Title: Golden Boy

Author: Freddie Braun

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 05/19/2026

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 207

Genre: Contemporary, Lit/fiction, non-explicit, coming of age, ensemble cast, found family, college students, Scotland, London, Paris, unrequited love, gay, lesbian, heterosexual

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Description

At an ancient Scottish university where neo-Gothic spires claw at grey skies and fog settles thick around granite walls, eighteen-year-old Felix arrives hoping to outrun the shadows of his past. He quickly falls under the spell of five strangers who will change the course of his life forever: fierce Jess, who becomes his anchor; quiet Julian, with his cutting truths; the Sarah duo, one magnetic, one thoughtful; and Colin—golden-haired, impossible, the kind of boy who makes Felix forget his own name.

For a brief, shimmering moment, it feels like home: Late nights and shared secrets, cheap wine and the dangerous comfort of being chosen. One reckless night that changes everything. A budding connection with Filip, a teaching assistant who notices what others miss. But as Felix learns about the darkest corners of the human mind under renowned Professor Lorna Baird, the world outside grows darker too—the Aberdeen Ripper, a serial killer who terrorised the city years ago, has returned.

When Jess becomes his next victim, her death sends fractures splintering through everything Felix thought he understood. The friends he trusted. The boy he wanted. The person he was trying to become. In the wreckage, Felix begins to realise the danger was never only out there in the dark.

Her final gift: a lighter and three words, “Keep shining bright.” But in the clock tower that becomes his sanctuary, Felix will discover that not every murder is what it seems. And sometimes the real monsters are the ones we let closest.

Golden Boy
Freddie Braun © 2026
All Rights Reserved

That evening, King’s College’s grand hall shed its usual solemnity and turned radiant. The long tables stretched like rivers of light, lined with flickering candles that warmed the air with their soft, golden glow. Crystal vases overflowed with flowers arranged so precisely they barely looked real—their scent delicate but insistent, curling into every breath I took. Each place setting gleamed: silverware so polished it nearly shimmered, white napkins folded with crisp perfection, glasses catching the candlelight and tossing it back in fractured sparks.

The hall thrummed around me—laughter rising, chatter skipping across the vaulted ceiling. Students in black-tie floated between clusters, their movements loose with ceremony and wine. Waiters in black and white slipped through it all with the grace of choreography, trays balanced high, their jewel-like appetisers catching the light like treasure. And for a moment, I just stood there, caught in it—this blend of opulence and unreality. It felt like stepping into someone else’s dream.

We’d staked out a corner of one of the long tables—our own small island in the glittering tide. My friends, transformed by tuxedos and sequins, looked suddenly unfamiliar. Not in a bad way. More like seeing a beloved childhood home painted in new colours. Muddy Sarah’s infectious laugh carried across the table as Colin attempted to pronounce the French dishes on the menu. Julian, of course, corrected him with exaggerated dignity. Candlelight caught the sequins on Jess’s dress, scattering flecks of light across the tablecloth like stars fallen to earth.

Under the table, Jess’s hand found mine—a quiet squeeze, gentle but sure. No words, just the press of her fingers against my palm, and I knew exactly what she meant. For a moment, we stayed like that, our hands tangled together, the warmth between us saying more than either of us could have voiced out loud. Everything else faded for a beat—the clatter of cutlery, the low murmur of conversation—softened by that one small touch, and all the history behind it.

Then Colin leaned in, eyes bright. “Man, I’m starving! Can we start eating already?”

 

*****

 

After the meal—rich and heavy with just enough wine to make everything a little looser—we spilled into the night, laughter trailing behind us. The air hit cool against our flushed skin, sharp and clean.

“Look!” Jess’s voice cut through the quiet, bright with wonder. She pointed upward, her face tipped to the sky, eyes wide.

We followed her gaze—and stopped. For the first time since arriving in Aberdeen, the clouds had cleared. Above us stretched a sky thick with stars, scattered and endless, like someone had flung a handful of light across velvet. None of us spoke. We just stood there, breath caught, held still by something vast and wordless.

Caught in the glow of it all, we stripped off our formal wear without a second thought—shoes kicked aside, jackets forgotten on the grass. The cold bit at our skin, but we didn’t care. The night felt too wide, too alive to stay buttoned up. We claimed a patch of lawn like it was ours by right, bodies sprawled across the damp ground, forming our own constellation beneath the one blazing overhead. Laughter drifted off, leaving behind a quiet that wasn’t awkward, just full.

Julian passed a stolen bottle of port from hand to hand. It was rich and sweet, staining our mouths a deep, ridiculous red. Someone murmured something. Someone laughed softly. But mostly, we just lay there—watching. Time slowed to a crawl. The rest of the world faded. All that mattered was this: the stars above us, the people beside us, the cold grass beneath our backs. Only this sky. Only this circle. Only now.

We didn’t know it yet, but just beyond that perfect moment, the storm was already gathering.

 

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NineStar Press | Books2Read

Freddie Braun grew up everywhere and nowhere—a third-culture kid who learned early that home is less about place and more about the people who see you clearly. After studying psychology at the University of Aberdeen (yes, the same granite halls where Felix’s story unfolds), he now lives in London, writing about outsiders, first loves, and the families we build for ourselves. His work has appeared in Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and McSweeney’s. This is his first novel.

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