Guri convinces Tayrym to play kickball. Read an #excerpt from TAYRYM #GalacticDefenders #MMromance #scifiromance

Hello! TAYRYM releases on Monday, and I've been sharing excerpts from the story all week. You can find the others here...

Prologue

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1-2

Below is today's excerpt. Happy reading!

Tayrym has dreamed of becoming a Galactic Defender since meeting the infamous Bryce when he was just a boy. Finally an adult and awaiting the day cycle he is set to leave for training, Tayrym learns his long-time crush shares his affections. Now, he’s unsure whether he wants to leave, which dream matters more.

With the threat of being sent away for his sexuality haunting him, Guri keeps his feelings for his former classmate to himself. Even with a new progressive ruler on Hemera, he still hides his attraction to the young man. But when he catches the other shadowing him, Guri decides to take a chance. The only problem is, the man of his desire is leaving the planet soon. Possibly forever.

With obstacle after obstacle in their path, will Tayrym and Guri ever have a chance to be happy together? Or are they destined to fulfill their dreams light years apart?

RELEASES OCTOBER 29, 2018

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CHAPTER 1-3

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you do.” Guri felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he tried to hide a smile. Difficult when red crept over Tayrym’s cheeks and neck. Though that color suited him better than the paleness he’d displayed when Guri had first come over to get a drink and talk to him.

Tayrym, the one kid he’d often thought about after getting an early leave from school to begin working. Though he was hardly a boy anymore. Thick and firm. Not gangly as he’d been when they were both students.

“So, do you want to play?” Having Tayrym on the field would be better than catching glimpses of him hiding in the woods as his former classmate had done all the other times he’d come to watch them play.

Tayrym stood and brushed the back of his pants with his hands. “Are you sure, Guri?”

“Raw.” He draped an arm over the other and ushered him toward the field. “It’s what my friends call me. And yes, I’m sure.”

Catching sight of his net minder, Guri tried to keep Tayrym from seeing the wry smile the older man gave him. He didn’t want to scare his former classmate away before finding out some critical information. When Sol’s expression changed back to neutral, Guri decided to guide Tayrym over to him. “Sol, guess who’s on our team?”

The older man nodded to Tayrym. “I wondered how many times you were going to stand among the trees before we got you on the field.”

Tayrym squirmed in Guri’s hold, staring down at his feet.

But Guri pulled him in closer. “Don’t worry, Scrym. It’s all good.”

The other tensed, slightly shaking his head. “Please don’t call me that.”

Guri let go of him. “Why?” The princess called him by that nickname all the time. Was it a special name only she was allowed to use?

Rocking back and forth, Tayrym still wouldn’t lift his gaze from the ground. “I just don’t like it.”

Guri suspected there was much more to the story, but he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “Can I call you Tay, then?”

He finally looked up, giving him a brief smile. “That works.”

“Perfect.” Sol ushered both of them onto the field. “We’re team Tay-Raw-Sol. Now, let’s play.”

“Hold up.” Guri waved over the other three players. When they stood in front of him, he once again draped his arm over Tayrym. Any excuse to touch him. “Guys, this is Tay. He’s joining our team.”

He squeezed Tayrym’s shoulder to gain his attention. “You probably remember Coop from our classes, but I’m not sure if you’ve ever met the other two. The guy with the ball is Dunn, their team captain, and the other is Rosh, who I’m surprised hasn’t decided to curl up on a bench somewhere.”

Rosh raised an eyebrow. “I’m just waiting for you to make a fool of yourself.”

Guri stepped back away from Tayrym, his face growing warm. Though the new player didn’t seem to notice his embarrassment as he exchanged greetings with the other team.

“Okay, let’s play.” Guri was far more confident on the field, playing kickball, than when around Tayrym. Especially with his friends scrutinizing his every move to save for fodder to tease him later.

Guri tried hard to pass the ball, make it a team effort rather than just him singlehandedly scoring against the other team. But each time he’d kick the ball to Tayrym, his teammate would either kick it right back to him or be an easy target for Dunn to steal the ball away. He refused to give up, though. He wanted Tayrym to feel welcome and come back to play again. Dribbling the ball down the field, Guri spotted his teammate in the perfect position for a goal. With Rosh in the net, Coop and Dunn focused on him, but left a nice space between them. Guri faked a shot on goal, to which Dunn tried to block, but instead kicked the ball to his teammate. No one expected it, not even Tayrym.

Guri’s teammate leaned forward as if about to run toward him. When Tayrym noticed the ball right at his feet, his eyes grew wide. He lifted his foot back like he was going to kick the ball, but when he went to connect with it, his foot went into the air. His body followed him up until gravity pulled him back down. Flat on his back. He had kicked the ball but sent it flying in the wrong direction.

Guri rushed to his side then dropped to his knees. “Are you okay? Is anything broken? Banged up?”

“Just my pride.” Tay gave him a wide, toothy smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Goal!”                 

Guri glanced up to see Dunn dancing around the field, arms up in the air.

“Not fair,” he shouted. “We were in a time out. I have an injured player.” Play should have stopped the instant Tayrym fell.

“That didn’t stop you when Coop fell earlier in the game.” Rosh grabbed the ball from Dunn then stood over Guri. “Funny how the rules change when Tay falls down.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Tayrym pushed himself to his feet and brushed off his pants. “I should get going anyway. Thank you for letting me play. Sorry that I messed up that goal.”

“No.” Guri sprinted across the field after him, surprised at how fast the other could walk. “Tay, wait. You didn’t mess anything up.”

His former classmate stopped and slowly turned around. “You don’t have to be nice. I know I’m not good at kickball.”

Guri hooked a finger under Tayrym’s chin and lifted his gaze from the ground to meet his. “When I asked you if you played, I never asked if you were any good. I just wanted you on my team.”

Tayrym’s forehead wrinkled. “Why? It hasn’t been that long since we went to school together. I wasn’t good then, either.”

“Yet, I always picked you back then.” Digging the toe of his boot into the dirt, Guri sighed. “I missed having you on my team.” He’d always thought he was obvious, but maybe Tayrym didn’t get it. Or he wasn’t like him as Guri had suspected. But he didn’t want to come right out and ask. Even with Queen Lalia ruling, there was still a lot of stigma from families and the community if one was different than they were supposed to be. Guri couldn’t risk coming out to Tay unless he knew for sure.

“You forgot this back on the field.” Sol slapped Guri’s shirt against his bare back.

He winced and arched his back. “Why do you have to be like that?” He grabbed his shirt from the man he lived with.

“Because I can.” Sol rested a hand on Guri’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll see you at home. Good luck.”

Luck? He needed more than luck in this situation. He needed the entire universe to work in his favor.