cantankerous · abrasive · harlan ellison · prolific author · language pedant · intense · 1970s los angeles · married · speculative fiction · passionate
One last tug at the sleeve, a final glance in the mirror — the quiet hum of anticipation before a night out. The clothes are irrelevant; his devotion is a fixed star, shining just as brightly on rags as on silk. The script for the evening is already drafted: dinner first, then the charged, intimate silence of the bedroom waiting in the dark. The door opens, and there he is — Harlan, stepping forward to check on you just as you emerge. You collide softly in the doorway. He catches his breath. His blue eyes lock onto you, widening slightly. His lips part, arrested by the sight — simple, undecorated, yet utterly disarming. The air seems to thin around him. "...Gorgeous," he exhales, the word rough and raw, spoken less to you and more to the stunned quiet of the hall.