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

“Even with my anxieties?” The weight of evidence suggested this was the case. Alex needed to hear it anyway.


“Yeah. You’re more than the sum of your fears, you know. Having you in my life, my bed, and my arms feels right to me. But…”


Never get your hopes up, Alex. It rarely ends well.


He forced himself to take a deep breath and did his level best to ignore the plummeting in his stomach. “But?” 8


“I’m not good at romance,” he confessed, hoping it didn’t ruin everything. “Flowers, poetry, sweet nothings, any of that stuff. I suck at all of it, and if you need those to be happy in a relationship, it’ll never work between us. I’m an actions speak louder than words man. Can you be okay with that?”


Chapter 24