All of My Heart

This is it.
This is real.
This is him, overcoming everything he's been through and taking this impossible leap, to be with me.

Nico
I was ten when the abuse started. Though my injuries eventually healed, I didn't. Years later, I still can't let anyone touch me. Except Alex-my best friend. He's kind, smart, funny. And he's been there for me through it all.

So on high school graduation night, when my mom lets her abusive ex back into her life and I have nowhere else to go, I end up at Alex's house, knocking on his door well after midnight. He lets me stay, no questions asked. He is my best friend, after all.

But everything's changing, and he's about to leave for college. I can't imagine life without him, yet I'm terrified to tell him how I really feel.

Alex
Graduation's over, and I'm more than ready to head to California at the end of summer. Leaving Nebraska, however, also means leaving my best friend.

Nico's had it rough, and although I haven't always known how to help, I've always been there for him when he needs me. So when he shows up at my house with nothing but the clothes on his back, I welcome him. He's my best friend, and I'd do anything for him.

But the longer he stays, the more I realize I can't leave without him. How can I gather the courage to tell him how I really feel, knowing it won't be easy for him to give us a chance?

All of My Heart is an emotion-filled childhood best friends to lovers, hurt/comfort MM romance featuring a small town setting, mutual pining, first times, PTSD/cPTSD trauma and healing, anxiety and touch aversion, and a sweet, hopeful happily-ever-after.

Content warning: verbal and physical abuse of a minor (off page but referenced) and of a young adult (on page); cPTSD, PTSD, and trauma-induced anxiety; moderate to severe social anxiety; brief suicidal ideation without intent; parental abandonment (both current and in the past) not related to the MC's sexuality; brief descriptions of underage alcohol and drug use; references to alcohol use and smoking.