Erin Bilton-Hayes

Extra Credit: A gay love story - Elliot Extra Erin Bilton-Hayes

At 31, William is happy, kind of. He has an apartment, and a job teaching at the local college. He also has a bad habit of cruising on dating apps when he's drunk, and a dead-end crush on Tyler, who has been out of sight and out of mind, off with his girlfriend in Australia.

But Tyler's about to move back into his life, in a big way. In a moment of generosity, William offers Tyler a place to crash after a break-up. Tyler's back in town, licking his wounds, just as kind and clever as William remembered, although now he also hangs out shirtless in William's living room.

How will he handle the tension and frustration of living a few feet from his crush, trying to juggle keeping on top of his grading and keeping his sanity? How much longer can he keep insisting that he's happy to live a life of the mind and ignore the incredible body doing yoga in his lounge? Tyler cooking him dinner every night is just being a good houseguest, or is he trying to be teacher's pet?

William hadn't been to this bar before, nestled down an alley a few blocks from his apartment. Tyler led him to a courtyard out the back, which he hadn't noticed at first. "How'd you find this place?"
Tyler didn't meet William's eyes. "It used to be my go-to for dates. It's quiet, usually, and generally the floor isn't sticky."
"Are you romancing me?" William sounded amused, but he could feel the back of his throat catch as he spoke.
"They also let you smoke outside, c'mon." Tyler hip-checked the door open, and picked a table in the corner. They were the only ones there. William noted that Tyler hadn't actually answered his question.
"Did you go on many dates before Jules?" William realized he didn't really know anything about Tyler's dating life. That wasn't surprising exactly, but he couldn't deny he was curious.
"No", Tyler deadpanned, "I was sweet 29 and never been kissed".
William pulled a cigarette out of the pack in his jacket pocket and tapped it against the table, waiting.

What happens if your first coming-of-age stalled? How young is too young for a mid-life crisis? Can you do both at once? William is about to find out.

Extra Credit is a fresh, funny and intelligent romance novella, about longing, second chances and the feeling of finally coming home.