It's Just Us Here Series by Christopher X. Sullivan

An asexual man meets a male model... and slowly falls in love. Mark, the model, has not been challenged in his life and is emotionally withdrawn. He returns to Chicago in the hopes of reconnecting with his college friends, but everyone has moved on without him, starting families and growing up. Chris, the writer, is socially awkward and introverted. He actively tries to be as invisible as possible. The two men meet one day in Chris' favorite park and strike up a friendship... moreAn asexual man meets a male model... and slowly falls in love. Mark, the model, has not been challenged in his life and is emotionally withdrawn. He returns to Chicago in the hopes of reconnecting with his college friends, but everyone has moved on without him, starting families and growing up. Chris, the writer, is socially awkward and introverted. He actively tries to be as invisible as possible. The two men meet one day in Chris' favorite park and strike up a friendship. Since this is written as a romance, you probably have a pretty good idea where the story goes from there. You'd be wrong. (Well... and kinda right.) I'm Chris and this is my story. It's not a traditional romance. This is my version of a Happily Ever After, which means Mark and I became great friends... and that's it. Mark and I end this first installment of my self-portrait in a Queer Platonic Relationship. There was cuddling and emotional closeness, but nothing remotely sexual... at least not to my mind. Mark obviously wanted more and he would eventually get it, but this book, Book One of It's Just Us Here , would have been my perfect, ideal romance. If you need banging and crazy monkey sex to keep your interest in a story, then jump in at Book Four of this self-portrait ( The Lover ). Otherwise, come along for the ride and meet the man who would sweep me off my feet, Mark Wolff, one of the top ten most self-absorbed men in the whole world. [NOTE: This book is a 95,000 word romantic self-portrait featuring the beginnings of a queer relationship. It is the first book of a trilogy, which is itself part of a larger trilogy. Low heat... for now. I don't think we need trigger warnings for this book, but future installments might warrant them. Maybe that can serve as enough of a warning? Warning: this book if full of life.] less

An asexual man has met a male model... and they became fast friends. The summer has been magical so far for both Mark and Chris. Their friendship has grown naturally and quickly, but now it will be tested in ways that go beyond casual friendship. Both men are generally tight-lipped about their internal struggles... moreAn asexual man has met a male model... and they became fast friends. The summer has been magical so far for both Mark and Chris. Their friendship has grown naturally and quickly, but now it will be tested in ways that go beyond casual friendship. Both men are generally tight-lipped about their internal struggles. Can they be trusting enough to evolve from mere friends to something deeper? Mark, the globe-trotting man who usually treats friends as accessories to be changed with the seasons... finds Chris to be a steadying, consistent companion. Mark sees something in Chris that is so tantalizing... and starts to dream of a settled future he used to mock. Chris, the often reserved writer who always seeks to avoid confrontations... enjoys Mark's youthful, untroubled personality and is unable, or unwilling, to guard his heart around the straight-acting model. Chris has always felt most comfortable in friendships with straight men and lesbians... because then there's no chance of sexual pressure. [ADVISORY: This 100,000 word installment is the continuation of my self-portrait, It's Just Us Here. You should read Book 1: The Friend before reading this, but I don't think you'll be completely lost if you start here. I have written this series as a romance so some of you will be expecting a HEA... this installment doesn't have that.] less

An asexual man falls in love with a male model... and they make it work. Chris and Mark try to separate. It doesn't go smoothly. Why was it so easy to grow close, yet now so difficult to pull apart? Maybe they can pretend one last time... can they pretend to be boyfriends for a week? Can that solve their problems? [The Partner is Book Three in a ten book series. You can read this as a standalone and understand the plot, but you'll be missing a lot of character development... moreAn asexual man falls in love with a male model... and they make it work. Chris and Mark try to separate. It doesn't go smoothly. Why was it so easy to grow close, yet now so difficult to pull apart? Maybe they can pretend one last time... can they pretend to be boyfriends for a week? Can that solve their problems? [The Partner is Book Three in a ten book series. You can read this as a standalone and understand the plot, but you'll be missing a lot of character development. This is a 90,000 word journey to a well-deserved HEA between two men who hold nothing back.] less

An asexual man falls in love with a male model... and is introduced to the fine art of getting down. Chris and Mark are officially a couple... though Chris isn't out to his parents. Mark, on the other hand, is trying to mend his broken relationships with his father and grandfather. Their new romance is a source of stability for Mark and chaos for Chris. Together they navigate the many pitfalls of their newly sexual intimacy... moreAn asexual man falls in love with a male model... and is introduced to the fine art of getting down. Chris and Mark are officially a couple... though Chris isn't out to his parents. Mark, on the other hand, is trying to mend his broken relationships with his father and grandfather. Their new romance is a source of stability for Mark and chaos for Chris. Together they navigate the many pitfalls of their newly sexual intimacy. Meanwhile, Chris can't keep his family out of the loop forever because his mother is an especially gifted amateur sleuth. Also, it doesn't help that Mark wants to show off their romance like a first grader who brought a puppy to show-and-tell. [The Lover is Book Four in a ten book series. You can read this as the beginning of a four book "Lovers and Second Chances" story arc. You should probably read the first three books to understand the fullness of the characters, but this isn't strictly necessary. Book One, Book Four and Book Eight all serve as 'jumping in' points for the series. It's Just Us Here: The Lover is a 120,000 word journey of two men making a life together, staking out personal boundaries and gently adding sexual exploration to their intense emotional relationship.] less

An asexual man is now in a sexual relationship with a male model... and is in over his head. Chris and Mark's relationship evolves. Both men learn to depend on the other during trying times. Chris is in the closet with his family, but Mark doesn't add pressure and remains a solid support. Meanwhile, Mark is struggling to reconnect with his parents and older sisters and Chris is the catalyst that enables the vain male model to return home... moreAn asexual man is now in a sexual relationship with a male model... and is in over his head. Chris and Mark's relationship evolves. Both men learn to depend on the other during trying times. Chris is in the closet with his family, but Mark doesn't add pressure and remains a solid support. Meanwhile, Mark is struggling to reconnect with his parents and older sisters and Chris is the catalyst that enables the vain male model to return home. All good things must come to an end, and if you've read this far in the series, you should know that the last few chapters of this book contain the long-foreshadowed Big Fight. This self-portrait was written as a romance... but not every story gets a happy ending. [The Stud is Book Five in a ten book series. You can read this as the mid-point of a four book arc. You should probably read the friends-to-lovers story (contained in the first three books) to understand the fullness of the characters, but this isn't strictly necessary. Book One, Book Four and Book Eight all serve as 'jumping in' points for the series. It's Just Us Here: The Stud is a 118,000 word journey of two men connecting in a deep, spiritual way as they navigate a sexual relationship while juggling careers, friends and family.] less