Downloading Starting with Cake
"I love you."
The words hang in the air, as unsettling as the box of snack cakes shoved into Cain's hands. Russel—the twitchy, socially oblivious office worker who speaks like an alien observing human customs—has never spoken to Cain before today. And Cain, a janitor with a body that betrays him—anxiety, IBS, and a heart still bruised by his ex—doesn't know how to respond.
Rejecting Russel should be simple, but Russel doesn't understand rejection.
The snack cakes become elaborate desserts. The awkward confessions grow more persistent, and when Cain's apartment burns to the ground, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back, Russel offers him a bed—temporarily.
Except Russel doesn't do boundaries.
He cooks meals tailored to Cain’s stomach, remembers Gabby’s love of painting, and helps Angel with his math issues, all without being asked. He sees Cain—his pain, his fierce love for his found family—and cares without expectation.
But letting someone in means confronting the parts of himself he's spent years locking away. And Russel's love isn't the kind you walk away from unscathed.
A hauntingly tender queer love story about the bodies we’re given, the families we choose, and the love that rewires us.
The words hang in the air, as unsettling as the box of snack cakes shoved into Cain's hands. Russel—the twitchy, socially oblivious office worker who speaks like an alien observing human customs—has never spoken to Cain before today. And Cain, a janitor with a body that betrays him—anxiety, IBS, and a heart still bruised by his ex—doesn't know how to respond.
Rejecting Russel should be simple, but Russel doesn't understand rejection.
The snack cakes become elaborate desserts. The awkward confessions grow more persistent, and when Cain's apartment burns to the ground, leaving him with nothing but the clothes on his back, Russel offers him a bed—temporarily.
Except Russel doesn't do boundaries.
He cooks meals tailored to Cain’s stomach, remembers Gabby’s love of painting, and helps Angel with his math issues, all without being asked. He sees Cain—his pain, his fierce love for his found family—and cares without expectation.
But letting someone in means confronting the parts of himself he's spent years locking away. And Russel's love isn't the kind you walk away from unscathed.
A hauntingly tender queer love story about the bodies we’re given, the families we choose, and the love that rewires us.