PHOTO DESCRIPTION:
Black and white photo of a muscular cowboy standing in a field, holding his saddle in one hand. He is shirtless and wearing jeans. His head is dropped to his chest and his face is obscured by his hat.
STORY LETTER:
Dear Author,
I thought that I could hide who I really am from everyone. My family and friends don’t know my secret, I’m gay. More specifically I’m a gay cowboy, I’ve been riding the rodeo circuit for several years now. What’s worse is my best friend, the person I’ve shared everything with since we were in grade school, doesn’t know the ‘real’ me. So here I stand, saddle in hand, trying to muster up the courage to come clean with him. He’s over in the arena getting ready to ride one of the most dangerous bulls in the circuit, he’s probably looking for me right now for support. We’ve been there for each other through all the injuries and self-doubts, been supportive for each other when our families have thought we were crazy for leading a rodeo life.
I take a deep breath and go watch my friend, the one I’m about to lose when I tell him I’m gay, I wonder what he’ll think when I tell him I’m in love with him too?
Sincerely,
Lily
STORY INFO:
Genre: contemporary
Tags: cowboys, rodeo, first time, coming out, friends to lovers
Word Count: 56,125
EVENT: Love’s Landscapes