Free Ride

by J.L. Merrow

There’s no such thing as a free ride. Aidan may be only twenty, but he’s already learned that the hard way. Hitch-hiking up from London to Glasgow to keep a promise to a man he’ll never see again, Aidan’s fully prepared to offer payment in kind for his lifts. He’s not expecting a good-looking older bloke to pick him up in a Mercedes -- nor that he’ll find John such good company. After a few short hours together Aidan’s already starting to care what John thinks of him.

When slow traffic forces them to get a room for the night, Aidan’s not sure what to do. Putting out as a thank you to a stranger is one thing, but can he really go through with it with the first person he’s come to care for since he made that promise?

And what’s going to happen when they reach their destination?

Gay Erotic Romance
5,316 words

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Anthologies, Romance, LGBT, Short Stories

18 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2015

About the author

JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.

She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour. Her novella Muscling Through was a 2013 EPIC Award finalist, and her novel Slam! won the 2013 Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Romantic Comedy. Her novel Relief Valve is a finalist in the 2015 EPIC Awards.

JL Merrow is a member of the UK GLBTQ Fiction Meet organising team.

Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com, on Twitter as @jlmerrow, and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jl.merrow

Reviews

[Katharina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but super short, just a snippet out of two people's lives, really, with the pivotal scene that could bring a good change for both of them.

[Stella ╰☆╮╰☆╮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free Ride is a short (too short) story by JL Merrow, an author whose style and writing I love very much. I was a little dubious about it, because being just 18 pages, I was really afraid it would be impossible to deliver something believable and complete. I have to stop to worrying about things when it comes to JL! These few pages show the start of a possible relationship between Aidan and John, in a sweet way and with the use of a humorous british language so typical of the author. I know, there are just brief moments between them, but even if the aim was to just let us know how they met, it was so accomplished. I’m always not satisfied by stories like Free Ride, I think it’s pretty normal to have not enough of a couple if you have loved the few (filling) crumbs you read. I can honestly say it felt right just like that. And moreover I could feel the characters and the chemistry between them. Of course then I went on the author’s website and found out there is a micro sequel to this short story, called On The Beach (you can find it here http://jlmerrow.com/free-reads/on-the...) and I was super happy! I devoured it in a flash.

I want to highly recommend Free Ride. If you already have read something by JL Merrow you know how good she is so it’s a guarantee. If you’re looking for a quick story, full of hope in the future, with an emotional undertone, this one will be perfect for you.

Cover art by Written Ink Designs I know, this model is been used a lot on covers lately, so it’s not so original. It’s a shame because it fits the story and it’s a good one.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I love Merrow's writing and this one is typical Merrow with the humor, snark and Brit speak. The length makes it hard to connect heavily with the characters but there's enough here to enjoy the sweet and somewhat steamy, May-December tale of Aidan's "free ride" with John.

Recommended!

*On sale (30% off) now 7/23/15 at the publisher's website www.jms-books.com

[Anu Vaarama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story. I would like to read more about this promising couple, so this was kind of too short?

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, short, SHORT! But I knew that going in, so no complaints. Enjoyable, though I'm learning I have an entirely different feeling about rating these little micro-stories. I tend to cut them a bit of slack since it really isn't fair to take off points for lack of character development when the writer is only giving us a handful of pages. Of course, I could be wrong, who knows. I don't read such short works (this is only my second one, the other also by Merrow) so I have no clue how to rate this. I just know that while it was short, I enjoyed the scenes and liked the characters. I think, though, if I read more short, short, SHORT stories like this I will have to really make friends with the whole "suspension of disbelief " thing. Oh, and be okay with insta-love.

P.S. Not sure if this writer follows a theme or not, but Free Ride was fairly similar to the other short read I just finished by Merrow, Making It Pay.

[Wandering Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely free author micro-sequel On the Beach can be read here

[★MC's Corner★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

soooo short!

[Tailtiu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part of the A Flirty Dozen Anthology.

[jules0623 · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

[Tetkaripli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First meetings and second chances.

[MiChElLe]

*Kindle Unlimited