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M/NB, Contemp Romance, Friends-to-Lovers Put It in Writing is no longer available for individual purchase, but can be found in the collection: Hearts Right Here A hopeless crush is nothing to be ashamed of, or so Lane keeps telling himself. But grad school is hard enough without pining for someone completely unattainable. Jordan is steady, kind, confident, and worst of all, effortlessly charming. In other words, they're everything Lane isn't and everything he can't help wanting. When his roommate suggests writing a love letter, Lane balks. There's no point risking a close friendship if the best he can hope for is a gentle rejection. But maybe putting words on paper can help him move on. At this point, Lane will try anything to rein in his stubborn heart. So long as Jordan doesn't see the letter, everything should be just fine. "You coming out tonight?" Meg swoops into the kitchen with a short flutter of skirt, her long legs encased in a pair of high-heeled boots that reach almost to her knees. Her hair poofs out in an artful halo around her head, and she's wearing enormous hoop earrings. It's a stunning ensemble—she looks so good Lane doesn't notice she's snatched up his letter until she asks, "What's this?" He makes a half-hearted grab for the paper, but when she retreats far enough to sit in the other chair he gives up the chase. Even if he gets it away from her, she'll read it eventually. He's always been crap at keeping secrets. No wonder hiding his crush from Jordan is wearing him down. The silence is oppressive while she reads, but Lane holds his breath as he waits for Meg to finish the entire letter. He watches with desperate vigilance for any hint of reaction. She's trying to keep a neutral expression, clearly aware of his scrutiny, but she can't pull off a perfect blank. There are still flickers of her eyelashes, a faint crease at the center of her brow, a barely discernible narrowing of her eyes as she nears the end of the page. A dozen familiar tells, and he doesn't know how to decipher any of them. Finally she hands back the letter. "You actually wrote it. I'm impressed." "I'm not giving it to them," he blurts before she can get any ideas about Jordan actually seeing the letter. Meg is quiet for several seconds before pointing out with uncharacteristic caution, "You could, though." "Nope." Unyielding steel bolsters Lane's refusal. "I absolutely could not." "They won't be angry," she says. "Hell, you know Jordan will be flattered, even if they're not interested. They wouldn't hurt your feelings deliberately." Meg is certainly right, but it's not anger Lane's scared of. Regardless of the fact that Meg knows Jordan even better than Lane does—Meg introduced them in the first place—her assessment doesn't get him any closer to changing his mind. "Yeah," Lane says. "I'll still burn it before I show them." "You're a stubborn asshole, you know that?" Lane snorts. "Takes one to know one." Read the full story in Hearts Right Here |
Cover design by Yolande Kleinn |