Harder To Breathe
Songs To Stories Volume III
Inspired by: Down Bad by Taylor Swift
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Harder to Breathe is, without a doubt, my favourite book in the Songs to Stories series so far. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s Down Bad, it captures a love so intense, so consuming, it feels like a force of nature—until the harsh reality of the world tears it apart. This is a story about two boys who were never meant to exist in each other’s orbit, yet somehow found a love that defied every expectation. But love alone isn’t always enough. Not when the lines between privilege and survival are drawn so sharply in the sand.
Noah Calloway has spent his entire life on his family’s sprawling Texas ranch, a world of endless horizons and inherited expectations. Matteo was never meant to be part of that world. His family has worked the land for years, their lives dictated by the invisible lines that separate those who belong and those who never truly will. But from the moment Noah and Matteo met, the world around them blurred—just two boys lying in the sun, stealing kisses between the rows of mesquite trees, their love a secret written in the spaces no one else could see.
But secrets can’t last forever. When whispers of their relationship begin to surface, Noah makes a choice—one that shatters everything. In an act of desperation, he betrays the one person who ever truly knew him, setting off a chain of events that can never be undone. As ICE raids Matteo’s family home, Noah watches, frozen with guilt, as the boy he loves is taken from him, leaving behind nothing but dust and the echo of what they could have been.
Now, with nothing but regret and the weight of what he’s done, Noah is left to pick up the pieces. But is redemption even possible when the damage is already done? Harder to Breathe is a heart-wrenching story of first love, impossible choices, and the devastating cost of a single moment of weakness. It’s about finding the courage to fight for the person you love—before it’s too late.
Excerpt From Harder To Breathe By Britt Wolfe
The Texas sun blazed high overhead, casting long shadows over the rolling fields of golden grass. Matteo lay beside Noah on their hill, their limbs tangled in the heat of the afternoon. The cicadas hummed, the world around them silent except for the rustling wind and the soft whisper of Matteo’s breath against Noah’s skin.
“I could stay here forever,” Noah murmured, staring up at the vast, endless sky. Matteo turned his head, his dark curls brushing against Noah’s shoulder, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips.
“Forever’s a long time,” he said softly, but there was hesitation in his voice, a flicker of something that didn’t quite match the moment.
Noah turned to face him fully, his fingers tracing the line of Matteo’s jaw. “Not long enough,” he whispered before pressing their lips together, slow and sure. Matteo melted into him, his hand gripping the front of Noah’s shirt like he was holding on for dear life.
But even as they kissed, as the summer air wrapped around them, Noah felt it—the weight of reality pressing in. This wasn’t forever. And in the end, maybe love wouldn’t be enough to save them.
