Mel Bossa

Billy spends his evenings dreaming of love and excitement. His roommate Francis wonders why Billy would waste his time fantasizing about a straight mechanic he works with who won't even look his way. But Xavier isn't straight, he's bisexual. And he's been stealing looks at Billy without being caught. Billy's blue eyes make him feel proud, something he hasn't felt ever since his father left him to fend for himself. Part Mohawk, Xavier deals with racism...

It's been eleven years since Nick ran off with David for the West Coast. And though his life resembles a blue dream, after more than a decade of bar tending in resorts and cruise ships, Nick is finally thinking of heading home. First, he needs to go see about David in Vancouver... When he arrives, Nick finds a community of young men devastated by AIDS. Part of him wants to flee back to Montreal, but David is dying and Nick knows his place is by his...

Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving's Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he'd never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde's life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair's...

In the advertising business, Harris Desmond is notorious for his bad boy attitude, but behind that arrogant front hides a sensitive soul. Weeks away from launching his first perfume for men, Erebus, Harris dreams of success and finally emerging from his painful past. Weeks before the launch party, Harris's friend suggests he contact an escort agency to hire a date for his big night. Of course, Harris has his reservations about the idea, but the last...

To others, Liam Stokes is a confirmed bachelor, content with his job as a foreman and satisfied with his quiet life. Liam's friends and family don't suspect that under his calm surface a storm is gathering. Liam has had it with living a lie, but can't summon the courage to come out as gay until faith takes charge of that. One morning, his back gives out and Liam is forced into getting a massage. Inked and pierced, Kieran is a young massage therapist...

Allan has always tried to do the sensible thing. So when his sister Elsie became pregnant eight years ago and was ditched by her boyfriend, he stepped up to the plate. Since then, he's been his sister's support system and father figure to his niece. Allan's world is turned upside down when Elsie becomes engaged and he meets her fiancé's older brother, Davinder -- a beautiful, brooding artist with a thousand secrets in his eyes. But Davinder is a...

Easy-going Sebastien divides his time between working as a cleaning technician, caring for his widowed father, and running off to the park for soccer practice. Coasting through his existence, he's convinced he doesn't have much going for him. That isn't what his best friend Jack thinks. Quick-witted and passionate, Jack is fascinated by art and history, but the greatest book or painting could never compare to how he feels when he's alone with Sebastien....

Quiet and imaginative, Derek O'Reilly spends a lot of time watching a movie in his head. His fiancé Nathan wonders why Derek hasn't taken any interest in their wedding planning, and Aunt Fran -- his spiritual guru -- would like to know when her guilt-tripping nephew became a kept boy. When she drops Derek's childhood journal on his lap, he's forced to remember the name he's been trying to forget since he was twelve years old. Nicolai Lund.Nick was...

Though Jimmy's ill and isn't getting any better, he hopes to have a bit of fun during Pride weekend. When he meets Nolan, a young dancer in the parade, Jimmy takes a chance on making himself vulnerable for the first time in years. What Jimmy doesn't expect is how strong Nolan will make him feel with a simple gesture of support. Note: This short story was originally published in the charity collection, Love Is Proud.

Two years ago, Chris and his boyfriend left the city to settle in a small town at the US-Canada border. Eager to start a new life, Chris bought the Frontier Café, but a year later, his boyfriend dumped him, leaving Chris the only openly gay man in town. Nowadays he's resigned to a life of romantic solitude. Hank spent the last years traveling through the country for his job as a water plant engineer. Deeply closeted, he's careful about the men...