Burnt Honey:Between Him and You
Carl Hale has it all — wealth, status, and a last name recognized by half the country. But behind the mansion doors lies a cold emptiness. Raised by staff and overlooked by his glamorous parents, Carl moves through life guarded and alone. After a betrayal at his last school, he’s transferred into a strict missionary academy where he avoids everyone — until Theo.
Theo, the charming scholarship student, is everything Carl is not: bright, beloved, and kind. Carl watches from afar, nursing a quiet crush he knows he’ll never act on. The walls he’s built are too high.
But one reckless night changes everything.
On the night after his forgotten 18th birthday, Carl escapes to a gay bar to feel something. He’s underage, vulnerable — and things quickly spiral out of control. When a stranger steps in to help, it turns out to be Mr. Robert Ashton, the youngest and most mysterious teacher at school — the one students whisper about in the hallways.
Robert takes Carl home to recover, and in the quiet aftermath of that night, something begins between them. A look. A touch. A shared silence that feels like understanding. As Carl starts visiting more often, their bond deepens — into something forbidden and undeniably physical.
But Theo still lingers in Carl’s thoughts, and the guilt of wanting two things he can’t have is suffocating.
In a world that expects perfection from all three of them — the rich boy, the golden student, and the flawless teacher — secrets burn fast. And Carl is about to find out how dangerous it is when comfort, longing, and desire collide behind closed doors.