, “you were my best friend in all the world and once, just once you tried to kiss me.”
I looked down, unable to meet his gaze. He lifted my chin with his finger.

“Well now, it is my turn to kiss you.”

Marks lips tasted of salt from the tears he’d recently shed. I kissed the bitterness away as I eagerly moulded my lips to his. He felt hard and real and his hands danced over my curves and held me so close to him that I felt I could barely breathe. I didn’t care, all I needed was more of his kisses.

If you want more flash fun then check out the blogs of these people:

Julie Hayes (M/M)

(M/M)

Ryssa Edwards (M/M)

Lily Sawyer (M/M)