Sign of Spring

We've all heard those stock phrases. "When one door closes, another opens." "There's always a silver lining." "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade."

But what if you're the lemon?

After crashing and burning at his job in the Palliative Care Unit, a young nurse takes a cross-country road trip, hoping a break from his routine will be the transfusion he needs to heal his bruised heart. What he doesn't expect is to fall head over heels in love with a chance met acquaintance, a man who lives in the moment, treating each day as an adventure.

An idyllic afternoon in a field of poppies leads to confessions by both men, but can their relationship survive the return to reality? Are the poppies a symbol of death, or a sign of rebirth?

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love Has No Boundaries" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.