Holding On

By Em Woods

One mistake is all it takes to ruin the rest of someone's life. One stubborn best friend is all it takes to save it.

After a play scene goes bad, resulting in unexpected consequences, Reese Andrews is sure his dreams are over. Struggling with a harsh rejection from his parents and reeling from the life—altering news, Reese heads home to the one person he needs most.

Doug Hawks is excited to hear his best friend is coming to visit. When Reese shows up with all his belongings packed in his little car, Doug is both hopeful and confused. Is Reese coming home to stay...or leaving for good?

When Reese spills his news then runs, Doug takes on the challenge of convincing Reese he can still have—and deserves—a happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Sep 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781781840740

Book preview

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Holding On

ISBN # 978-1-78184-074-0

©Copyright Em Woods 2012

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright August 2012

Edited by Stacey Birkel

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

This story contains 37 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book containing 7 pages.

HOLDING ON

Em Woods

One mistake is all it takes to ruin the rest of someone’s life. One stubborn best friend is all it takes to save it.

After a play scene goes bad, resulting in unexpected consequences, Reese Andrews is sure his dreams are over. Struggling with a harsh rejection from his parents and reeling from the life-altering news, Reese heads home to the one person he needs most.

Doug Hawks is excited to hear his best friend is coming to visit. When Reese shows up with all his belongings packed in his little car, Doug is both hopeful and confused. Is Reese coming home to stay…or leaving for good?

When Reese spills his news then runs, Doug takes on the challenge of convincing Reese he can still have—and deserves—a happily ever after.

Dedication

To a close friend and his partner.

Because they love and live.

We are greater.

www.greaterthan.org

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:

Band-Aid: Johnson and Johnson

Chapter One

The ringing of the telephone hit Reese Andrew’s nerves like a tap on a live wire. With a curse, he reached for the wall cord and yanked it out of its socket, hearing the crack as the plastic connection snapped.

Didn’t the health department have anything better to do? He’d almost strangled his doctor for adding his name to their list. Now he couldn’t get any peace here. They had so many questions that he didn’t want to answer. Didn’t know how to answer.

Reese hated to give up his apartment—it was so close to campus—but he wouldn’t need it now. The meds he’d started taking last week made it nearly impossible to get along for a whole day out of the house. And eventually someone would notice.

He needed to head back home. He needed Doug.

Reese dropped onto the soft couch he’d picked up at the local resale shop and let his head rest on the back. His heart ached at what he’d screwed up with just one stupid mistake. He was so tired—of being lonely, of hating himself.

He needed comfort, something familiar.

Like a perfect sketch, Doug appeared in Reese’s thoughts. Curly blond hair, soft green eyes and muscles defined by years of working out. Every angle of Doug’s rugged face was there to star in Reese’s imagination and dreams.

He could feel Doug’s favourite T-shirt bunching in his fingers as he lifted it over his head to expose the smooth skin of his friend’s stomach and chest. Erect nipples would capture his attention just before he would

Reviews for Holding On

[crankypants16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Serious topic handled well.

[serenayates · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Holding On", much like the title says, is a story about deep despair, but at the same time, it also gives hope. That knife-edge between giving up and trying to keep going, of holding on, is what accompanied me through the story and kept my attention. The appeal of this story is quiet, almost sneaked up on me, and the simple humanity of both main characters is beautifully portrayed.

Reese has made a huge mistake, and even though he is not entirely to blame, there is nothing he can do to make it un-done. One scene gone bad, and he faces the consequences for the rest of his life. He has no idea how to do that, and only wants to say good-bye to his best friend, but Doug will not have any of it. It is hard for Reese to understand Doug is serious, but when he does, he finds out that a burden shared really is a burden halved.

Doug has no idea what is going on with his friend, but he had finally realized that he loves Reese, so whatever the problem is, he is determined to face it. Little does he know how serious the situation is, and I really admire him for taking it the way he did. Yes, he is shocked at first, but he doesn't let that stop him from wanting to make a life with Reese. It is a sign of his decency as well as the depth of his love, and I am really glad Reese has someone like that in his life.

If you want to examine the human side of handling life-altering news, if you're looking for a story about men dealing with a catastrophe, and if you believe in hope even when most people give up, you will find quiet confirmation in this story. It isn't fun to read, nor relaxing, but it is realistic with just the right measure of optimism that decent people still exist.