Until The Light Finds Us
Dahlia Rae
Eighty-five-year-old Cedric Hayward sits alone in a quiet diner, waiting to visit the man he loved mostly in secret for nearly six decades. Lance Rhodes—once bold, beautiful, and sharp as a switchblade—no longer remembers their life together. But Cedric does. And today, as he waits, he begins to tell his story.
From the early 1960s to the present, Until the Light Finds Us unfolds in vivid two young men from different worlds, bound by a love forbidden on multiple fronts. In a time when even being seen together could spark suspicion, they found fleeting joy behind carefully drawn curtains.
Through war, protest, profound loss, and the quiet revolution of chosen family, Cedric traces the decades they spent building a life in the shadows—always one heartbeat away from being exposed. And now, with memory slipping away, he holds onto the hope that even the softest truths can still be found.
Until the Light Finds Us is a sweeping, intimate novel about queer resilience, the weight of silence, and a love that dared to survive in a world that never made room for it.
“I finished Until the Light Finds Us with tears in my eyes and a heart cracked wide open. It’s not just a love story—it’s a story about memory, legacy, and the quiet bravery of those who lived their truth in the margins. Cedric and Lance stayed with me long after the final page. This is one of those rare novels that reminds you how powerful it is just to be seen.”
---Advanced Reader Review
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dahlia Rae writes emotionally rich fiction that explores themes of identity, legacy, and love that endures against the odds. Their work often centers queer and BIPOC characters navigating layered histories and personal transformation. When they're not writing, they're usually hunting for vintage diner mugs, reading oral histories, or planning their next book with far too many sticky notes. Until the Light Finds Us is a deeply personal project rooted in their love of intergenerational storytelling, and the quiet power of chosen family.
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