Page 189 of Men in Shorts

Liam appeared then at the door. He stopped at the threshold and gave Robert a thumbs-up.

“What’s the app called?” asked Emma, the girl who’d begged forMaximum Dragonlost levels.

“The official working title isGlasgow Effect, but to those in the know…” He met Liam’s eyes. “It’s calledBe Less Shite.”

After class ended and the room had cleared out, Liam came over and gave Robert a quick kiss. “You’re a pure natural.”

“Thanks, but I definitely need practice. I talked way too fast. I was so terrified of being boring.”

“You could’ve read from the latest Act of Parliament and still held those girls’ attention. They’re fatally in love with you.”

Robert changed the subject. “How did you get on with Tamara?”

“Good. I’m glad you manipulated me into talking to her.”

“I didn’t?—”

“She says the practice where she works hired a massage therapist. Most of the big places have them.” He picked up one of the whiteboard markers and started flipping it end over end. “So I guess not all massage therapists are, like, stuck for hours in a wee pastel room with incense and New Age music.”

“Did it help you figure out what to do?”

“For now.” Liam fumbled the marker, then bent to pick it up. “I think I’ll start at massage college next month, and once I’ve got my certification or whatever, I can decide what to do with it. There’s nae rush.”

“Good.” Robert was glad for that—as spontaneous as Liam could be moment to moment, when it came to big decisions, he definitely preferred to look before he leapt. “And you’d stay at Hannigan’s in the meantime?”

“Of course.” Liam rubbed his own forearms, looking aghast at the thought of quitting. “I’d never leave unless I had something secure to move on to.” He tugged the hem of Robert’s shirt. “Unlike the hotter person in this room, I don’t jump into things all balls-out, Don Quixote–style.” He glanced at the open classroom doorway, then kissed Robert again, this time longer and deeper.

Robert sensed Liam was done talking about big plans. “You know, back when I signed up to teach this course, you mentioned something about an extrinsic reward.”

Liam cocked his head. “Did I? What could that have been, I wonder?”

“Take me home and I’ll remind you.” Robert pulled him close, and in his boyfriend’s dancing amber eyes he saw the future—Liam’s, his own, and theirs together. “I won’t even make you guess.”

And then…

I hope you enjoyedPlay Hard! Liam and Robert appear throughout the Glasgow Lads series, first as best mates and then as so much more.

Next up is “Schrödingers Kiss,” a short-short story featuring the main characters fromPlaying By Ear, the fifth and final Glasgow Lads novel, to be released in 2026. It takes place March through May 2016.

Here is a brief, non-spoilery description:

Playing By Ear (Glasgow Lads Book 5)

Peregrine Hall is losing his sight, but he's adapting, even thriving in his job as a journalist. When he falls hard for a street musician who eagerly returns his feelings, Perry thinks his life is falling perfectly into place.

A decade ago, Jamie Guthrie escaped his toxic family and set out to make it on his own. He's content to remain a busker on the streets of Glasgow, carefully avoiding wider exposure that could reveal his turbulent past. He never lets anyone know the real him—and maybe that's why he's got a serious case of songwriter's block.

Then Jamie's family reaches out to him in their hour of need. Will he risk everything—his relationship with Perry, maybe even his life—to look after his dangerous, dying father? How long before Perry's inquiring mind discovers the truth?

Schrödinger’s Kiss

A GLASGOW LADS SHORT-SHORT STORY

20 March 2016

Schrödinger’s Kiss: A Glasgow Lads Short-Short Story

Perry

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