It Was Always You

Jack isn't looking at the freckles.

He is looking at the lips.

They are red. Not pink, not pale. They are a saturated scarlet, sharply defined, moist. Against the white skin, the color screams; it hits the nerves. It looks sinful. It looks wrong. And because of it, everything inside Jack tightens into a taut, hot knot.

Jack catches himself thinking a completely wild, inappropriate thought: "I. Want. That. Mouth."

Author's Note:

In this story, I want to explore those first teenage feelings for someone of the same gender, as I fell in love quite early myself. I believe that art should help people navigate their own situations and explore all aspects of the human experience.
However, there are criminally few stories where children or teenagers of the same sex fall in love. I want to add to that shelf myself, pouring a piece of my own soul into this work to ensure it feels authentic.
The story is planned as three volumes plus an Epilogue (which, as it happens, is already fully written-I know exactly how I want it all to end):

Volume 1: Ages 11-14
Volume 2: Ages 15-18
Volume 3: Ages 19-22
Epilogue: Ages 25-28

Dedication:

I won't lie: I was inspired to create this story by two well-known actors, Finn Wolfhard and Jack Grazer. However, to avoid ethical concerns, nothing from their real lives has been included. I have only used their physical likenesses layered over completely independent characters. The same applies to their mutual friends and castmates, whose likenesses appear but whose actual personalities have, of course, been changed.