“Every scar, every mark it’s part of what makes you extraordinary. You’ve fought through so much to be standing here, and that’s what I admire. You’re not just beautiful; you’re a warrior.” - Declan

"With Declan, everything else falls away. The past, the hurt, the fear it all dissolves, leaving just this moment. Just us." - Savion

From the start Savion saw Declan as a person and not as a famous artist and Declan always treated Savion with a lot of respect and patience, he saw Savion, a person. Savion has scars and is sadly used to people saying mean things or staring at him because of that. He has a hard time believing that he deserves love and that he is beautiful and  Declan gladly tells him that he is beautiful, as many times as he needs to hear those words, he helps him be more comfortable in his own skin. And he also helps Savior with his panic attacks in a good way, he just always listen and makes sure that he is okay. 

I really loved that they gave each other time to explain parts of themselves, they treated each other with so much care and love. And the small changes in Savion’s confidence were  written beautifully. Him choosing to not wear makeup around Declan because he realized that Declan would never say anything negative about his looks and that Declan makes him feel safe. And Declan telling Savion a personal story very early on in the book because Savion makes him feel safe enough to open up without judgment. 

This book had definitely some unexpected twists but I loved reading their story. Double bi-awakening & age gap. I received an copy of this book.