Blindsighted

The school soccer star and unapologetic class loudmouth, Cade Riley, has been in love with academic superstar Neil Erickson for years—long before he was old enough to understand what it meant. He flirted badly. Constantly. Loudly. None of it ever quite landed.

Neil never noticed, or pretended not to.

Everything changes during their senior European train adventure when a prank goes wrong and Cade temporarily loses his vision. For four days, he can’t see the world—or Neil—at all. Neil agrees to be his guide.

What begins as obligation turns into intimacy as they travel from Scotland through southern Italy, navigating crowded streets, quiet hotel rooms, and conversations neither of them planned to have. Stripped of sight, Cade finally finds the courage to say what he’s always meant. And Neil, for the first time, begins to truly see him.

But attraction raises harder questions. Can Cade convince Neil he’s serious enough to belong in his carefully constructed world? Do they share enough to build something real—or are their differences exactly what makes it work?

Blindsighted is a tender, slow-burn romance about perception, vulnerability, and the moment you realize the person you overlooked has been choosing you all along—stretching from Europe and back home to Nashville, where seeing each other clearly might be the biggest risk of all.

Friends of Cade and Neil:
Mads is neurodivergent and pansexual, and her autism is absolutely her superpower. She notices patterns, vibes, and impending disasters long before anyone else does, often solving problems before her friends even realize they’re happening. Jenna is the group’s resident mother hen—calm, capable, and always armed with a solution, a backup plan, and probably snacks.

Sophie is trans and very passing, which means when an athlete asks her out, the stakes are suddenly sky-high. She has to decide whether coming out is worth risking her safety—or if staying safely anonymous is the smarter choice. Kip is African American with blond hair, a killer sense of style, and a flair for the dramatic. Effeminate and unapologetic, he insists on telling anyone with working ears that he is straight—with a very hard “t.”

Savannah is a confused cheerleader who dates AJ for one reason only: crowd control. Having a boyfriend keeps other guys from approaching her, which feels easier than figuring herself out. AJ, Cade’s endlessly kind teammate, is the nicest guy in the room and has a massive crush on Sophie. Unfortunately, everyone assumes he’s Savannah’s boyfriend, leaving him stuck between being polite, being patient, and having no idea what to do next.