Almost, Until You

Rexford Hudson is sixteen, captain of the boys' varsity soccer team, and quietly drowning beneath the weight of who he's supposed to be. On the field, he's confident and composed. Off the field, he's a mess of unspoken feelings, late‑night overthinking, and a heart he's never had the courage to name. Being gay in a school built on locker‑room bravado doesn't leave much room for softness - or for wanting the boy who feels like home.

Maison Chow has been Rex's best friend for years: loud, reckless, magnetic, the kind of boy who fills every room he walks into. Rex has loved him quietly, carefully, hopelessly. But he's always convinced himself that friendship is enough - safer, easier, less breakable.

Everything changes when a new teammate joins the soccer team, bold and charismatic, and takes an immediate interest in Maison. Suddenly Rex is forced to confront the truth he's been avoiding: he's not just afraid of losing Maison's friendship. He's afraid of losing him, period.

As jealousy simmers and secrets unravel, Rex must navigate the messy terrain of identity, masculinity, and first love. He'll have to decide whether to keep hiding behind the version of himself everyone expects - or risk everything for the boy he's never been able to stop loving.

Because some chances only come once. And if Rex doesn't take his, he might lose more than Maison. He might lose himself.