Hands Like Ours by River Hale

Jackson Ellis
My world shifted when I realized I wasn’t completely straight, all thanks to the crush I’ve developed on my professor. My girlfriend dumped me, and I had to move back in with my dad. Worst of all, the professor who awakened something in me now seems to despise me for it.
Isaac Kendall is brilliant and passionate and maybe a little mysterious if there’s any truth to the rumors about his dark past.
In a town like Viridian Falls, everyone has their secrets. But his are the ones that keep pulling me closer until I might just be leaning too far.

Isaac Kendall
For too long, I’ve carried the weight of mistakes this town refuses to let me forget. Rumors cling to me like shadows I can’t shake. My classroom is the one place where I still feel in control, at least until Jackson Ellis walks in.
He’s all bright eyes and temptation. Eager to learn. And far too curious about the parts of me I’ve spent years burying.
But desire is a dangerous thing in a town that feeds off whispers. The closer Jackson gets, the more I fear the past might come back to claim us both.

Hands Like Ours was originally a 22k word novella that first appeared in the We Shall Rise anthology. It has been revised and extended into the first full novel of the Viridian Falls series