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Such a fun chapter...and a nice memory trip through many old stomping grounds. Ritchie was right; I once subjected my husband and daughter to waiting at the top of Empire State just to capture an amazing twilight and early nighttime view. Totally worth it. I also love that vista from Griffith Observatory. Really well done.

Great chapter! Funny, and very moving. Good for Ozzie for opting for better bubbly. I follow Julia Child’s life rule, “Life is too short to drink bad wine“. I hope that my growing sense of dread over Brad’s future well-being is nothing more than an author’s blatant foreshadowing meant to throw readers off course. 😉

Amazing chapter, Carlos! CJ’s life makes me lightheaded...or maybe it's the dry martini I had earlier. Not sure. Returning to read this story again makes me happy. Great job with character development and all the small but meaningful details you so carefully include. I miss Efraín and Cory; thanks for including them here.

Gary displayed character and strategic foresight well beyond his years. By saving Josh’s future, he likely enhanced his own, as well. It would be a sweet HEA if his new big bro and protector became his brother-in-law one day. The only downside in all this is that the two goons go unpunished and remain a threat to any gay kid who crosses their paths outside of their school. Not sure when you wtote this, but I could foresee them wearing MAGA hats in their future lives...or maybe campaigning for Steve King.

Amen to that. Affordable PreP also needs to be made generally available as it offers statistically superior protection against HIV. Both PreP and condoms used together are the best option if one isn’t in a monogamous, serosorted relationship with a trustworthy negative partner. Then again, I keep remembering something the late, great S.F. columnist Herb Caen once said: “Monogamy is what one person in every relationship thinks they have”! I don’t totally buy the premise, but I loved his droll wit.

What a totally woke mom! Gary’s a lucky dude. Todd seems like a gift just dropped into his lap (literally)! I hope it becomes something. Gary needs a bae. I suspect little shit-head Shaun is not exactly a Kinsey 1 and feels his masculinity threatened by having had a gay BFF for so many years. What a loser. Disloyalty and betrayal are two of the nearly unforgivable wrongs.

What an enchanting story! I can’t believe this is only your first effort, although given the quality of your other writing, I shouldn’t be surprised at how good it is. The refinement of your later works is already shining through. Even though I’m late to the party, I’m totally hooked.

Absolutely. Robbie is also displaying common psychological injuries of a sexual assault victim, which are further exacerbating his severe underlying depression. His sense of abject hopelessness breaks my heart. Dodger, you did a masterful job of accurately describing Robbie’s sense of humiliation, defeat, and misplaced self-blame following his sexual assault. It was exactly on point.

It strikes me as unfair and intellectually suspect to pass swift moral judgment on the emotional reactions of readers of gay romantic fiction to traumatic events in a story. I understand your perspective, but I think you have made some very broad and shaky assumptions about our abilities and willingness to understand mental health issues without having any idea of our life experiences; moreover, you’ve hyperbolically mischaracterized our comments (no one remotely suggested Alex be burned at the stake) while, at the same time, you've inexplicably downplayed the severity of Alex’s aggravated rape and assault that could easily lead to Robbie’s death or permanent disability because of his prior serious brain trauma (“what he did was not exactly a good thing” ?!). That Alex snapped and became violent seems beyond reasonable dispute. When someone engages in that kind of behavior, they need to be separated from those whom they could harm, which could take several forms - including treatment in a psychiatric facility. It goes without saying that Alex needs treatment so that he doesn’t repeat his actions, but when his behavior is a danger to himself or others, it can’t simply be cavalierly minimized. While the sexual assault disturbs me deeply, the physical assault and banging of Robbie’s head in the very same place at which he was previously injured upsets me even more. There is an established legal responsibility principle in English common law that has passed on to US and Canadian civil tort and criminal liability doctrines called the “thin skull rule”, which means that - regardless of whether or not someone is aware of a victim’s unusual physical vulnerability, he takes his victim as he finds him and is responsible for any extraordinary aggravated injury as a result. Consequently, Alex’s legal liability for the full extent of Robbie’s injuries is indisputable. What is even worse in this case, however, is that Alex was fully aware of Robbie’s attack at school, and that another violent blow to the head could well prove fatal. In that context, readers’ reactions seem entirely understandable.

Actually, that ending was perfect! As much as I liked Billy, I always thought that Nick and Noah had the more profound connection - right from the start. Billy seemed almost interim by comparison. Besides, “Nick and Noah” has such great alliterative symmetry. 😉 Very sweet, uplifting, blessedly escapist story. And, for once, only the villain died!

Dodger, all of our admittedly very emotional reactions to this chapter - and to the story in general - are actually a tribute to you as an author - even though they may not always feel like one. 😉 You’ve managed to construct an intriguing story and flesh out compelling characters with whom we either identify, have fallen in love, or whom we passionately loathe. That you can so effectively push our buttons by leveraging our own LGBTQ life experiences puts you in a special category of writers.

I’ll give you this, Dodger. The arc of this story has provided a huge boost to the English gin industry! Our recycling bin proves my point. Wait, that was your point all along, wasn’t it? You’re the scion of the Plymouth London Dry gin dynasty and your mission was to boost your family fortunes by driving readers of gay romantic fiction to drink.

What a shit storm! Robbie needs to call 911 to report the attack, get the semen DNA captured, and then get medical treatment for the exacerbation of his head injury. His next call should be to Walter; he’ll require the support. Sadly, those steps make too much sense, which means that Robbie’s next likely moves will make his life even worse. The kid needs to catch a break at some point, or this story - which has grown increasingly dark - isn’t going to end well. At all. If the vomiting is from brain trauma, the end may be perilously close. As for psychoAlex (I’ve never been a fan), no always means no, and no amount of teasing ever justifies sexual assault and battery. It amazes me that these obsessively hyper-controlling people don’t have security cameras. The guy should be locked up; that will solve his housing issue.

Of course. My tongue was firmly planted in my cheek when I wrote that, which - it seems - is really hard to convey online.

But if Robbie paid attention to THAT, then he’d also probably realize he needed medical attention and psychotherapy, which would expose Don and Sue’s homophobia and emotionally abusive treatment - not to mention Don’s breach of his fiduciary duty to keep Robbie informed of his trust assets, which would then lead to Robbie removing Don as trustee and withdrawing from parental control, which would then allow him the freedom to surround himself with happy, positive people, so he’d become happy and better adjusted ...and the story would end. Maybe he should stay befuddled a bit longer? 😉

Kind of like a prat, with attitude. 😉

Early paragraphs in this chapter seem to set a new, more self-aware tone for Robbie as he finally shows a blossoming maturity in his appreciation of Rory as a real friend. It’s also an encouraging sign that he grasps just how toxic and dysfunctional is his adoptive home environment; the contrast between Rory’s relaxed, loving household and Don & Sue’s dark, judgmental ambience couldn’t be more stark. I just hope that Robbie’s nascent consciousness will also help him get over Nathan and give Conner a chance, as his final thoughts in this chapter were troubling, to put it mildly. I have to trust that time and wisdom will help dull the allure of the “bad boy”, represented by Alex, or of the bitchy but exciting, unreliable drama queen as epitomized by Nathan. Alex’s continued presence in that household can’t be a healthy thing. It’s always too easy to categorize complex people, but in the clearly emerging columns of good vs. evil folks (Don & Sue headline the latter), Alex seems to be increasingly falling into their sphere of appreciation and influence - largely because they pity him and they think he’s straight. I know he’s had a hard life, but I don’t like him at all.

I loved that character! Can hardly wait.

It almost seemed inevitable - and it was hot as hell, but potentially very complicated going forward. I hope they sort it out so that no one gets hurt and that their relationships survive and thrive. No judgment at all, but the few throuples I’ve known haven’t been entirely happy or equitable. Seems that someone gets wounded and left behind. That’s my favorite song from Hairspray; loved that they performed it in church! Nick’s Sunday introduction visit kind of reminded me of my early experiences at MCC in the Castro as I was trying to recover from the trauma of my birth religion. It was like a house of refuge for the spiritually abused. I can totally identify with Nick’s reaction; I’d never seen anything like it! Really looking forward to see how the story concludes, and how it spins off into mutiple sequels. Yes, it must! 😁

It’s heartening to see better quality people filling Robbie’s life to counterbalance the toxic, pernicious beings that have plagued him. Rory is an honest to goodness friend, even Fran seems to care about Robbie’s welfare, and Connor appears to be a complete breath of fresh air! The love pendulum has swung wildly from a narcissistic, bitchy scene boy to a down-to-earth farm boy with a non-toxic sense of humor. Talk about stark contrasts! It would be delicious irony indeed if the very guy that Nathan shamelessly drooled over, sight unseen, (which finally convinced Robbie that he’d had enough of Nathan) turned out to become Robbie’s new (and loyal) boyfriend! I hope Connor is who he seems to be because Robbie desperately need someone like him in his life. Here’s to hoping that caring friends and a new love interest will finally convince him to get medical and psychological help.

Feliz ano novo, Carlos! What a great surprise with which to start the new year! So glad you’re back with these characters we’ve come to love.

I’m even more worried about Robbie’s well-being than I was after reading the last chapter yesterday. Though it’s unclear whether Robbie fears for his medical well-being or whether he is having suicide ideation, the two mentions of a premature end to his life made me shudder. He is so fortunate to have dear, sweet Rory in his corner. That Roy would even contemplate trying to be more than a friend to make Robbie happy shows how caring and unselfish he is. Robby needs a true friend who cares about him without being motivated by a personal agenda, and he finally has one who doesn’t live across the pond. Leave it to shallow Sue to cheapen it with her poorly concealed homophobia. Is Don really so stupid that he thinks Robbie might again be interested in Fran (I ask rhetorically)? Home Bible study?! Seriously? I didn’t realize that conversion therapy offered home delivery. Not even remotely subtle, Don. I’m both excited and worried that Robbie is going to meet the cute boy whose sister he and Nathan met in the line at the theater (assuming that’s who he is and that Nathan didn’t get to him first). I’m excited because Nathan is a dead end and Rory is unobtainable, and worried because Robbie may be in no shape to start - let alone sustain - a new relationship. Robbie, get thee to a real therapist! Go!

This well-crafted chapter was extremely disturbing to me; I’m frightened for Robbie as I think he is in the midst of a serious mental health crisis (what used to be colloquially called a “nervous breakdown“ or “meltdown“). Most if not all of the signs are there: depression; withdrawing into himself; extreme mood swings; lashing out in anger; panic attacks; erratic, self-sabotaging behavior; and now, paranoia. Even one serious traumatic life event could have caused his current fragile state. Consider, however, just how many blolws he has suffered as a young teen in a short time: 1. The loss of his mother, his sole immediate family member and caregiver, to a painful, prolonged battle with metastatic cancer; 2. The sudden loss of his close, healing bond with Tom (including its intimacy and affection); 3. Being uprooted to another continent to live with a strange (in more ways than one) family that can’t accept him for who he is; 4. Adoption by people he doesn’t love or trust, and who really don’t love him (Amy and perhaps Nicola might be exceptions); 5. In trying to compensate for his losses, forming unhealthy bonds with either a series of deeply flawed characters whom he has come to distrust (Alex, Nathan), or with someone caring and lovely but who can’t be everything he desperately needs (Rory). Hastily walking away from Nathan also deprived him of his sole, very thin emotional support network; 6. Suffering a violent, homophobic attack that nearly killed him. Those are just the events I remember off the top of my head! Alarmingly, Robbie has never received mental health care for ANY of it! We’ve all been critical of, and impatient with, Robbie and have felt frustrated by his continual self-destructive behavior. Until now, however, I feel like I have missed the gravity of the larger picture. His state is more dire than simple stress or a panic attack; I fear he is rapidly heading toward unthinkable disaster unless someone wise and caring quickly intervenes. I didn’t spot the paranoia until reading Robbie’s perception of Don’s supposed psychological blackmail in which he sees Mr. Symmonds as a carefully placed looming threat. I obviously despise Cobourg Don but, like the other infamous Donald, while he’s undeniably dark, he’s more ham-fisted than clever. I fear that Robbie is giving Don too much credit by half, and attributing to him a far more savvy and insidious manipulation than Don’s rigid, simplistic mind could concoct. I think that Don and Sue are simply relieved that Robbie seems more under control (actually subdued, which is worrisome), and don’t currently see a need to play the risky Symmonds card. Unfortunately, Robbie’s imagination, contorted by fear, has turned the Symmonds threat into such an exquisitely pernicious control mechanism that he was fearful of even revealing a shred of it to Mr. Andrews and Walter. It’s clear to me that Mr. Andrews and Walter were desperately trying to extract from Robbie evidence of psychological abuse which would have legally allowed, even required, them to take action. I just hope that Robbie’s panic attack doesn’t abort or delay their intervention because the unrelenting stresses on Robbie have escalated. If he doesn’t receive the right care in a healthier environment, I fear we may actually lose him. Apologies for my verbosity. This chapter rang alarm bells!

A beautiful conclusion to one of my very favorite stories! I couldn’t stop the tears as I felt Dustin’s and Nate’s transformational healing. Thank you so much! 💜

A terrific and thoughtful exploration of friendship in the face of romantic heartbreak. I know it was meant to be a brief one-off, but I’d love to see the story develop further.