I swear Hazelwood never fails to entertain me. She could write a grocery list and I'd be utterly enthralled. But what she does best is pull all kinds of emotions out of me. Even in her short stories. This book had an absolute chokehold on my heart from the very beginning.
This has a he fell first trope to it with a bit of unrequited love then a friends to lovers aspect through forced proximity.
The story is told in present day with flashbacks important to setting up the relationship between the two main characters: Marc and Jamie. The story is focused solely on them, so you don't get much in the way of the relationships between the other characters who are introduced. You do see some of that through the main character's eyes, though. I can see how this might be hard with a short story, though, as you really need to focus on the main theme and not much else outside of that can really happen.
I love how the characters are lifelong friends. Marc knows so much more about Jamie than she even thinks he knows. He sees her and that really resonated with me. Being seen is so important, even in our times where we are not at our best. And he's so raw and open. Unafraid to be rejected and willing to fight for what he knows he wants, no matter how long it takes. He's patient and protective. Jamie, on the other hand, is blinded to how he feels and then when she knows, she constantly pulls away because she is too afraid to open herself up to love and the potential of hurt. But you know Hazelwood can't leave you with something that's not happy in the end without taking you through a struggle.
I don't know how she does it, but this author always gets into my brain and my heart and makes me love everything about the characters she writes. My one complaint is that it was a short story. I really wanted something much longer to soak in and let sit with me. It was over too fast.