A Little Closer Than Before: A Sweet Teen Love Story of Dreams and Friendship (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798276493138)

Ava Carter never expected one seating chart to change her whole life.

Quiet, artistic, and perfectly invisible, Ava prefers sketching in her notebook over talking to people. She's the girl who sits by the window, keeps her hood up, and hopes feelings never get too close.

But then Noah Reed sits beside her.

Noah-funny, messy, talented, stressed, gentle, chaotic in all the best ways-is everything Ava isn't. He hides his pain behind jokes and hides his dreams behind fear... especially his dream of becoming an artist.

When Ava accidentally discovers Noah painting a secret mural after school, she sees something no one else does-his passion, his talent, and the part of him he's too scared to share. And that moment becomes the beginning of everything.

Suddenly they're spending late nights texting, sharing earbuds, surviving embarrassing TikTok moments, facing rumors, misunderstandings, jealousy, and a friendship break neither of them saw coming.
But through every chaos, every almost-confession, every quiet moment... their connection only grows stronger.

And when Noah decides to enter the Wind District Art Competition-despite his family's pressure to give up art-Ava becomes his biggest supporter, his partner, his safe place, and the reason he dares to believe in himself.