If You Want Me Close

Step 1: Fall for your best friend. Step 2: Support him when tragedy strikes. Step 3: Figure out how you screwed up Step 2. Bisexual event coordinator Simon Novotny thrives on connection. He cherishes his large, queer-friendly family and his friends - especially his cute, brilliant work bestie, gay IT geek Ziah Holdaway. It's taken forever for Simon to to coax Ziah out of his shell. Time and again people have let him down, especially those who should have loved him unconditionally.
But Simon would do anything for Ziah: text him jokes when he's down, bring him homemade lunches, change his tire in the rain. Heck, if Ziah needs a kidney, Simon's got two.  Minor crush? Maybe, but Simon's not a make-the-first-move kind of guy. So when an unplanned hookup with Ziah proves their chemistry is off the charts, it also shakes Simon to his core. Because for Ziah, it's not casual, it's love. Before Simon can fully process his feelings, a life-altering tragedy upends Ziah's world.
Simon throws himself into helping and also rallies his family. But for Ziah, family means rejection, and Simon's uber-helpful clan sets off major alarm bells. Can they find a middle path through the storm, or will this crisis cost them both their romance and their friendship? IF YOU WANT ME CLOSE is a high-heat, hurt-comfort bisexual romance novel about two nerdy friends falling in love. It deals with family rejection, child custody conflicts, and grief-but you can also expect silly text conversations, so much affection, supportive friends and family, plenty of video game references, and a guaranteed HEA. -Content warnings are available in the book's front matter and on the author's website.- 50% of the profits from this book will be donated to Out Youth Austin, which supports LGBTQIA+ young people.