Helping Hand (Housemates #1)

My old patterns continue. I'm about to binge-read through all of/most of Jay Northcote's work. Starting with his Housemates series. The first novel (novella in this case) is titled "Helping Hand."

["Jez Fielding and James MacKenzie—Big Mac to his mates—are in their second year at uni. After partying too hard last year, they make a pact to rein themselves in. While their housemates are out drinking every weekend, Jez and Mac stay in to save cash and focus on their studies.

When Jez suggests watching some porn together, he isn’t expecting Mac to agree to it. One thing leads to another, and soon their arrangement becomes hands-on rather than hands-off. But falling for your 'straight' friend can only end badly, unless there’s a chance he might feel the same.]

These two were so fucking cute. You only get Jez's POV in this novella, but I think it made the pining and the angst all the more heightened and the ultimate HEP all the more worth it.

All the while Jez is struggling with some of his own things and trying really hard not to fall for Mac, he's constantly more worried about Mac and his feelings and his needs above his own. It's fucking sweet, idiotic, but sweet (and Mac makes up for it, just more subtle--then again, Mac doesn't really know all of the things Jez is doing/struggling with because they don't talk).

And they continue to not talk until it's too late (or almost...because it is a guaranteed happily ever after story after all). 

Amazingly beautiful start to the series. I'm here for it, that's for damned sure. ;)

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, internalized homophobia, the world and its need to use labels all the damn time even when you're not a labels kind of person, etc.

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