QUEER ROMANCE AUTHOR
ELIJAH
Out of all the apartments in Atlanta, I ended up with the worst neighbor. Shaw Hastings is a headache. He's so full of himself it makes me crazy. Our official language is snarky banter--which I don't enjoy, I swear. I've got eyes for my bestie Danny, anyway. I need to figure out if he feels the same, so I email an advice column written by a serial dater, who's just as annoying as Shaw. Now, I'm asking myself why am I thinking less about Danny and having a blast virtually flirting with Anonymous?
SHAW
I don't know why I like my adorable neighbor, Elijah Coleman. We've got nothing in common, yet somehow he's both boring and kinda fun. He reminds me of this guy who emailed my advice column, so it shouldn't be surprising that—oops—they're the same person. Imagine me then offering to help Elijah get Danny in real life just because it means spending time with him. We go from angry neighbors, to frenemies taking dancing lessons together, to a flirtatious friendship where I enjoy making him happy.
No matter how much we fight it, Elijah and I are stumbling toward the L word. It's messy and scary, but then he smiles, strikes a beautiful dance pose, or kisses me, and suddenly it's not so bad. He's ruining me, and I sort of like it. Stupid love. Unfortunately, with my track record of running scared, I just might wreck the only real relationship I've ever had.
JAMESON
Being a twenty-two-year-old virgin was not on my list of life goals. I don't know how it happened. Well...I never date, dedicate all my time to college, and I'm awkward with a capital A around hot guys--okay, so I know exactly how it happened. When my best friends come up with a plan to make the most of this summer before grad school, I'm all for it. That's how I end up at a charity bachelor auction, bidding on a date I hope will help me toss this V-card out the window.
What could possibly go wrong?
WILL
Life is good. I love my new job as PA to the owner of a major production company. Being a prize in a charity auction and scoring the highest bid? Icing on the cake. Now I get to be the date of the most adorable, rambling, bow-tie-wearing grad student I've ever seen. Seriously, I can't be within ten feet of this guy without a smile on my face. When he slips that he's looking for a summer fling to experiment with, I'm game. Jameson is so different from anyone I've hooked up with before, so completely himself, I'm immediately smitten.
Oh, and did I mention we find out he's my boss's son?
Between keeping our fling-turned-relationship a secret from his dad and another little familial bombshell that gets dropped in our laps, I'm quickly learning that love is a whole lot more complicated than I thought.
DANNY
I’m not a guy who’s looking for a serious relationship. I love the chase, and the one time I thought I wanted more, the guy bailed. When my buddy Will mentions his recently out, older brother is looking for a place to stay, I offer the spare room in my apartment. It’s clear Jonathan’s past did a number on him, and he’s locked up tight. I make it my mission to show him how to have a little fun. What I don’t expect is to start to like him…or get jealous when he goes on a date…and hooking up with him is a terrible idea…right?
JONATHAN
When Dad caught me kissing a boy as a teenager, he made it clear such behavior was unacceptable, and I’ve been messed up about it ever since. I’m over thirty, yet from Danny’s viewpoint, I’m a baby gay, which should be more annoying than it is. He’s got me playing on a queer baseball team, making friends, and wanting things I never thought I’d want, like pursuing my art—and him. I definitely want him.
Problem is, I can’t get rid of the unwanted voices in my head, my relationship with most of my family is a disaster, and every time Danny touches me, I come apart, finding myself wanting more. Danny doesn’t do relationships, he’s my brother’s friend, and I have a slew of hang-ups. All of this makes things…messy.
So then why can’t we keep our hands off each other? Why is he taking me on dates and looking at me like we could have more? To get there, we’ll need to put our pasts away for good, and have a lot of trust, not just in ourselves, but each other.