On Love and Desire | ✔

About:
A Completed Stand-Alone Novella.

Started offline on 25 February 2024. Finished offline on 30 April 2024. Latest edits posted and/or finalized on 30 April 2024. Inspired by prompt #8 of 2024's Open Novella Contest:

You start singing along to a movie soundtrack late at night forgetting your window is open. Someone from the outside starts singing with you.

Blurb | Synopsis:
On the day of their college graduation, best friends Desmond and Mercy decide to date. Everything's "perfect" except for the fact that Desmond can't feel any butterflies in his stomach and knows he will never do so with anyone.

Achievements | Awards:
- Featured on @ TripleACommunity 's "Adulting and Academics (New Adult)" reading list.
- Featured on @ FreeTheLGBT 's "ONC2024 #FreetheLGBT" reading list.

Content Warning:
None, other than the use of profanity. Subject to change as chapters are drafted, posted, and/or edited.

My characters' actions, thoughts, and values are not reflective of my own.

Disclaimer | Copyright:
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Any and all recreations of this work by anyone other than the author is illegal. They do not allow translations.

© 2024 Indigo Ivy Salamander / @indigosa All Rights Reserved

If you see my stories under a different name and/or outside of platforms I've explicitly noted I post in (W a t t p a d, L u t i o n a r y, and i n k i t t), they have been stolen. You may also be under a malware attack. Please find me on the accounts below.

Contact | Socials:
W a t t p a d → @indigosa
W e b s i t e → https://indigoivy.carrd.co/

Author's Note:
Thank you for checking out this story! If you decide to continue, please keep in mind as you read that this is a rough draft + English is my second language. If there are any typos, grammar issues, and/or if there's any constructive feedback that you would like to provide, feel free to comment about them throughout the story, as well as your thoughts in general. I would love to hear from you!

Last year shit hit the fan for me in my personal life. I ran into a wall I knew was coming from a mile away 'cuz I didn't know what to do otherwise. I was able to conceptualize what I could do, and came to also understand parts of me that I considered elusive as well. I just... couldn't take the first step. But right now, I'm trying to do just that. This story is a part of my journey to self-acceptance. I already had a couple of story ideas that would've contributed to it in their own ways; they were focused on asexuality, but this one ended up winning the dogfight due to its perfect timing with an ONC prompt + my life, so I'm writing it (still doing so at this very moment (19:42, 29 February 2024)). 

It's challenging all of my pre-established beliefs, and also bringing to light the part of me that I kept ignoring and/or neglecting to explore and love. I dedicate this novella to that precious part of me. Indigo of the future, this note is more for you. The one of tomorrow, of next month, next year, the one of ten years from now, whatever. Whoever it is that shows up, okay? I hope you read this and add your own thoughts on this. I love you kiddo. Keep moving forward, and know that I am here for you every step of the way, as I am the drive that led you to the first one and beyond! Haha--- into infinity, and beyond!

I also dedicate it to my best friend, because without him I wouldn't have been who I am today. Keep your head up high and live your best life. I want you to find el tipo de amor que necesitas.

~19:04, 21 April 2024 - past-Indigo, you're so sweet, and I'm gonna live up to your wishes. i'll work hard on finishing this story for you and I! i also want to give a shout out to a fellow aroace person who encouraged me to write this story before I got started with it, and is eager to read it! Thanks R, hope you like it! :)