BOOK ONE Coming out was supposed to set Julian free. Instead, it left him with a broken arm, a mother who won't stop preaching, and a silence that grows heavier every day. High school feels like a cage, and Julian is certain he doesn't belong anywhere-until Paul crashes into his world. With his inked skin, effortless charm, and a following that makes him untouchable, Paul should be the last person Julian lets close. But in Paul's arms, Julian feels something he's never known before: safe. As their connection deepens, so does the danger. Loving Paul means risking exposure, rejection, and heartbreak all over again. Worse, it means facing the cruelest voice of all-the one inside Julian's own head. Tender, raw, and unflinching, Open is a story about first love, first heartbreak, and finding the courage to believe you're worthy of both. ::: I could feel it when his body finally went slack, when he'd fallen asleep and soft snores emitted. And I thought I was getting better at this breaking down thing... I honestly did but when I was alone, I seemed to fall apart. Endless serenades of how worthless I'd been and how destructive I was; I was a disappointment to literally everyone and I hated it. My breathing became shallow as I cried for the second time that day, finally feeling content being immersed in guilt. A shudder wracked through my body, tears escaping and Paul pulled me closer as he woke silently. Mumbling soft nothings against my skin and kissing it to slow my breathing, he tried to lull me to sleep, "It's okay, you're okay." Refusing to speak -my voice failing me- his arm came up to wrap around my shoulder and I held him there, placing a small kiss to his tattooed skin in a broken sign of gratitude, I must've run out of tears. And I felt at ease.

Jay just wants peace and quiet, Ben needs a new friend. What could go wrong? ❀ ❀ ❀ I'll take a quiet life a handshake of carbon monoxide with no alarms and no surprises ❀ ❀ ❀

"Truth makes us transparent..." In sixteen-year old Sage Stronghold's world, civilization has been divided into five factions; abnegation, amity, candor, dauntless, and erudite. With each faction devoted to the development of specific virtues such as; selflessness, peace, honesty, bravery, and intelligence. At the age of sixteen, the communities' youths must choose the faction to which they will dedicate the entirety of their lives. The cause of it all? Simple, an attempt to form the ideal world. After receiving life threatening results on his Aptitude Test, Sage Stronghold discovers that the world he once saw as black and white, has more areas of grey than he ever realized. On his Choosing Day, Sage is then faced with the life altering decision of whether to stay with his family and the life he knows, or try and create a new existence in a different faction. He makes a choice. But is it the right one? Sage has a secret, dark and threatening to destroy him; one that he must fight to bury and conceal from everyone, because if anyone finds out, it would mean certain death. His candor-roots scream for the truth to be heard, while his sensibilities tell him to keep quiet. The truth sets you free. Or so they say...© Completed. Prequel: Set before Divergent/ Insurgent/ Allegiant events. "Featured in the official Wattpad @Fanfic Divergent reading list"