The Plot Bunny by Scarlet Hyacinth Read Free Book Online Page A

finalize his work.
    "What about the sculpture?" he asked Simon.
    "Oh, it's not finished by far," Simon replied. "You'll have to come again."
    Luc grinned. "It'd be my pleasure."
    * *
    The Present
    "And I did," Luc told Dury. "I came to Simon's studio more and more, until the sculpture was finished. And when it was finally done, I didn't stop coming."
    "What happened?" Dury asked.
    "Before I knew it, we'd been together one year. But then suddenly, I couldn't write anymore. I started getting obsessed with breaking free of the slump, and simply pushed Simon away. A few months later, Simon broke up with me."
    "Why didn't you fight it?" Dury asked. "Why didn't you try to keep him?"
    "He deserves better," Luc said softly. "I couldn't make him happy."
    Dury didn't insist. Instead, he looked at the sky and said, "It's getting dark. The park will be closing soon. Come on."
    He got up and Luc followed, wondering why he'd even told Dury about Simon. True enough, Dury knew some things already, but the emotions, the love and desire and pain, they were Luc's. No one could understand it, not like Luc could.
    In that moment, Luc realized it. As he'd spoken to Dury, the feelings he'd shut out for two months had emerged, overwhelming him. His books were dead and numb, yes, because he'd been like that, not allowing himself to realize the true extent of his loss. But why had he been unable to write in the first place?
    Too much feeling, Luc told himself. So much, Luc couldn't deal with it. He couldn't tell Simon how much their relationship meant to him. He'd been so afraid, without even realizing it. God, it was so clear now. But it was also too late.
    "Are you all right?" Dury asked in a soft, gentle tone.
    "Fine," Luc replied. He realized he was shaking and his voice trembled with restrained tears.
    "Let's go home," Dury said. "You need some sleep."

Chapter Four
     
    The third stage of Dury ' s plan was named See . By now, Luc expected something traumatizing and em otional to happen. And as much as he hated to admit it, through Dury, he ' d understood and felt more in a few days than he had in the past couple of months. No matter how stupid and corny the plan seemed, Luc would see it to the very end.
    He was surprised when Dury took him to an unfamiliar building, a private center for the treatment of the handicapped. Luc had thankfully never needed such medical attention, nor had any of the members of his family or close friends.
    They entered the facility, and to Luc's shock, no one stopped them. A couple of nurses even greeted Dury, smiling brightly at him. Dury waved back at them and kept walking.
    They took the elevator to an upper floor. All the while, Luc ached to ask what was going on. He got his answer when they walked out of the elevator and stopped in front of a gym.
    Through the windows, Dury nodded toward two familiar figures, a redheaded woman and a man in a wheelchair.
    Luc recognized the woman at once. After all, she'd thrown his latest manuscript in his face just a few days back. "Dana?"
    "You remember her brother, Josh, right?" Dury asked, pointing to the man.
    "Yes, of course. The last time I saw him was at the art gallery where I met Simon. He was very excited about playing in front of an audience of a thousand people. I later read that they loved him."
    "That's right. He was very popular in the next few shows, as well. A few months back, though, he had an accident. Doctors say he won't ever walk again."
    Luc gave Dury a horrified look. "What? That can't be. Dana never told me."
    "Josh asked her not to. He didn't want people to know, to see him like this. He still hopes the medics are wrong. They kept the media dogs back with money."
    Luc stared at the once happy young violinist and couldn't believe his eyes. He had trouble reconciling the Josh he'd known with this one. Joshua had been so full of life, so happy. He'd had the world at his feet, much like Luc in a way. How could things change so fast, and so drastically?
    As