Novels by Gem

POV: CameronSomething wasn’t right.I could feel it in the pit of my stomach the moment I opened my laptop. My inbox sat there, a sea of unread emails and boring newsletters, but the one I was waiting for wasn’t there.No message from The partner I got for the company.He usually responded by now. He wasn’t the type to leave people hanging — especially not when we had a shipment due next week. He was all business, all the time. Sharp. Focused. Reliable.But now?Radio silence.I scrolled. Refreshed. Refreshed again.Still nothing.I tried to brush it off at first. Maybe he was busy. Maybe something came up. Or maybe I was just being paranoid because I hadn't slept much last night — again.But an hour passed. Then two.Still no update.I shot him a message.> “Hey, everything okay on your end? Haven’t heard from you. Just checking in.”I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. My room was too quiet. The kind of quiet that made your thoughts louder. And right now, mine were

POV: CameronI threw myself into work like my life depended on it.It was either that or think about Brandon, and I couldn't freaking handle that right now.So yeah, I answered every damn email. I reorganized the supply closet twice. I even volunteered to help clean up after lunch, just so my hands had something to do. Anything to keep my brain from spiraling into memories I didn’t ask for.But they kept slipping in anyway.Like the sound of his laugh echoing in my ears when I passed someone joking at the front desk. Or the way someone next to me clicked their pen, and I immediately remembered how Brandon used to do that when he was thinking too hard — how he’d chew the end of it and squint at his notes like they were personally offending him.God. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.I slammed my locker shut so hard it rattled, and someone down the hall gave me a look. I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of there before I lost it. Again.I walked fast, practically jogging across the

POV: CameronThe next morning felt heavier. Like the weight of everything we didn’t say was sitting between us at the kitchen table. Brandon was stirring sugar into his coffee like it was the most important thing in the world. I was pretending to read something on my phone, even though my screen was black.We hadn’t talked about what happened last night—not really. Sure, he said it was okay not to know what it meant. But how long could we live in this weird, blurry space?I couldn’t stop thinking about how his fingers brushed mine. How gentle his voice had been. How much I wanted to stay… and how terrified that made me.He looked up from his mug. “You going home today?”I blinked. The question felt sharp, like it had claws.“Yeah,” I said after a beat. “I should.”He nodded, too quickly. “Cool.”Cool? Really?The silence came back like a storm cloud.I swallowed. “Do you think this was a mistake?”He didn’t answer right away. Just sat there, staring into his coffee like it held a map

POV: CameronI woke up to soft breathing. Not mine.For a second, I had no clue where I was. The room was warm and kind of dim, the curtains only letting in this weak streak of morning light. Everything felt fuzzy, like that weird space between sleep and being awake. My brain hadn’t caught up yet.But then I shifted a little—and my leg brushed against something. No. Someone.My eyes flew open.Brandon.He was lying right next to me, half the blanket kicked off him, one arm bent above his head like he’d passed out mid-thought. His messy dark hair was all over the place and his face was… peaceful. Like, stupidly peaceful. No smirk. No teasing grin. Just him, asleep.And somehow that made my stomach flip.I blinked hard and sat up slowly, my heart thudding a little too fast in my chest. My eyes traced the curve of his jaw, the soft rise and fall of his chest. He looked so calm—so real—it made something in my chest ache.And then it hit me like a sucker punch to the gut.I hadn’t thought

POV: CameronI should’ve left.My fingers curled around the door handle, my heart thudding so loud I thought it might burst out of my chest. I needed to get out of there, away from the tension choking the air — away from him.But then Brandon grabbed my wrist, spun me around, and before I could even breathe, his lips were on mine.It wasn’t like the accidental kiss from earlier. This one was different. Deliberate. Desperate.I froze. My brain short-circuited. Every warning signal screamed at me to stop this before we ruined everything. But my body didn’t listen.I kissed him back.Hard.Brandon turned away me, and I raised a brow. “What? Is there something on my f—”His hand crashed against my mouth, covering it while the other shoved into my pants. My eyes widened as he stroked my hard, aching cock through my boxers. The soft fabric rubbing against my erection was almost too much to take. My body responded instantly, my hips jutting forward as he stroked me while gazing into my eyes.

POV: BrandonThe cab rattled over a pothole, and Cameron groaned, slumping further into the seat like he was trying to melt into the leather. His forehead pressed against the window, eyes shut tight, and his fingers curled in his lap like he was holding himself together by sheer force of will.I winced, glancing at the driver. “Hey, could you maybe drive a little more carefully?” I asked, trying to keep my voice polite. “He’s not feeling great.”The driver snorted, eyes flicking to me in the rearview mirror. “Maybe your drunk boyfriend shouldn’t have partied so hard,” he muttered, tapping the steering wheel impatiently as he sped up to beat a yellow light.My jaw clenched. I sat up straighter, leaning forward so he could see me better in the mirror. “First of all, he’s not my boyfriend — he’s my fiancé, so use the right term,” I snapped, heat prickling up my neck. “And second, you’re getting paid to drive, not to run your mouth. So how about you do your job without the commentary?”Th

Cameron's POV The bar was louder than I expected. Flashing lights, sticky floors, and music that made my ribs vibrate. Basically, a headache wrapped in neon.Daniel handed me a drink the second we stepped in. I didn’t ask what it was. I just took it, downed half in one go, and tried not to grimace.“So,” he said, shouting over the music as he leaned in closer. "You and Brandon, huh?"I blinked at him, confused. "What?"He wiggled his eyebrows. “Never pegged you for the type to keep a relationship that quiet. Damn, Cam. You really had us all fooled.”I almost choked on my drink. "We're not—he's not—God, no. Don’t bring him up. Seriously."Daniel raised his hands like I’d pointed a gun at him. “Okay, okay. Chill. Just saying. That pic of you two? All over my feed.”I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. The stupid viral photo, it seems like I won't leave this down."Anyway," I muttered, shifting the conversation before my brain exploded. "Any updates on the anonymous account? Please

Chapter 22Cameron's POVBrandon’s car smelled like cinnamon gum and bad decisions.I sat there, slouched in the passenger seat, seriously debating if launching myself out at the next red light would be overly dramatic or just plain dumb. Probably both. But also maybe worth it.“Stop fidgeting,” Brandon said, flashing that stupidly perfect grin as we pulled into the school parking lot.“Easy for you to say,” I muttered, tugging on the strings of my hoodie like they were gonna magically teleport me somewhere else. “You’re not the one about to get roasted alive.”He laughed—like, actually laughed—as if I’d just told him the world’s funniest joke. “Relax, Cam. You’re hot. They’re just jealous.”I rolled my eyes so hard I swear I saw my brain. “Yeah. Jealous of my talent for public humiliation. Totally.”During breakfast, Brandon had dropped a huge bomb shell on me.He had posted a picture with us in the mall and it had suddenly gone viral.The picture Brandon posted was annoyingly cinema

Brandon's POVThe ceiling was boring.I had counted the tiny dots in the plaster three times now and I was driving myself insane with boredom. My body was still, but my mind was doing laps. I shifted onto my side, then onto my back again. The couch creaked softly where Cameron lay, but he was quiet. Way too quiet.That stupid little night light glowed from the wall and it was casting weird shadows that moved every time a car passed outside. It wasn’t much light, it was barely anything, but it was enough to keep my eyes open and my thoughts spinning.God, I hated sleeping with the lights on.I rubbed at my face and exhaled slowly and quietly. I wasn’t mad, really. It’s not like I didn’t expect it. Cameron had this look in his eyes when he made the announcement about sleeping on the couch—like he was marching off to war or something. It was dramatic as hell. He had his arms crossed and his voice was too loud. Like maybe if he yelled it loud enough, he’d believe it too.I didn’t argue,

Cameron POV I stood at the edge of the room like I was about to deliver some big speech, arms crossed and spine stiff. Brandon was tossing a hoodie onto his bed, totally unbothered by the fact that I was about to break some sort of weird unspoken routine we’d apparently fallen into."I'm sleeping on the couch," I said, louder than necessary. Like I was trying to convince myself as much as him.Brandon glanced over his shoulder, one eyebrow cocked. "Okay."That was it. No protest. No teasing. No smug smirk. Just... "Okay."I blinked. "You’re not even gonna argue about it?"He shrugged. "What would be the point? You already sound like you've made up your mind so enjoy yourself."I hated how logical he sounded. And how calm he sounded. Like it didn’t matter. Like I didn’t matter.I folded my arms tighter across my chest. "It’s just... those matching things we bought today were just for your mom, okay? For show. Doesn’t mean we actually have to—you know—sleep in the same bed."Brandon di

Cameron’s POVWe just got home from the mall and we went to set things down at Brandon’s room.We’d just finished “straightening” the sheets, which should’ve taken two minutes max, but leave it to Brandon to turn it into some kind of Olympic sport.I collapsed onto the mattress with a dramatic sigh, arms flopping out like I’d just survived a battlefield instead of bed-making. “Finally,” I muttered. “A place to die peacefully.”Brandon snorted behind me. “You’re so dramatic, it's just a bed.”“Excuse you,” I mumbled into the comforter. “I nearly lost a limb to that damn fitted sheet. You saw it so why are you sounding clueless?”He chuckled, and I could practically hear the smug grin in his voice. “You wrestled it like it owed you money.”“It did owe me money. And emotional stability because it took us such a long time to get it done.”Just as I started to melt into the softness, I felt pressure hit my side. Not just near me. On top of me.I pulled the comforter off me and I blinked u

Cameron’s POVI woke up to sunlight stabbing me straight in the face and it felt like the universe was against me having proper sleep.Groaning, I rolled over and fumbled for my phone, which had been buzzing for a while.Dad.God, what did he want now?I let it ring for a few seconds, dragging my fingers through my disaster of hair, before finally picking it up. “Morning,” I said, trying to sound like I wasn’t still halfway inside a dream.“Any updates?” Dad said with his voice sharp It was obvious he was in business-mode. But he couldn't even say hello.I sat up and let my feet hit the floor. “Yeah. Brandon’s parents are... they’re really supportive.”There was a short pause and I was sure he didn't even flinch “Good,” he said. “Very good. We’ll arrange a dinner between both families. It’s time to discuss future collaborations.”And then he added, like he was commenting on my science project, “Nice work. You picked a good one.”I blinked and stared at the wall. That was it? No how