Hard Climb — Kate Pavelle

Jesse and Sebastian are together now â€" or are they? Sebastian wages a murky corporate battle on his own. When his distance and stress turns Jesse into a mess, Jesse's boss Tyler remembers what his own break-up with Sebastian felt like. He pulls a few strings to help Jesse, he hits Sebastian with a clue-bat. His intervention works wonders, but the sense of harmony is just a calm before the storm.

Sebastian's plan to ease into living with Jesse openly dies as he's outed and black-mailed. The ground under his feet crumbles. From a business suit to cheap construction boots, his life of privilege in a conservative family business falls apart and only Jesse and the constancy of triathlon training keeps him sane. Sebastian's goals are clear: They won't be homeless. They'll make ends meet. For Jesse, he'll do anything.