Love in 24 Frames

By C.S. Poe

Declan Groves is a CPA in New York City. His adult life is dictated by routine and monotony. The need to express himself, in ways his career and crippling shyness have never allowed, leads Declan to becoming an amateur stop-motion filmmaker. The problem with this—Declan is now in love with the Wandering Artist Studios receptionist, Shota Watanabe. Shota has always had a smile and engaging comment ready for Declan, but even if it's more than casual politeness, Declan hasn't been able to get out more than a tongue-tied sentence at a time. And a man like Shota surely has no intention of waiting forever.

 

So when an unexpected change to Declan's daily schedule during Christmastime throws the two together outside of the studio, it might be the catalyst needed to explore what's been unspoken between them. But if they're to have a future, Declan needs to find a way to tell Shota how he feels before the magic of the holidays is behind them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emporium Press
• Release date: Mar 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781952133138

C.S. Poe

C.S. Poe is a Lambda Literary and two-time EPIC award finalist, and a FAPA award-winning author of gay mystery, romance, and speculative fiction. She resides in New York City, but has also called Key West and Ibaraki, Japan home in the past. She has an affinity for all things cute and colorful and a major weakness for toys. C.S. is an avid fan of coffee, reading, and cats. She’s rescued two cats—Milo and Kasper do their best to distract her from work on a daily basis. C.S. is an alumna of the School of Visual Arts. Her debut novel, The Mystery of Nevermore, was published 2016. cspoe.com

Book preview

Love in 24 Frames

by

C.S. Poe

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Love in 24 Frames

Copyright © 2019, 2020 by C.S. Poe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests and all other inquiries, contact: [e-mail]

Published by Emporium Press

https://www.cspoe.com

[e-mail]

Cover Art by Reese Dante

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

Published 2020.

First Edition published 2019. Second Edition 2020.

Printed in the United States of America

Digital eBook ISBN: 978-1-952133-13-8

Love in 24 Frames

By: C.S. Poe

Declan Groves is a CPA in New York City. His adult life is dictated by routine and monotony. The need to express himself, in ways his career and crippling shyness have never allowed, leads Declan to becoming an amateur stop-motion filmmaker. The problem with this—Declan is now in love with the Wandering Artist Studios receptionist, Shota Watanabe. Shota has always had a smile and engaging comment ready for Declan, but even if it’s more than casual politeness, Declan hasn’t been able to get out more than a tongue-tied sentence at a time. And a man like Shota surely has no intention of waiting forever.

So when an unexpected change to Declan’s daily schedule during Christmastime throws the two together outside of the studio, it might be the catalyst needed to explore what’s been unspoken between them. But if they’re to have a future, Declan needs to find a way to tell Shota how he feels before the magic of the holidays is behind them.

CHAPTER ONE

There he was.

The evening front-desk receptionist of Wandering Artist Studios and man I was madly in love with.

Shota W.

He was the most perfect human east of the Hudson River, with deep brown eyes, matching hair, and thick, expressive brows. He had a brilliant smile too, and the most kissable lips, beautifully shaped by a peaked cupid’s bow. The angel had no idea he moonlighted as my muse.

Shota W.….

The front door clanged shut behind me, and Shota raised his head. Good evening, Mr. Groves, he said over the low hum of Scrooged playing on the flat-screen television mounted to the far wall.

H-hello.

I’d been renting a shared studio at the company’s Lower East Side location for the last six months. And for six months, I’d been wondering what the W stood for on Shota’s name tag. But I’d never been able to work up the nerve to ask. Now the window of opportunity had long since passed, so it was going to have to resign itself to being one of life’s great mysteries. I did not possess the social graces required to bring up the topic six months later without making it supremely awkward.

I was also considerably older than most of the clients who utilized the art space. When one thinks of a New York City artist, they don’t envision a forty-eight-year-old man in a three-piece

Reviews for Love in 24 Frames

[momo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sweet short story about a man in love reminded me a bit of will Ferrell movie, stranger than fiction.

[carol420 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was only 4 chapters. Cute story but it really needed to be longer. The two guys didn't have near enough time to get to know one another let alone anything else. Anyone that just wants a short romance will probably like it. There are a few kisses but that it.