A dedicated platypus zookeeper, Calvin is patient, methodical, and demisexual. To the outside world, he’s a natural caretaker—teaching visitors, guiding interns, and offering kindness in small but meaningful ways. But beneath his steady presence, he’s restless, always pushing himself—mentally preparing for a future he fears, while emotionally avoiding the love he doesn’t believe he deserves.
Twice Aiden’s age, he knows better than to fall for the reckless, sex-positive intern who is relentless in his pursuit of love. But it isn’t just the age gap. Calvin is convinced that his future is already written, and he refuses to let anyone suffer for loving him.
Syrus has never needed to be convinced. A quiet, unshakable presence in Calvin’s life, Syrus has stayed without question, without demands, without asking for anything in return. But even devotion has a breaking point, and after years of shaping his world around Calvin, Syrus finds himself searching for an escape.
Then there’s Aiden Taylor, who sees things neither of them will admit.
Aiden sees the weight Syrus carries—the quiet suffering of a man who has given too much. And he wants him. The unhinged passion that Syrus locks away, the pain, the ugly truths—Aiden wants to break through the walls and have all of him.
But what starts as an instant, electric attraction between Aiden and Syrus leads him straight back to Calvin.
Because Calvin and Aiden share something deeper than desire. A connection forged in their shared inexperience with love, their reckless hope, and the way they reach for something they’ve never known. And while Syrus may be ready to walk away, idealistic Aiden refuses to let go that easily.
Somewhere between the past, the present, and the tangled web of devotion between them, three men must decide if love is something to be resisted, endured… or surrendered to entirely.
Calvin Kelley has spent his life pushing love away—not out of fear of losing it, but out of fear of what his love might cost.
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