What does freedom mean when you don't remember how to live? Five years in white walls taught me how to survive, not how to exist... How do you start over when your hands are still stained? They say I'm free now, that I've done my time. But the world outside feels wrong. Too bright, too alive... They call it LUCK. Lucky to have a second chance. Lucky to breathe air that doesn't taste like bleach and metal. But luck will never change what I did... ~Owen Owen Williams was never loved... not by the people who called themselves his parents. Years of cruelty carved something hollow inside him, until one night, at twelve years old, the breaking point came. A knife. A scream. Blood he still can't wash from his hands. He told himself it was survival. But the guilt never left. Five years locked in a mental hospital couldn't silence the echoes of that night. Now, seventeen and released into a small town under the watch of a kind officer, Owen is supposed to start over... to live again. But how do you begin when the past won't let go? When every breath tastes like a memory? And when forgiveness feels like something meant for someone else?

Knox has spent years perfecting the art of not giving a damn. He has spent his whole life keeping people at arm's length, working late shifts, smoking through the exhaustion, and surviving each day with the numb detachment of someone who learned too young that caring only leads to pain. The art club he joins for extra credit is supposed to be just another chore. Instead, he founds a new obsession and four artist that, turns out, aren't as bad as he thought. Knox doesn't want redemption. He doesn't believe in healing arcs or clean endings. But as the weight of his past presses closer, and the present demands choices he can no longer postpone, he's forced to confront a question he has never allowed himself to ask: What happens when running is no longer enough?

(MxM) In the corridors of their shared educational journey, Chase Prescott and Jackson Arevalo exist as parallel entities, separated by an invisible divide forged from years of silent observation. From preschool to high school, their paths have crossed yet never converged, each occupying opposite ends of the classroom without ever exchanging a word. Chase, fueled by an imagined rivalry with Jackson, has spent his academic life striving to outdo an opponent who doesn't even realize the game exists. Unknown to Chase, Jackson has been acutely aware of the unspoken tension, silently observing Chase's every move with a mixture of bemusement and curiosity. As they part ways after high school, their unspoken rivalry seems destined to remain just that-unspoken. However, fate has other plans in store. Years later, a chance encounter reunites Chase and Jackson in a small town off the coast. After all this time apart, who knew all it would take was a cup of coffee to finally get them to speak to each other? With the new addition of conversation to their dynamic, their relationship seems to change drastically, but neither of them knows if it's for better or for worse...

[COMPLETED] [2025 Wattys Honorable Mention] Danny's neighbor should be illegal. There's no way someone should be that attractive. They've lived next door to each other for over a year. As a skinny, clumsy, sweater-loving, Modern Poetry professor, Danny never believed someone like him could catch the eye of someone as perfect as Brett. But when Danny (accidentally) RSVPs to a destination wedding he never wanted to attend, he realizes he's in a bind-he needs a plus-one. And somehow, Brett becomes his unexpected solution. Brett's MMA career was on the brink of greatness until an injury stopped him cold. Now, trying to reclaim his spot in the octagon and live up to heavy expectations, the last thing Brett expected was to build a friendship with the neighbor he's been crushing on. However, Danny is undeniably gorgeous and way out of his league, so he needs to maintain realistic expectations. But, when Danny needs a date for a destination wedding, Brett's first instinct is to offer his help. Being his fake boyfriend would not be a hardship. A romantic beach, a fake relationship, and one bed... what could go wrong? Genre: Contemporary Romance / Fake Relationship / Friends to Love / HEA Guaranteed / Dual POV There will be mature scenes between two men that I will mark accordingly. These scenes are intended for mature audiences. This is a spin-off of the worlds of King of Hawkings/Death & Tequila and A New Song/Beats of the Heart, but it is a stand-alone novel, so reading the other novels is unnecessary. However, some old characters will appear, so you may enjoy it more with the full background.

I was 10 when my Mother sat me down for a talk. "Milo, I know you like him..." She paused, as if trying to pick her words right, "but he doesn't like boys like that. He likes girls." Flushed and feeling caught out, I avoid her eyes. I didn't realise it was so obvious. She gives me a sympathetic but firm smile. "So don't make him feel uncomfortable and ruin your older brothers friendship with him, okay?" 8 years later...