Let Your Heart Smile

By J.B. Buell

Niki Georgiev lives and works in Draganov's Flying circus as a disabled clown. Each day he paints a smile onto his face, though he hasn't felt like smiling for some time.

When the circus gets a new act in, flashy stunt bike riders, Niki gets a surprise. His childhood friend Conner Flinn is one of the riders and has returned to the circus a big star.

Niki doesn't expect Conner to remember him, much less want to spend time with him as he's just one of the clowns.

But not only does Conner notice Niki, he also asks him to join his act. Will Niki finally have a reason to smile?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646568437

J.B. Buell

J.B. Buell is a non binary writer (they/them or he/him) of m/m romance and gay rom com stories. They are a cat person, and can’t decide if they’re more of a coffee or tea person but is quite happy to drink both.

Book preview

Let Your Heart Smile

By J.B. Buell

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2021 J.B. Buell

ISBN 9781646568437

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Let Your Heart Smile

By J.B. Buell

Chapter 1

Where’s your arm?

Niki looked down at the little kid who’d asked the question, looking up at him with big eyes.

It was hard to be mad at kids, he thought, especially the little ones. They were only curious after all.

Hush, dear, the mom said, looking embarrassed as she side-eyed Niki. Don’t be rude.

The parents on the other hand…they could be a bit annoying with their pitying looks and condescending chatter. Niki didn’t reply, he simply picked off a balloon from his little cart and offered it by its string to the kid.

The balloon bobbed in the air as the kid took hold of the string. It advertised Draganov’s Flying Circus, as that’s what Niki was doing out in the town anyway: promoting the circus. He was dressed up in his Cho-cho the clown outfit, and thanks to the outfit he didn’t even need to talk to anyone. Not verbally, anyway.

Hold tight to that balloon, dear, the mom prompted the kid. Now, what do you say to the nice man?

The kid looked at Niki again with an expression like they weren’t too sure what to make of all this, but Niki was used to that now. Some kids even broke into tears at the sight of him. Apparently some people didn’t like clowns.

Thank you, mister, the kid murmured.

A small smile tugged at Niki’s mouth, but the kid probably wouldn’t see under all his clown make-up. He pressed the flower on his lapel instead, making it twirl around with a comical whizzing sound. Kids always liked the flower.

This earned him a grin from the kid, so Niki decided to offer them a couple of reduced price ticket stubs for the show. The circus was opening tomorrow, and they needed to advertise.

Oh, thank you, the mom said, a somewhat dubious expression on her face. Can we go, mommy? the kid asked. Can we?

Maybe your father can take you, the mom replied. Come along, now.

They left, and Niki waved to the kid being pulled away. He’d noticed that some parents didn’t seem to like him much, and he thought it was more to do with his rolled up left sleeve than him being dressed as a clown. Or, maybe the combined effect scared them, Niki wasn’t sure. Clowns weren’t scary, though. But then Niki had grown up in and around the circus, so he was used to them.

Anyway, time to get back to the grind. He pressed the button on the musical box atop his cart, so it started the pre-recorded roll up, roll up music designed to entice any kids within earshot to come closer. Niki had balloons, paper flowers, and tickets to give to any interested parties.

He looked around at the small town square, bustling with people going about their errands or shopping for groceries. Most of the adults ignored him. A couple of kids pulled at their parent’s hands, wanting to come investigate, but the parents wouldn’t let them.

Not for the first time, Niki felt awkward and kind