Tom can’t catch a break when it comes to his love life. He isn’t good with romance, as his exes told him in uncharitable terms, and he’s starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with him. So when he finds himself attracted to his temporary roommate, he’s afraid of being called inadequate all over again.<br><br>Alex has serious anxiety which make his life a challenge and his dating prospects slim to nonexistent. He assumes Tom isn’t interested in him because men never are. It’s a pleasant surprise to start a friends-with-benefits relationship, so Alex goes out on a limb in an attempt to impress Tom. When it backfires spectacularly, he thinks all hope is lost.<br><br>Both men are held back by past rejections. Will a minor crisis bring them together ... or tear them apart?

Acts of Service

Ike sat back and grinned. “Hot damn, I’d better start learning how to do makeup, because this isn’t about Ben at all. You like Alex.”


“Okay, yeah.” Tom wasn’t so oblivious he’d been blind to the possibility, at least not once he thought about their last conversation and how much Alex’s praise meant to him. “He’s fun and attractive and I like having him around. The thing is, beyond the usual question if he’s remotely interested, it’s not easy. I think he’d be a challenging man to date, with all of those worries eating him up inside, and if I can’t handle that, I have no business even thinking about asking if he feels anything for me.”


“At some point, you only know you can handle it if you try,” said Ike.


He wasn’t wrong. However, Tom thought a little sounding out on how much roses and poetry mattered to Alex was in order. He was done setting himself up for disappointment.


Chapter 13