Faded
Love
A drive home in the wee
hours in the morning after a modeling job… then a moment’s distraction and a
twist of Fate puts an end to one way of life for Ashley and opens the door to
another.
Hey everyone! If y'all remember I was part of the Carved
in Flesh anthology from Storm Moon Press that came out a year ago. Now my
story, Faded Love, has been released
as a single title. This anthology caught my eye because of the subject matter.
In a society that worships beauty and is filled with everyday images of what’s
ideal, I had to wonder what would happen to an internationally well-known model
who ends up scarred.
Then throw in his
lover, Will—who is a sports model. To make matters even more interesting, Will
just happens to have given Ashley an ultimatum before the car accident: he
wants an exclusive relationship with Ashley. The mere thought of a commitment
sends Ashley into a tailspin. And there you go, lol, a swirling brew of pain,
anger, fear, regret, and… one man’s determination not to give up on the man he
loves. In other words, Will has a hot mess on his hands, lol. Can he prove to
Ashley that scars fade, but love doesn’t?
This anthology, in a
lot of ways, strikes very close to home for me. Twelve years ago I had back
surgery, and I have a pretty big scar on my back. Granted, over the years it’s
faded, but when I tan in the summer, it’s noticeable. In my late teens and
early twenties I also modeled regionally. *Laugh* It wasn’t anything to write
home about, but modeling did teach me one thing. The old saying that models are
nothing more than ‘coat hangers’ is so very true.
So imagine how a
world-famous model would react to a scar on his face—the very face that made him a living, that he was known by. Yeah,
Ashley’s emotions run the gamut from disbelief, anger, and self-loathing to
fear—fear that without his looks, he’s worth nothing. Thank goodness for
Will and his stubborn nature. Not long
after the accident, Ashley learns Will has been offered an opportunity that’s
the chance of a lifetime… on the opposite coast. Ashley, my spoilt little diva,
has a hard choice to make.
My favorite scene in
the story is where Will and Ashley kiss on a beach near the end. The message
that comes through by the end of the story is Scars fade, but love does not.
There's so much truth to that. The harder times of life might stick with us,
but the ache of them usually fades over time; true love doesn't fade away. I
wholeheartedly believe that, and it's where the title of my short story came
from too.
~M
Blurb:
One moment in time can
change your life, especially a life that revolves around your face. A
near-fatal car accident leaves a world famous model's face scarred and his
career in a tailspin. The life Ashley knew is over and he wants to do nothing
but fade away into nothingness. Only his lover, Will, can pull him out of his
dark depression and make Ashley see even scars can be beautiful.
Excerpt:
The first thing Ashley
noticed when he woke was a feeling of disconnection. He was floating, drifting.
His eyes weighed a ton, as did his body, and his faced itched. Trying to lift
his hand to scratch at the insistent itch, he struggled to get the limb to
function. Nothing seemed to work right. Was he home in bed? He didn’t remember
getting home. A soft beep caught his attention. What was that annoying sound?
His mind was fuzzy and his mouth was as dry as cotton. Seriously freaked out,
he fought to open his eyes, and his body jerked as he twisted. Pain exploded,
greeting him unmercifully, biting at him.
“Ashley? Can you hear
me?”
That voice. He knew that voice. With a herculean effort
he opened his eyes. Or tried to. One side of his vision was pitch black, and
the other side was blurry. Sickly fear coated his body. He flung his hands up,
searching. What the hell was covering the left side of his face? Clawing at the
covering, he whimpered as an out of focus face bent over him.
“Hey, hey now, ease up
there. It’s okay.”
“Will?” Ashley’s hand
was gently held and pulled down. Why did Will’s voice sound so funny, like he
was hoarse? “Will? What’s going on? Where am I? What’s on my face?”
“Listen to me. You’re
in the hospital.”
“Hospital? Why the hell
am I in the hospital?” Straining, he was finally able to make out the pale
walls, and smell a scent he had always associated with hospitals: cleaners and
sickness.
“You don’t remember…
anything?” Will bent over Ashley, still holding his hands. God, Will’s skin was
so warm, and his was so cold. “Tell me what you remember.”
“Was on my way home
from that shoot. You called. I was going to call you back… Will?” Ashley’s
voice rose and cracked. “Then, nothing until now. What—what… Will?”
One of Will’s strong
hands managed to loosen itself from Ashley’s death grip and brushed Ashley’s
hair back from his face. “You’re in the hospital. There was an accident, a bad
accident. You were hit on the way home two days ago.”
“Fuck me! Two days
ago?” Ashley bit his lip as pain spiked in his ribs. “How bad? Who hit me?”
“It was pretty bad. You
have bruised ribs from the impact with the steering wheel, your arm is
bruised—not broken—and more bruises over your body. I forgot the driver’s name.
They hit you on the passenger side, slammed you into a street light. Two people
in the other car died.”
“Died? Jesus.” Every
time Ashley tried to lift his hand to his face, Will stopped him. “What’s wrong
with my vision? Why can I only see out of one side?”
Gripping his hand, Will
hesitated. “You were struck so hard your head hit the driver side window.”
Ashley gripped Will’s
hand. There was more, he just knew it. What little he could make out of Will’s
concerned face told him that. “And? Tell me, dammit!”
“The window busted. There was glass
everywhere. Oh God, Ashley, I’m so sorry. You were cut. On your face… and—and…
there’s going to be a scar.”
“A scar?” Ashley
whispered, and then his voice gained in strength as horror stabbed at him. “A scar, on my face? My face? No! Oh my God, no! How bad, Will? How fucking bad?”
Tears soaked Will’s
voice. “From the hair line to under your chin. Jesus, Ashley. I’m so sorry.”
The screams from
Ashley’s room brought most of the nursing staff at a dead run.
