Fire and Clay by Noja Lina
General Release Date: 19th April 2022
Word Count: 49,053
Book Length: SHORT NOVEL
Pages: 178
Genres:
CONTEMPORARY
ENEMIES TO LOVERS
EROTIC ROMANCE
GAY
GLBTQI
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Book Description
Who will end up getting burned when they collide?
Ian is a skilled but foulmouthed photographer with an aversion to meeting new people, a short fuse and a relatively short stature. One evening, he starts a squabble with Victor before knowing that Victor is the best friend of Ianโs current crush.
With them being in the same social circle and Victor being a model and theater actor, they keep meeting over the course of several months. Their interactions feature an array of jabs at the otherโs height, mild aggression and attempts to mock or one-up the other.
But, through instances of Ian involuntarily showing his caring side and Victor showing what heโs made of, several sparks and serious talks, some denial and three successful photoshoots, their relationship gradually evolves.
Will they get past their initial animosity? Will they get burned by colliding with the other? Or will fire come in contact with clay to create something beautiful?
Reader advisory: This book contains bullying, mentions of eating disorders, violence and threats.
Excerpt
There was no clear-cut explanation for how Ian had ended up in a corner of a dark closet, fervently kissing a person who had once been a statueโor for why Victor was kissing back. Werenโt they supposed to come at each otherโs necks?
It had all started several months before, when Hayden, Ianโs best friend since before they could read or write, moved into a new student dorm and invited Ian for a visit.
โDo I have to go?โ Ian asked Hayden while they were talking on the phone.
โNo, but Iโd like it if you did.โ
Hayden received a familiar grunt in return. That was how Ian usually relayed heโd do what Hayden asked him to, despite hating the idea.
There was nothing bad about going to see Hayden and his new dorm. It was having to meet Haydenโs new roommate that had made Ian avoid the visit for as long as possible. Going to the dentist was an easier experience for Ian than meeting new people.
Both of them had been living in Thornburg for over two years. It was a city that attracted people from all over the country, even from abroad, with its array of educational and professional opportunities, its growing social diversity and its vibrant cultural and entertainment scenesโnot to mention its colorful palette of bars.
Thornburgโs vibe and offer had also attracted Ian to it, but college had been a short-lived initiative for him. His passion for photography had grown years before any facial hair had and Ian had been cultivating his skills in taking pictures for over half a decade at that point. As such, photography courses that treated their students as beginners had underwhelmed him greatly. Heโd dropped out of college after the first year and applied to paid photography gigs with his extensive portfolio and a half-decent attempt at being friendly. Luckily, the portfolio had done its job.
Hayden was on the opposite end of the spectrum, both in terms of college and his capabilities in being friendly. If he still liked Ian after so many years of Ian being Ian, he could probably be friends with an anthropomorphized lemon. Hayden was in his third year at the veterinary medicine college and, as the extroverted person he was, heโd always chosen to live in the student dorms since coming to Thornburg.
When heโd first announced his plan to become a veterinarian, heโd said, โI already have experience in dealing with all sorts of animals, especially a chihuahua.โ
His family had many pets, but that bunch hadnโt included a chihuahua. It was a reference to Ian. Hayden often compared his best friend to the small, mouthy dog that thinks of itself as a big beast and sometimes gets itself in trouble by aggressively challenging an actual large one. Ianโs only counterargument had been that, as opposed to him, dogs didnโt like being left alone.
To this, Hayden had replied, โIf that really were the case, then why do you always come when I call you over?โ
Admitting that he liked being around Hayden was too melodramatic for Ian, so heโd answered with a simple and dry โwhoofโ.
Thus, when Hayden had called Ian over to show him his new dorm room and introduce him to Danny, his new roommate, Ian had gone, despite his DNA constantly reminding him how hardwired he was to dislike meeting new people.
Danny was a year younger than Hayden, theyโd hit it off from the get-go, they attended the same college and were equally as balanced in handling their studies and social lives.
If this Danny guyโs anything like Hayden, it probably wonโt be so badโฆ Fuck, who am I kidding? Itโs guaranteed to be bad.
Ian sighed before entering the dorm room. He relaxed his throat in preparation of swallowing many words he shouldnโt say but would probably end up voicing anyway. Taking in air, he opened the door and was instantly ambushed by something bright.
It mightโve been the warm rays piercing through the window, it mightโve been Haydenโs flower-power T-shirt but it was most likely Danny.
Danny was dazzling. All his features were soft and curvy, all his gestures smooth and inviting. His voice sounded like windchimes, his skin looked like fruity yogurt and his presence was as welcoming as oneโs bed after a hard day at work. Ian barely remembered the correct sequence of the two syllables in his name when Danny smiled and initiated their introductory handshake. Whenever Hayden didnโt elbow him, Ian also barely remembered that he was a fully-fledged, functional homo sapiens specimen who should be able to hold a conversation.
But Ian was also a drawn-to-visuals person, and everything about Dannyโs appearance gave off early summer day, with wildflowers swaying in the pleasant breeze and birds chirping in the trees. So, despite it being late October, Ianโs mind packed up and went on vacation, leaving him to be about as articulate as the chair he sat on.
By the time Danny had offered him the umpteenth solar-like smile and his second beer, Ianโs synapses were finally back to their usual productivity level. But there was a glitch in that system of synapses, and Ian let out, โYouโre so sweet.โ
Hayden choked on his beer. โYouโre complimenting someone during your first meeting with them? I seeโฆ We should get our textbooks updated because flying pigs are definitely coming.โ
โTheyโve been around since the invention of the airplane,โ Ian replied, referring to any human in the air.
โOkay, now, thatโs the usual you. You had me worried for a sec.โ
There was no need for Hayden to be concerned. Ian hadnโt been replaced by an alien lookalike. He was just smitten. In fact, he was so much so that heโd almost brought flowers on his next visit to that dorm room.
Becoming attracted to someone based on looks wasnโt unusual for Ian. But being smitten had been a rare experience, so it wasnโt just Dannyโs looks that were working their magic on him. Despite being more apprehensive than the average person when meeting new people, Ian had started floating in a pool of serenity right after stepping into the range of Dannyโs sunray-shaped aura. Danny often smiledโalways with sincerityโacted in caring ways and looked at people as if he were hugging them with his gaze. Ian knew he was smitten when the thought of actually hugging Danny one day made something explode within his chest.
He continued visiting Hayden and Danny in that dorm room for the following two months and always tried having many pleasant interactions with Danny. It was easier than Ian-ly possible, because Ian wasnโt his usual self around him.
Hayden asked him about the reason behind his change in behavior, but Ian just said, โI have more vitamin D in my system now,โ because โDโ stood for โDannyโ, who was like sunlight in Ianโs mind, and sunlight was a known source of vitamin D.
Normally, Ian wouldโve told Hayden the truth. But Danny was Haydenโs roommate, and Ian didnโt want to make things awkward by revealing his feelings. Hayden knew Ian was into guys just like Hayden was into girls, so there was no problem there. However, Ian didnโt know Dannyโs preferences and he didnโt want to open Schrรถdingerโs catโs box by asking either Danny or Hayden about that. If he discovered the cat dead, heโd also have to kill his current crush. If the cat were alive, heโd have toโGod forbidโput himself out there and lay his feelings on the table for someone else to shuffle at will.
Both options came with downsides, so Ian just maintained a quiet crush on Danny. At least, that had been his intentionโฆ
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About the Author
Noja Lina
New writer on the romance block, Noja Lina likes writing uplifting contemporary romance stories. These stories are centered around engaging male characters, usually dealing with personal struggles alongside love struggles.
Noja lives in Romania, specifically Transylvania. When sheโs not working at her full-time job or working on one of her stories, she enjoys her one-sided love relationship with various forms of Asian media, enjoys adding another cooking fail to the collection and hanging out with friends over a cold beer.
Find Noja on her website, on Facebook and on Twitter.
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