After that, the story backtracks a bit to 1996 where Sivan and Walter first meet. Calmes tells the story of how they first fell in love and how they came to be together in the first place. It's a sweet, wonderful story but I don't think it's my favorite of her work. There were a few moments where I got tear-eyed at some of the more emotional scenes about loss in this book. Calmes is so readily able to manipulate reader's emotions that it nearly becomes impossible not to feel for her characters.

Towards the middle, I think the story lost a little bit of its focus and steam. However, I did think it packed a punch for a short story. Calmes approaches this book in a very unique story-telling way. I do believe that her writing has gotten better over the years. She is simply magnificent in capturing off-screen growth that whatever you see on- screen, you can appreciate what the characters have experienced even though it isn't told or shown in full on words in STILL.

Mary Calmes still remains as one of my favorite M/M authors. I will gobble up anything she writes!

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