Sunday Snippet: Transference

December 7, 2014

Whew. Last week's Walking Dead broke my heart. And if anyone caught The Talking Dead afterward, oh… tears were shed during that, too. Trying really hard not to spoil anything for anybody who hasn't seen the episode yet. Gotta give Chris Hardwick so many props though. The guy does much to restore my calm. LOL

Let's see… The Flash / Arrow crossover turned out to be EXCELLENT!! So much fun! Sleepy Hollow's fall finale ended up being better than I expected. Not so thrilled with one of my faves not making it, but I like it when shows don't always go where I want them to.

Which brings me to Sons of Anarchy. Oh… wow. I have a pretty solid idea of how things will shake out in the last episode, but Kurt Sutter has ways of pulling off some serious surprises, so I kind of hope I’m wrong. All in all, I'm actually pretty thrilled with the ones who are no longer around.

Enough TV talk… tonight's post is from Transference, a sexy short putting my characters together after something of a one night stand… but also delves into their history.

Here's the tagline:

Leslie Karr is packing her meager belongings to move into a new apartment and finds a letter from Granger Unger explaining why their night of shared grief over the loss of his brother can't go anywhere. After two years, Leslie still wonders if he may have been wrong and decides to test the waters by looking him up before she leaves town.

And a snippety peek…

Leslie overturned the bottom drawer of her desk, dumping the contents on the floor. Sitting down, cross-legged, she started sorting through pile. Old receipts landed in the trash can, a book of poems put aside for later reading. She picked up a stack of mail and rifled through, pitching the junk and setting letters from friends with the book of poetry. A crisp white envelope caught her attention and her heart kicked in her chest.

Granger.

She slipped the missive out and unfolded the page. His bold handwriting leapt off the paper. She'd only read the letter once, but the words still burned in her brain.

I'm sorry, Leslie. I won't tarnish Thad's good name and reputation by hooking up with and running off into the sunset with his girl. To honor his memory, I'm leaving Athens. I arranged to take my finals early and have accepted a job offer in Columbus.

I think it's best if we don't see each other again before I go. It would be so easy to work through the pain of our loss with great sex. But that's all it would be. Sex. The grief would still be there, under anything else we might have. Relationships can't be built by transferring physical pleasure for sadness. I'm truly sorry, and I hope… no, I know you'll succeed and graduate with honors. Take care of yourself, Leslie. Sincerely, Granger.

Two years later, she still had the odd combination of anger and respect for Thad's brother. She couldn't argue with Granger's position. She didn't like it, but she totally got it. She understood, on a very deep level, the guilt Granger felt. They each loved Thad and almost trashed the sentiment while he still lived.

"God, what idiots." Her shoulders slumped. "Thad didn't deserve either of us."

Okay, not quite fair. Leslie didn't forget the reason she'd shared a kiss with Granger—a volatile argument with Thad. He had faults, just like she did. But losing him made it easier to view his flaws with a softer focus. Hindsight forgave a lot. And time did heal.

Leslie pushed the letter back inside the envelope. "I came out okay." Better than.

She had graduated with honors and had several offers under consideration. One happened to be in Columbus.

She rose and stretched, and then tucked the letter into her laptop case.

Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and hit send. "Hello, this is Leslie Karr. I'd like to confirm my interview time for next week." After making sure she had the details correct, she ended the call.

Sitting down at her desk, she opened a web browser. "Okay, Granger, let's see if you're still around. Maybe enough time has passed for a trip down memory lane."

One of my favorite tropes, sibling rivalry, but with a twist. Always fun. :D

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin