Chapter 9 is now live, here's some thoughts:

-Sleeping wrapped around each other in a bed, while one partner is interested in sex and the other isn't in the mood. Is it a sexual Snuggle? A non-sexual Cuddle? Or, is it a Huggle?

-Brad reveals a lot about himself in this chapter: He's driven to be the best, not out of obligation or parental pressure, he does it to himself. His fatal flaw is internalizing many things in his life.

-Brad's dog Cam gets a little backstory. It would have been 2016, so Brad naming his Black Labrador Retreiver Cam after Carolina Panther's QB Cam Newton makes sense as they were in the Super Bowl. I also thought the idea of Brad having a soft spot for little puppies was a good touch. You also got to see a little more of Gary Gaston's past as a developing Sociopath.

-Brad's family relationship are explored, his parents as I noted in the prologue are major players in the US Fracking and Oil industry, They're not like the established Gaston family, who epitomizes "Consumer" wealth driven billionaires, like certain Tech moguls, Real Estate, and Entertainment billionaires. I wanted to draw a line between Producer-Billionaires, who gain their wealth by growing and building thing, and Consumer-billionaires, who make their wealth through manipulating others.

-Brad jerking Beau off was quick, but sexually, makes sense. Most people don't last long with that much foreplay.

-Brad is slowly getting out of his shell

-If readers haven't noticed it, they should now see it. Beau has never said he loves Brad, nor has Brad said he loves Beau. He likes what Brad provides and feels strongly for him, but Beau's experiences of being rejected by his family and past lover Jeremy just holds him back from believing in love. Same is true for Brad, he wants to provide for Beau and protect him from Gary, but his past haunts him from hoping for more.

This is important to my re-interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, love isn't a fairy tale condition between two people, especially people damaged by bad relationship experiences. Yes, Love is built up by both being able to give and take from your lover, being supported and supportive, but it isn't just that alone. Deeper than that, there's a need to be more for each other, make each other better people through experience. Essentially, I am trying to explore the essence of "True Love" as it really can be in our modern world, beyond food, shelter, and companionship/sex, there's growth.

-Chip's past experiences are also getting revealed. He's the type of gay kid brother everyone wants to cherish, but as I've hinted with Mrs. Potter leaving her husband and advocating for her son, he wasn't always this playful and expressive 12-year-old.

I promised you guys, I would explore all my named character in this book, I hope you're enjoying it.