Fake — Criss Copp

Mature content (New Adult): Recommended for readers 18+ due to sexual content, harsh language and adult themes.

For Silas Tayte, aged 19 and a Mixed Martial Arts fighter; life itself has been the biggest battle of all.
An orphan at 12; then raised by his sister Jade, after recovering from life threatening injuries; he continued to struggle further through his teenage years with mental illness, until he was properly diagnosed as bipolar and treated effectively.
However, his illness is only stable when his medication is properly managed, and it's hard to care about that when life is happening all around him.
When his girlfriend Shae walks away, his world implodes.

Isobelle Mulligan, aged 25, was raised in a life of privilege that she was desperate to escape. Drawn to a military life, she participates in two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Army medic... before it's all cut short by an IED.
She keeps to the fringes of society, trapped in the confines of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cleaning at a transitional age youth division of a private mental health facility; Isobelle's withdrawn nature is challenged by Silas... and because of her employment; their growing friendship must remain a secret.

Despite pain, heartache and interference, the two eventually fall in love.
However, life is rarely that helpful, and the two are consistently tested to prove that they deserve their chance at happiness.

"I'm perched over the top of her, and I'm breathing hard, and I have this confusing moment where I almost move in to push her shirt up and begin kissing her under it, but I stop myself; and I mean, I literally just stop myself and look at her giggling underneath me.
My brain is analyzing this moment in extreme detail.
I'm aroused; seriously and unquestionably aroused.
I want to bury myself in this woman.
I want to tell her what she's doing to me, but I don't want to ruin the friendship we've started.
I'm finding her laughter intoxicating like a siren's song.
I think she's not only beautiful, but seriously hot.
I find her scent intoxicating.
I have yet to discover any serious flaws in her.
I'm not sure how I feel about Shae anymore, it's just pain. I can't even feel regret for not trying harder.
I'm scared."
~ Silas Tayte