Love, Hate & Clickbait: A Novel

But it wasn’t political theater for Clay’s parents—they saw a politician’s stance on gay rights as critical to the literal physical well-being of their son, who lived all alone across the country. And the people like Lennie, like Thom, who were supposed to be looking out for him—they were using him instead.

Uncertain, Thom realized, whether to trust the instinct that Thom was playing him, and the relationship was a hoax, or to trust the instinct that no one would associate themselves with Clay unless they had to.

looking gorgeous in a way Thom himself had designed;

Clay looked at the pictures on the box, then back at Thom. He held up the gift, shook it at him, and said, “This is the shittiest fucking love declaration I’ve ever heard of.”

Thom was used to being the center of attention at these events, or close to it, but usually that meant that he was the focus of admiration, envy, or fear. He honestly didn’t really care which of those feelings he inspired; they were all a form of power. Today, it felt like he was caught in a maelstrom of gossip, helpless to its whipsaw currents. He

in the light of Clay’s affection. All his terrible weakness, pushed to the surface. But that had been in the dark. Today, in the daylight, he tried to do that again.

Who in their right mind would think that someone like Thom would be with someone like Clay?

Any and all of Thom’s attention aroused him, whether personal or professional. It made him wonder what Thom would do with him, how he would provoke him next.

Maybe the ring being real would make up for the fact that everything else about them was a lie.