Ray himself seemed illuminated, shining, and once again Fraser was overcome with a fierce futile longing, so intense it stole his breath.

Ray really does appear that way. It's a Callum thing, I believe, and "a fierce futile longing" is just beautifully painful. :)


his past was nothing but a string of empty failures, each more degrading than the last.

Ouch! This is wrenching. Very true to character, IMO.

I liked the happy parts too, but the angst really shone for me in this one. Go you!