Sunday, September 20, 2026
Sunday's Short Stack: The Exception by Skylar M Cates
Tenderhearted Sam's entire life changes when he becomes blind. Despite a falling out years ago, it is up to his childhood friend Nick to help him. Nick is able to aid Sam with his guide dog, but will he be able to earn a second chance at love?
One day might decide.
Tropes: childhood friends, friends to lovers, second chance, short story
One day was all it took for me to leave town. One day to say goodbye to anyone who’d mattered. The list had been short: only Sam.
Sam had been my first friend, my best friend, the only part of my past I’d grieved leaving. Every memory I had of home was also tied to a memory of Sam. If only all those memories didn’t also remind me of heartbreak.
I knocked on his assigned apartment and swallowed hard, my palms sweaty as I waited. Ten long years. Would I still feel that spark between us?
We’d kept in touch over the years, with exchanges through texts and social media, but each year our exchanges got shorter until our real lives had nothing to do with each other. How weird that the one person I’d lived for as a kid had become a near stranger to me. Weirder still was how our paths would cross again after so much time had passed.
I was glad that Sam wouldn’t see my face, which might show all the longing I’d bottled up as a teenager… then felt guilty as fuck for thinking that.
Blind.
Sam Harris, the boy with the most beautiful hazel eyes in the world, was blind. Blinded in a firecracker accident helping some stupid kids on the Fourth of July. Sam, who’d loved the beautiful colors of the deep browns and greens of the woods. As kids, we’d lie under a tree for hours, just talking about nothing and cloud-gazing. Sam would peel the bark off the tree with his fingers, a relaxed smile on his face, his gaze locked on the blue sky, mine locked on him.
Briefly I had been there to welcome him when he’d arrived at the foundation, an on-campus service animal training facility, a few days ago, but there had been too many other people around. My job was dog trainer for PSTD clients, whereas Patti handled dogs for the visually impaired and therefore assigned to Sam. It was crucial that Sam be with her and meet his dog as soon as possible. Patti had met with him earlier, and I’d offered to stop in to follow up tonight, since tomorrow was the only day of the week he could simply relax with his dog. All the rest of his time, Patti was assessing and working with them.
I heard a dog’s low bark inside Sam’s apartment and listened for a response to the dog, but there was only silence. I shifted the grocery bag to my other hand, then decided to set it on the ground. The foundation offered temporary apartments during the time our clients worked with our dogs for several reasons. It helped promote the client’s independence, for one thing, away from protective family members, and it also developed the dog-and-owner relationship at a faster pace. I heard the dog again and then a muffled reply. Too soft for me to really hear Sam’s voice.
Just when I was considering knocking again, Sam opened the door, his brand-new guide dog at his side.
“Hey, Sam.”
“Hiya, Nicky, come on in.”
Emotional, Roller-Coaster Romance
Skylar M. Cates loves a good, heartfelt romance, especially ones that are both steamy and emotionally satisfying. She is quite happy to drink some coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Her novels feature strong, passionate characters who care about their friends and family. Skylar loves to craft stories where people are challenged by vulnerable situations. Although lately the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar still loves to chat with people from all around the globe. Contact her on Twitter, Facebook, or through her newsletter.
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