Timing is everything.

You know the guy everyone loves in a strictly platonic manner? The one that people think is nice and funny and smart, but not in a romantic way?

That’s me.

What’s worse, not even my formerly straight best friend and current roommate, who I’ve had a crush on for years, saw me as anything other than his buddy.

I blame myself, sort of. If I’d just been brave enough to tell him how I felt, maybe I’d have been the one to help him realize he liked men. That’s why I decided to be bold. To put myself out there if I was interested in someone. So when I found myself sitting next to a man whose life and career I greatly admire, I figured why not.

Kier Caldwell is a leader in the computer science field, and his work is the inspiration for my own professional aspirations. Plus, he’s gorgeous. Even more so in person than on his book cover. And despite being a decade older than me, we’re on the same wavelength. So much so that he invites me back to his room for the most incredible night of my life.

That’s all it was supposed to be. After all, he’s a famous author, and I’m a college student, not Cinderella.

But several months later, when I report to work as a research assistant for a new professor, I find myself face-to-face with the man whose bed I snuck out of so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye. And I learn he’s been searching for me the whole time.

Too bad we’re not in a Disney movie, because if my Prince Charming is also my boss, that means he’s strictly off limits.

Competition is my love language.

The first time I saw Bennet Armstrong's baby blues staring up at me from underneath his helmet, stunned and confused that I'd tackled him, I was smitten.

So, I tackled him again. And again. Whether he had the ball or not, I'd take him down, just so I could have his eyes on me.

I thought we were connecting. He thought I was a poor sport. Needless to say, when we found ourselves on the same team years later, he was not a happy camper. It got even worse when Coach paired us together for our pre-season workouts, giving me a chance to stoke his competitive buttons, which I seem to do whether I intend to or not.

Bennet hates to lose, but there's more to the fire in his eyes than a desire to beat me. He might not know it, but I do, and I'm determined to show him I'm right.

To do that, I have to bring him to his knees, and that reveals some wounds I didn't know were there. Wounds that are so deep they blind him to the truth about himself, and us.

I should leave him in peace, and maybe I would if I didn't know in my soul that he's supposed to be mine. Now I just need to convince him, and what better way to do that than by making him want to win me?

Ever have someone get you so well it's like looking in a mirror?

Cruz

Starting over is not what I had planned.

Those stories about magically becoming best friends with the person assigned to live with you… Yeah, that won't be me. I already have a best friend. Even if I wanted a new one, Liam wouldn't be it. He's permanently grouchy, carrying a negative energy I don't need since I'm finally in a good place. But I've never been good at ignoring when people need help, so I paste on a smile and play nice.

Predictably, Liam isn't much of a talker, but after an unexpected accident he needs my help in other ways. Ways that offer me answers about myself. Ways that raise new questions about the football dreams I've been chasing since I was a kid. Ways that make me relive the past I want to ignore.

To say I'm confused is an understatement, but there's one thing I know for certain…Liam is either the key to one door or the bolt that could prevent another from ever opening. And I have to choose which I want him to be.

Liam

Starting over is exactly what I need.

I can't get any more invisible than I've been for the past few years, and I figure rooming with another person means at least one human on the planet can't ignore me. Unfortunately, that human is Adonis personified, and not gay, so it's looking like my invisibility streak might continue.

Then I suffer a minor accident, and Cruz's hero complex comes out in full force.

I should be grateful to have someone to open my door and carry my books, but when you pair his selfless personality with that body… My mind starts to blur the roommate line, which makes his blur the line of not being gay.

My heart is already battered, and I doubt it can take rejection from the one person who broke down all the walls I'd built around it. That doesn't mean I won't try to give it to him anyway.

Forgetting to Knock Changed Everything.

Cam

When I was ten, I made a promise. One that I'm still honoring a decade later, even though it means hiding a part of myself from the most important person in my life.

My best friend, Jagger.

And truthfully, burying that part of me is a small price to pay if it means nothing comes between us. I'm Jagger's rock, the one stable thing in his life, and I've held that role for so long it's now central to who I am. Which is why, after he sees something he shouldn't and gets an idea that he wants my help with, I'm faced with the biggest decision of my life.

Saying yes could break me, but saying no could break us. I guess there isn't really a choice, is there?

Jagger

There I was, innocently letting myself into my teammate's room to search for some protein powder, when I came across a different type of protein altogether.

I learned two things that day. Knock first, and straight guys might be missing out.

As usual when I have an epiphany, I turn to my best friend Cam for help, and learn another two things. Neither of us is as straight as I thought, and I'm not the only one who needs protecting.

Hopefully I can be as strong for him as he's been for me.