And Then Came Bliss

Even on the darkest of days, there is hope.

They say bad news comes in threes. For Jake Sheraton, bad was the understatement of the century. Learning that his husband had been cheating on him for years was a hard enough a pill to swallow. Worse was being divorced for a younger man. But even that paled compared to the incurable parting gift his husband left him with. Alone, bereft, and facing a future he'd never imagined, the last thing Jake expects to find is bliss in a West End coffee shop. 

When a haunted-looking man wanders into Bliss Beans, owner Blair Blissett knows he needs to help however he can. Even if it's just with a hot, sweet beverage and an encouraging smile. But when he learns they have more in common than he suspected, he goes out of his way to give the beautiful man hope.

And Then Came Bliss is a short 8300-word story about hope and was originally published in the Say Their Names charity anthology project in support of The Names Project, the organization which oversees, maintains, and displays the AIDS Quilt. It has been lightly reedited but the story remains unchanged.