Catch Me If You Can

Ella Kit

Catch Me If You Can

Ella Kit

Catch Me If You Can

MM Romance Novel

Ella Kit

June 2025

Catch Me If You Can

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the author.

First edition: June 2025

Cover Design Credit:

Cover designed by the author using Canva. Some graphic elements sourced from Dupe.com.

Content Warning

Book Soundtrack

9 months until prom night

1. nathan

6 months until prom night

2. Nathan

4 months until prom night

3. nathan

prom night

4. caleb

four years later

5. caleb

6. nathan

7. caleb

8. nathan

9. caleb

10. nathan

11. caleb

12. nathan

13. caleb

14. nathan

15. caleb

16. nathan

17. caleb

18. nathan

19. caleb

20. nathan

21. caleb

22. nathan

23. caleb

24. nathan

25. caleb

26. nathan

27. caleb

28. nathan

29. caleb

30. nathan

31. caleb

32. nathan

33. caleb

one year later

34. nathan

a year after that

35. caleb

acknowledgments

about the author

Content Warning

Cheating (Not between the main characters)

Book Soundtrack

Dirty Little Secret – The All-American Rejects

Weekend Friend - Goth Babe

Deep End - Bennett Coast

On Some High - Sebastian Paul

Judy You Hung The Moon - Harbour

Deep Breath in the Sun - Grady

Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Head - Del Water Gap

Canary Islands - Goth Babe

Perfume - Del Water Gap

Wish Me Luck - Wallows

I like the way you kiss me - Artemas

Red Wine Supernova - Chappell Roan

Late Night Talking – Harry Styles

PS Find this playlist on Spotify to listen to way more while you read. I’m constantly adding to the list!

Playlist is called: Catch Me If You Can by sunshinezodiac101

9 months until prom night

nathan

"Ugh, this sucks," I muttered to myself.

I ran my hand over the paper, brushing away tiny eraser bits. I had completely ruined the cape I’d been trying to sketch on my Batman. It had taken up most of the lunch period, and still, I couldn’t get it right.

At that point, I was ready to ditch the whole sketch altogether.

“I don’t know, I thought it was pretty good” a low, smooth voice said from just over my shoulder, startling me.

I glanced up to find a tall boy standing over me at the lunch table.

He wore a black GORILLAZ band tee, his hands stuffed casually into his pockets. I didn’t recognize him, which was odd since our high school was pretty small. If he’d been here before, I definitely would’ve noticed. His black hair was a little longer than the preppy boys' at our school, and his piercing blue eyes roaming over my paper.

I blinked, shocked at that random thought.

Why was I noticing his eyes? That was...weird.

“Yeah, um... it’s the cape. It’s not flowing right, and I’ve been working at it for hours,” I said with a sigh, refocusing on the page.

“Hm. I see what you mean.” He nodded his head, still hovering over me. He was so close and it was beginning to feel uncomfortable with how close he was.

Who was this guy?

“Sorry, did you need something?” I asked — a little sharper than I meant to. But he didn’t seem fazed. He just pulled out the chair beside me and sat down like he belonged there.

“Nah, just wanted to see what you were working on. People at this school don’t seem very artsy. Everyone’s kind of...” He glanced around the cafeteria, but I already knew what he meant.

“Uptight,” I said.

He let out a dramatic sigh. “Yeah! Exactly. Up-fucking-tight,” he laughed — and I found myself laughing too.

He wasn’t wrong. Creativity wasn’t exactly encouraged here.

“I kind of just keep my head down. I’m pretty much invisible,” I muttered, eyes drifting back to my sketch.

“Is that what you think you are? Invisible?” he asked. Our eyes reconnected as he looked me over, as though he was trying to figure me out.

I paused. I didn’t even know this guy and I found myself concerned of what he thought of me. Why did I care?

The truth was, I didn’t want him to know how much of a loner I was considered here. No one really talked to me. Not without cause, truthfully. I mostly kept to myself. Honestly, I hadn’t realized how lonely I was until that moment. That brief conversation felt like coming up for air — and I hadn’t even realized I was drowning.

“I don’t really fit in, I guess. Unless you’re an honor roll student or throwing a football, people don’t really notice you, I guess.” I finally admitted.

I looked over to gauge his reaction, his right side of his mouth quirking up into a smile, bright and easy. It made my cheeks warm instantly.

“Well, I suck at school, and I can’t throw a ball for shit. So, I guess I’ll be an outcast too.” He shrugged.

“That makes sense,” I laughed. Only, nothing about him screamed outcast to me. Not in the way that I was.

It was such a simple exchange, but it felt monumental. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt at ease with someone. He was just... different. Not like anyone else I’d met before.

The bell rung, cutting through the moment and signaling the end of lunch. He pushed up from his chair and started toward the door. I felt a sharp, unexpected drop in my stomach. I didn’t want him to go.

He stopped suddenly, turning back toward me, a salmon swimming upstream through the sea of students pouring out of the cafeteria.

“What’s your name?” he called out.

“Nathan,” I replied. “Yours?”

“Caleb.” He gave me a nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch?”

I nodded back.

He flipped his black hair so it swept perfectly over his eyes, then disappeared through the doors.

After three years of surviving this preppy, stuck-up school…I made my first friend.

6 months until prom night

Nathan

Just like I had assumed, Caleb was in fact not an outcast. Probably the furthest thing to an outcast than a person could be. No, it was safe to say Caleb was cool. Way cooler than me.

The past couple of months had been… a whirlwind. It felt like the moment he stepped into my life, my entire world flipped upside down. Wherever he went, excitement followed.

And for some reason, he really enjoyed spending time with me. Since the day we met in the cafeteria, it was like he’d been attached to my hip. I was pleasantly surprised to see that our random meeting wasn’t a one off situation. Caleb started waiting for me after school and insisted on hanging out at his place.

One hangout turned into another, and soon, we were together every single day. It was clear that we liked being around each other since we never ran out of things to talk about. Which is hilarious since apart from our shared love of the arts (he was a huge fan of music, especially punk emo rock), we didn’t have much in common. But somehow, we just… worked. It made our chats all the more interesting.

It wasn’t long before every school day felt like a countdown to when I’d get to see him again. Nights were spent at his house, staying up all night sharing music, laughing over silly jokes or coming up with wild ideas like moving away to the city together and owning our own taco shop.

For my first real best friend, I was hooked.

But, I wasn’t the only one who was completely enamored with Caleb Brown.

In the short time since he’d transferred to my school, the student body was enchanted by him. He had friends in every class, got invited to every party by the popular crowd, and was already putting together a band to play at prom.

Caleb was fun. Really fun.

Being around him was… addictive and for the first time in my life, I didn’t want something to end. He was charismatic and funny, so it made sense why people gravitated toward him. I wasn’t jealous… I was just… amazed. Which was exactly why it made no sense that he was so invested in me.

I mean… I was just me. And he was so—

The front door suddenly swung open, revealing the enchanting man himself.

“What the hell are you doing standing out here, Nathaniel? Get your ass inside before you freeze,” Caleb laughed, rubbing his hands together to emphasize how chilly it was.

I had no clue why he insisted on calling me Nathaniel. That wasn’t even my name. But once he got started on something, there was no stopping him.

He wore his staple oversized band t-shirt, this time rocking Nirvana, over a white long-sleeve shirt rolled up to his elbows. He shook his long hair out of his eyes as he took in what I was wearing.

“You look like a Yeti,” he laughed.

It had been a long walk from my house across town, so I had bundled up from head to toe.

“It’s the middle of January,” I huffed.

“Ah, I can tell by your red cheeks. Look at you—” He laughed, resting his palms on my cheeks. I sucked in a breath as he stood there giggling, warming up my face with his hands.

I swallowed hard, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks even more. God, I hated being a blusher.

Thankfully, Caleb was quickly distracted by what I had clutched in my hands. A huge smile lit up his face. “Are these carrot cake?” he asked, reaching for the plate. Caleb Brown had to be the only eighteen-year-old who’d choose carrot cake muffins over a traditional birthday cake. But it was his favorite, so he got what he asked for.

I nodded, and he pumped his fist in the air. “YES! Your mom makes the best ones. Give momma Philips a huge kiss for me.” His eyes practically rolled back as he inhaled the scent.

I smiled and slipped off my coat, gloves, and hat, hanging everything up in the walk-in closet. No way was I going to tell him I’d been the one baking them all along.

“Yeah, well. It’s your birthday,” I shrugged.

“Right, it is my birthday.” He slung his arm over my shoulder and led me deeper into the house. His place was massive. It was like walking through a museum. With his dad never home, we never had to worry about being too loud or getting in anyone’s way. It was peaceful at Caleb’s. I loved it here. And more importantly—he was here.

“Which is exactly why we’re going to eat these and a bunch more snacks while watching…” He skipped down the basement steps, racing over to the projection DVD player. “Drum roll, please,” he said, poking his head up from behind the machine.

I mimicked a drum-roll on the bar top at the back of the room. His dad had set up a home theater with three long rows of couches, a huge projection screen, and a liquor bar. Rows of framed photos of famous actors and actresses lined the walls, and a popcorn machine sat in the corner.

A goddamn popcorn machine.

I laughed, shaking my head as Caleb got himself organized. Looking around, I noticed he had already laid out chips, pop, and other snacks on the bar. It was strange—it was his birthday, but it felt like he’d set it all up for me. My stomach flipped.

I turned to him, my eyebrows lifting. “You didn’t.”

Caleb nodded eagerly. “Oh, I so did.”

I reached out and grabbed the movie case from him. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. Holding it felt like cradling a national treasure.

“I’ve never seen it before,” I admitted, handing it back.

“Oh, I know. Which is exactly why I’m going to show you the way, my young Padawan. Sit back, relax, and allow Jack Black and Kyle Gass to take you on the greatest adventure you’ll ever go on.”

He popped in the movie, and the main menu appeared on the giant screen.

Caleb always knew everything cool first. Especially when it came to movies, songs, and artists. He was like a walking, talking IMDB. It was pretty cool. He was pretty cool.

Grabbing a muffin, he flopped onto the back couch, stretching his leg across most of the seat.

My mouth went dry as I stared at the three empty couches. Should I sit with him or…?

“What are you doing? Come sit down and stop being weird,” he said, stomping his foot on the leather seat next to him. He peeled the muffin wrapper so he could take a bigger bite.

I scratched the back of my neck, watching how carefree he was. Why did I feel so awkward around him while he remained totally unfazed?

“Shouldn’t we, uh, do something? I mean, it’s your birthday. Feels like we should do something.” I shifted my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

His eyebrow arched. “What do you want to do? Sing me happy birthday or something?” He leaned his back into the couch arm, his hand behind his head. “Go on, now I need to hear it.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

He wasn’t.

“You think it’s hilarious,” he laughed.

I did.

“All I want is to sit here and watch one of my favorite movies with my best friend. That’s it.” He shrugged.

A rush of warmth filled my chest. His best friend. I don’t think I’d ever been anyone’s best friend before. It’s nice hearing it out loud. Especially coming from him.

“Now come here. ‘Kickapoo’ is my favorite, and you’re going to miss it if you keep yapping,” he said, scooting over.

I didn’t miss how his legs stayed spread, even as he insisted I sit beside him.

Caleb did whatever he wanted, without worrying about consequences or what it might mean.

He acted first, thought later. It was frustrating, especially when I did nothing but overthink.

I sat near his feet, trying to focus on the movie while leaning subtly away from him. Being around Caleb was like being around a Vortex. He was all consuming and I wasn’t sure what it meant but it was hard to focus on anything else when I was around him.

Especially when he insisted on being close and constantly initiating physical touch.

Keeping my mind on anything else was nearly impossible. He tapped his foot to the music, nodding along with the beat.

“Can you believe this shit? It’s hilarious how good it is, eh?” he laughed, sitting up. He grabbed my arm, pushing and pulling me until a laugh escaped my lips.

Catch Me If You Can