Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

Walker, you have stood by through the toughest time in my life and I can't imagine any time in my future where I won't want you by my side. Will you marry me?"
    He was nodding before I even finished asking. He took the ring from my hand and put it on. We could barely manage a proper kiss around our grins.
    The crowd cheered around us and as I kissed the man who would be mine for the rest of my days, my heart was so full of joy I thought it would burst.
    As we walked out of the theatre later that night and into the light spring rain, it felt fitting that our journey back together had started in the rain and was sealed by the rain. The drops of water fell almost silently from the sky as they dampened our clothes. We took momentary cover under an awning as Andrew kissed me. Before we stepped out of our brief shelter, I glanced down at our linked hands. In the bright light of the street lamp the droplets of water on his ring cast a tiny rainbow over the gold.
    I smiled and allowed myself to revel in our happiness as I dragged him out into the rain.
    THE END
    Author bio: Kathleen is a relative newbie to writing but has jumped in feet first (there might have been a dare involved). She is a bit of an all-around geek. Kathleen loves sci-fi television (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and could argue to pro and cons of Serenity vs. Stargate until the end of time. She has mastered the art of procrastination, is owned by two crazy cats, and loves being a Christian (but not the scary kind). Her favorite thing to read about are first kisses and is way more likely to write a first kiss than a sex scene. Kathleen loves to hear from readers, writers, reviewers and pretty much anyone so feel free to email her at [email protected] or comment on her blog. She has two self-published stories available, "Broken" and "Christmas Tradition", as well as a plethora of ficbits, available on her blog. She is also in the middle of a serial story, True Love's Kiss , which updates every two weeks or so.
    You can find her online at Romancing the Word (her blog) or on her Goodreads profile.
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THE LIFECYCLE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN LOVE VIRUS
    by Kerry Freeman

    I'm set in my ways, self-centered, perverse and often disagreeable…prone to fits of self-isolation and moodiness. I live a solitary life and I like it that way. However, as the staff meeting ends, The Dean informs us that each professor was to open their home and become Mentor to an aspiring apprentice. The Dean had given us all little choice. If you wanted improved lab facilities, take on an apprentice…or don't and do without. The instant I laid eyes on him I knew I'd made a terrible mistake.
    ~ Gina

    genre: contemporary
    tags: scientist; apprentice/teacher; over-age-40; cohabitation; humorous
    word count: 3,491
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    THE LIFECYCLE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN LOVE VIRUS
    by Kerry Freeman
    STAGE 1: Exposure of the Host
    "I warned you, Culpepper. If you didn't pick an apprentice, I'd pick one for you."
    Phone in hand, Oswald paced the short length of his pristine kitchen and worried his bottom lip with his teeth. "I've never had to have one before."
    The dean wasn't giving an inch. "That's because my predecessor babied you. I'm not going to do that. We are a teaching hospital, in case you'd forgotten."
    Not for the first time, Oswald wanted to strangle his old friend, the former dean, for doing something stupid like retiring to spend time with his wife . "Fine, but I don't want him to live with me."
    Oswald scanned his small apartment. It was sterile, white, and precisely arranged, just the way he liked it. No one could effectively maintain the space except him, which was probably why he'd been alone for so long. He shook his head and reminded himself that it didn't matter. He was better on his own.
    "Too bad." The dean's words were becoming more clipped, his New Jersey accent more pronounced, a sure sign he was tiring of the conversation. "We pay for your condo, and you will house the young man until he finds his own apartment. Unless you'd like to start paying your rent yourself."
    No, Oswald didn't think he'd like that at all. "It appears I don't have a choice."
    "Correct."
    "When will he be at the lab?"
    Papers shuffled in the background. "Noon."
    "That's not good for me. I've--"
    "Noon, Culpepper," the dean growled. "Be there."
    When the line went dead, Oswald growled and threw his iPhone against the far wall. It exploded on impact. He immediately grabbed a