The King of Cups

American college student Charlie Porter is stuck in London for Christmas, thanks to massive winter storms that blanket the Europe. He's facing a holiday spent in a hostel eating cold beans out of a can, when Hugh Campbell, his friend from university, surprises him with an invitation to Scotland. If Charlie is going to miss Christmas with his own family, he might as well spend it with someone else's. But nothing is ever that simple, especially when Hugh's mum puts them up in Hugh's old bedroom together. Charlie's been nursing a crush on Hugh since they met, but he can't ruin a perfectly good friendship over that.

Hugh knew his mum and dad would see right through him, but he should have expected that Charlie would get the boyfriend treatment. Rather than dispel any illusions, he and Charlie agree to let the matter lie and to act as normal as possible. But when Hugh's friends get on his case about Charlie, he'll deny his attraction until the sun comes up. Not that anyone believes him.

Without the distractions of school work or flatmates, the tension of being alone together grows. Charlie is headed home after the New Year, and then will be gone for good by the summertime. Can they sort out their feelings before it's too late? Or will this just be another missed opportunity?

Approximately 27,000 words.