All I want is to help those who need it the most. So when a devastatingly handsome stranger lands in Neon Nights, the gay bar where we spend our days and nights, I immediately know he's in trouble. I also know that we share an instant connection that comes once in a lifetime, but our clumsy kiss freaks him out and turns the night into a total disaster.

My life was just fine until he came down from his ivory tower. Sure, I lived my days hiding deep in the closet, but I got to see all the beautiful guys in Neon Nights whenever I delivered fresh produce from my father's store. But that was the best we could do. Until a man with wolfish eyes and a sinful smirk came to our little home and demanded that my father settle an old debt. He was going to ruin what little happiness we built for ourselves in Hudson Burrow.

Madison Masters is everything I want to be. He's confident, good-looking, and beyond popular. Wherever he appears, he's the center of attention. It's his natural charisma that pulls every gaze to him. Mine especially. I have been in love with Madison since the moment I met him. The only trouble is he has no clue that I exist. And even if he knew me, it would never work.

I was overlooked most of my life. Quiet, nerdy, and someone people didn't notice. But he saw me. Adrian Kennedy was kind whereas others were indifferent. He laughed, not at me, but because of me. Because he believed I was the funniest person he knew. I was myself with him—stripped bare, exposed. Raw and open in a way I've never known since. I was his, and he was mine. But I was a secret. Perhaps an experiment. Pushed aside when things got too scary. Too real. His kindness turned into cruelty, not because of words he said, but because he was unaware of what his rejection felt like.

I’m a total nerd, but I look like a jock. I had a perfect GPA in high school, and my GPA in college is perfect too. I smile when I’m supposed to smile. I have two loving parents and a brother and sister who are always by my side. I’m the perfect all-American guy. But the only thing that actually defines me is the before. The things I keep hidden deep inside because I’m too afraid of losing what I have now. The past lives deep inside me as I force the plastic smile on my face. And no one sees through it because I’m just that good.