Man Up

I can make it by myself. The only rules I follow are my own. Love? I learned that lesson the hard and painful way it wasn’t right for me. Sure, sometimes it gets lonely and I wish I had a man to hold. Who’d love me. Want me. Treat me with respect. Yeah, I dance in a club but that doesn’t mean I’m easy. Or a fool. So you, sitting in the back, watching me? I know what you want. You want me. In your bed. Under you. But I say no. It doesn’t matter how many presents you give me. I’m not falling for you. I know who you are. But you don’t know me. You don’t know Austin.

Loneliness. The pain doesn’t simply go away with time. It’s been years, and they tell me I need to move on. But I can’t. Blame and regret are my constant companions. Until I see him in the spotlight and everything changes. Night after night, I watch him dance. Thinking about him. What he’d feel like. What he’d taste like. And now that I know, I want him even more. And maybe...just maybe, he might want me, too. But not yet. Not before he knows he’s more than a pretty face. Not before he knows what he means to me.

No one understands why I love him. Why I need him. Why I took him back. But they don’t have to. I know. Despite the hurt and the heartache, I see beneath his skin. And I’m different now. No more Flirty Frankie. I'm done with being king of the club. My dreams have changed, and so have I. I’m stronger. I believe in myself. And I’m a hell of a lot smarter than a year ago. Now it's his turn to show me the man he really is. To prove it. I've always loved him. But that's not enough. I need to learn to trust him.

I spent years waiting for someone who never put me first. He took my love; took me for granted. Took my heart. Now I’m on my own. Living life my way. The crowd only sees my smile. Never my loneliness and pain. I need someone to need me. When I meet another lost soul my friends try to warn me. He’s a liar. A user. Homeless. Heartbroken. He’s all that and more. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted....

It's time to travel with James and Malcolm through their 20-year history as they battle each other and struggle to hold on to a lifetime of secrets.