Against the Scale

By Lina Pesso

Tom appears to have a perfect life. He is an influencer, lives with his cat Jupiter, receives various gifts from famous brands every month, and is always sharing incredible moments of his life on his social media for his followers. But behind this, he hides secrets that consume him and slowly causes his shine fade.

Until one day during a blackout, he meets his handsome next-door neighbor, Luke. In the dim glow of the emergency lights they begin talking, and Tom realizes Luke has some troubles of his own. When they spend time together, the barriers between the real Tom and internet Tom finally begin to dissolve.

Can Luke help Tom regain his shine or put his life together?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jun 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685504663

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Against the Scale

By Lina Pesso

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2023 Lina Pesso

ISBN 9781685504663

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

* * * *

To my mom and little brother.

* * * *

Against the Scale

By Lina Pesso

The first thing I think when I open my eyes is: Today will be a different day.

I’d made a mental list of all the things I should do before going to bed, and I would do my best to put everything into practice. There is only one, big problem. It is what prevents me from doing anything, what makes every action difficult, every breath, every step.

Me.

I pull the comforter up to cover my face and let out a long sigh. It’s a childish thing to do, I know, but there’s something comforting about being hidden under the covers. Maybe it’s a nostalgic feeling, from when we were still children and afraid of monsters, aliens, or murderers in our rooms. Even after so many years, the comforter still feels like a shield.

There’s also a good chance I’m using this excuse to procrastinate in bed.

My phone vibrates somewhere near me. I stretch one arm to try to reach the device and find it under a pillow, then pull it under the covers. The screen’s brightness hurts my eyes and I have to squint to see the notifications.

Just a few comments on my social media photos saying how beautiful I am, how thin I am, and how perfect I am. Some marriage proposals, indecent photos of men and women, and some emails or Instagram DMs with partnership proposals. Some friends also sent messages asking how I am or telling me some news.

Several messages from my best friend, Lilian, eager to talk to me and share gossip. One of her messages says, Have you gotten up yet? Have you eaten properly today? As much as I want to know the gossip, I haven’t eaten anything yet and don’t want to answer that, so I ignore it for now.

I make a mental note to answer all messages from friends and partners as soon as I get up, and for that reason, I throw the phone to the side and close my eyes again.

I know I’m already failing in my mission to do everything differently today, but I still have time. And it’s just five more minutes.

My breathing gets heavier and heavier, and I’m almost asleep when I feel a familiar step on my bed, right up to where my face is, and then a pawing at the uncovered part of my head, pulling some strands of hair.

Well, I know my time to procrastinate in bed is over because Jupiter won’t let me sleep anymore and her food must