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due South: Why I Lied to You by Garonne
Apr. 23rd, 2023 01:22 amWhy I Lied to You (Fraser/Kowalski | NC17 | 19,877 words): Fraser and Ray, set during the 1930s Prohibition era. This is such an interesting setting, especially as it's set mostly in Detroit/Windsor rather than Chicago. The romance that blooms between Fraser and Ray is gentle and sweet.
Excerpt:
So we ended up in a little diner Fraser knew. It was in a quiet street, not far from the docks but full of people from another world: clerks and copyists and factory girls. Instinctively we both wanted to keep out of the clip joints where the bootleggers hung out. I got the impression Fraser hadn't come here very often before, if ever. He didn't greet the waitress by name or inquire after the bartender's wife and children, as I'd seen him do in even the sleaziest dives.
Fraser had a glass of orange juice, and I had a beer. I'd hesitated before ordering but hey, I was in Canada, right? It wasn't even illegal.
Fraser had been pretty quiet, and pretty stiff, since we'd left his office. As if he wasn't sure if he wanted to come after all. Then once we were sitting down facing, it was like he made a conscious effort to relax.
"Thought you might have forgotten me," I said, only half joking.
"Oh no." His eyes had gone wide and surprised.
"Huh. Great."
"On the contrary," he added.
That made me grin. I still didn't know what to say next, though, so I looked back down into my beer.
"So, uh, you see any interesting wildlife recently?"
For a second he just stared, like he was wondering whether there was some sort of double meaning in the question. Then he smiled, his first genuine smile since he'd seen me through the window, and bam, the starting pistol fired and he was off.
Excerpt:
So we ended up in a little diner Fraser knew. It was in a quiet street, not far from the docks but full of people from another world: clerks and copyists and factory girls. Instinctively we both wanted to keep out of the clip joints where the bootleggers hung out. I got the impression Fraser hadn't come here very often before, if ever. He didn't greet the waitress by name or inquire after the bartender's wife and children, as I'd seen him do in even the sleaziest dives.
Fraser had a glass of orange juice, and I had a beer. I'd hesitated before ordering but hey, I was in Canada, right? It wasn't even illegal.
Fraser had been pretty quiet, and pretty stiff, since we'd left his office. As if he wasn't sure if he wanted to come after all. Then once we were sitting down facing, it was like he made a conscious effort to relax.
"Thought you might have forgotten me," I said, only half joking.
"Oh no." His eyes had gone wide and surprised.
"Huh. Great."
"On the contrary," he added.
That made me grin. I still didn't know what to say next, though, so I looked back down into my beer.
"So, uh, you see any interesting wildlife recently?"
For a second he just stared, like he was wondering whether there was some sort of double meaning in the question. Then he smiled, his first genuine smile since he'd seen me through the window, and bam, the starting pistol fired and he was off.