Between Lifelines & Undying Embers

Synopsis

Ender: When I first met Gabe—a month after our best friends started dating each other—I expected awkward small talk and polite smiles. What I don't expect is the way he looks at me . . . like I'm important. Like he sees something worth knowing behind the walls I've built over the years. No one's ever looked at me like that before. Not my parents, who left me with scars deeper than silence. Not one person—except maybe my best friends, who taught me how to survive when love felt like a myth. But Gabe's presence stirs something unfamiliar within me. A warmth. A hope. A terrifying, beautiful ache. I don't know what these feelings mean, or if I'm ready to face them. All I know is . . . I want him to stay long enough for me to find out.Gabe: Life is finally falling into place—my best friend and I just opened our dream restaurant, and everything feels right. Then he meets someone special. Luckily, this someone special comes with a best friend who stops me in my tracks. Ender is quiet, guarded, and heartbreakingly beautiful. One night is all it takes for me to know I want more. Then, just as quickly as he lets me in, he shuts me out. With every red flag I find, I know I should run. Anyone would, but I can't. Because underneath all that pain and self-loathing is someone worthy. I need him, and I think he needs me.Contains mature themes.