I'm sick of being called Junior. Sure, I'm William Nicholas Martens, Jr., but I just want to go by Nick. I'm sick of my boyfriend mismatching his socks on purpose. And I'm sick of being in the closet.<br><br>All this changes when my band Taking Back Nick lands a record deal. My friends Casey, Kennedy, Levi, and I are about to make it big. In one night I come out to my parents and break up with my boyfriend. And then the hard part starts. Casey is my oldest friend, and I move in with him after my breakup. But things ... start to happen.<br><br>We skyrocket to fame, but Casey finds himself in the middle of some serious addiction issues. Combined with him showing me so much affection, I start to worry there's more going on than just the stress of success. Will Casey be able to overcome his addictions and find happiness? More importantly, will that happiness be with me?

Porch Light

“Casey…stop…you don’t…have to…”


He popped his head up and leaned in to my face, kissing me softly on the lips, his tongue finding mine. “I want to. I really want to.”


I couldn’t tell if he’d sobered up or was just seeming like he was. Either way, I got lost in the moment as his mouth resumed its work.


“Oh, God. Oh, Casey, I’m close. I’m so close.”


He pulled his mouth away and took me in his hand. “Do it, Nick. I want it.”


A few moments later, spots burst in front of my closed eyes and I cried out. But as I did, Casey took me back in his mouth, all the evidence disappearing.


He leaned back on the bed after a few moments, both of us panting. I looked over at him, but he remained staring at the ceiling. I noticed a tear roll down the side of his head and onto his ear.


He didn’t say anything for a few moments. Finally, all he said was, “I’d like to never talk about this,” and rolled over, his back facing away from me.


Chapter 54