Sunday Snippet: Internal Dialog

Well, back to illness again. Middle kiddo is experiencing something more than the stomach flu. Not sure what it is yet, but it’s not pleasant. Hope to have some answers by mid-week. It’s not fun watching them go through the rough ride.

Not a bad week for television but had some distractions with the above-mentioned illness. I watched the rest of Silent Witness’s sixth season and should be starting season seven this week.

Also caught another episode of Blue Heelers. I’m still enjoying this show a lot. And, wow, there are a bunch of seasons on this one.

Caught my usual mystery fare on Ovation again. Hoping to find a Bond movie marathon over the Thanksgiving weekend to watch.

That’s pretty much it for television this week. Tonight’s post is from Internal Dialog, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Tom Callahan is an excellent soldier who never makes strategic errors on the job, but tends to mess up on the personal front. Abbey Parks is a firecracker who gets things done and rarely takes time to ponder a decision before she leaps. But when she crosses a line she didn't know existed, she and Tom have to navigate their way back to each other, which isn't easy considering they never approach a situation the same way.

And a sneaky peek…

Abbey needed to get a grip. Lashing out at Tom didn't solve a damn thing.

Of course he didn't know what she'd gone through or what it had been like out there. She hadn't told anyone. Didn't know if she could.

"Especially not Tom."

How could she explain any of it? The ugliness of a ravaged planet or finding that small group of hopeful rebels who wouldn't give it up. She didn't know if she could lay it out in a way he'd understand.

Not after the blow up they'd had before she left. Hell, part of the reason she'd gone had been to get away from him and his out-of-the-blue anger.

She had no idea a one-night stand would set Tom off. Their friendship ran deep and a potential outcome of something more existed, even if they'd never pursued a physical relationship.

She rolled her eyes. "And Francois Garnier never had a chance of becoming anything other than a hookup." Maybe she hadn't explicitly explained she never stuck around after sex, but most guys normally got the picture.

Heaving a sigh, she balled her hand into a fist. "Just my luck Francois doesn't play by standard rules." And he would decide to get prickly about it when he figured it out.

Throw in Tom witnessing the bizarre scene Garnier caused and boom! Instant awkward mess. With a side of snide anger thrown in.

Scene didn't accurately describe the weird byplay and non-discussion before the big revelation. Francois never directly mentioned their lone encounter. Instead, he went all twitchy when she strolled by then used platitudes and well-aimed barbs about wishing people had more consideration for others. He asked everyone at the table if it shouldn't be a good idea for a one night stand to be decided upon by both parties … prior to clothes actually coming off.

Tom picked up on it, homed in on the thinly veiled allusive verbiage and Abbey caught the moment he realized Francois spoke about her. It didn't help she couldn't look Garnier—or Tom—in the eye. One man knew her better than almost anyone and the other knew a secret she desperately wanted to keep.

The brutal, cold look Tom gave her hit harder than a boot to the teeth.

He snorted. "Oh, nice." Rising from the table, his voice went lethally quiet. "You never change, do you, Abs?"

She opened her mouth to counter, but he walked away without a backward glance. His reaction, the anger and accusation, the rigidly set shoulders, kicked her need to keep Francois from blabbing his knowledge into overdrive. To keep him from revealing whose name she gasped out during their encounter.

Garnier sent her a very satisfied look. The little shit had done it on purpose. She had no doubt.

Shaking her head, she snarled. "Grow the fuck up and stop acting like the wounded party." She leaned down and hissed close to Garnier's ear. "And, guess what? You blew your chance for revenge. He'd never believe you now." Straightening, she crossed her arms over her chest.

Oh, she got him with that one. Written all over his face, the realization Francois hadn't thought far enough ahead with his little reveal. He'd clearly planned to spill the rest … but it backfired.

Her secret safe for now, she strolled out of the rec room, leaving Garnier to stew in his own stupidity. Once outside, she heaved a relief-filled sigh. Tom Callahan did not need to know she'd called out his name in the throes of orgasm. He'd latch on to the information and try to make more of it than he should.

They didn't have that kind of thing between them. And, okay, they could, but neither had ever acted on the tension stretching and flexing between them. The vibe connected them, but never quite led to a hookup.

Abbey feared if they lit the spark it would blow up in their face. "As if I have to worry about that now." Not after the rec room incident.

Something broke between them that day. And they never quite got back to the smooth groove they had before. She'd catch Tom gazing in her direction, trying to figure it all out. She wished him luck.

She couldn't even try.

This story went a little darker than I thought it would but it’s got a lot of hope threading through the plot. Abbey and Tom like to jump hurdles, that’s all I can say.

 

That’s it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye