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

“You need to breathe. How about we take deep breaths together?”


He counted in his head. One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand. Then he exhaled loudly, so Alex could follow the cue, and hoped like hell he was doing this right.


It was the fourth repetition before Alex started following his pattern. For a moment Tom started wondering what about driving set all this off, before he forced the thought aside. Now was not the time, and he needed to focus on keeping his steady rhythm.


Ever so slowly, Alex began to look less zoned out. His eyes focused on Tom instead of staring off into whatever Twilight Zone they’d been in before, and his death grip on the steering wheel relaxed. Finally, some three minutes of steady breathing later, he let go of it.


At this point, Tom remembered Charlene, and he hit speakerphone. “Hey Charlene. We’re back.”


“I’m glad,” she said. “Alex? How are you?”


Chapter 22