She doesn’t feel the water engulfing her in that hushed void, silencing her muted screams, dragging her down. She’s drowning, all right. She doesn’t see it, but he does.

Amy Emerson is midway through her first college semester, unprepared and overworked. She’s abiding her time in class all day and shaking up drinks, bartending all night. Oh, and that insolent bar bouncer, her boss, the one that looks exactly like Superman, yeah she has fallen for him.

Matthew Abernathy knows he’s in love with her. But he’s also noticed her protruding hip bones, heavy course load, and tendency to avoid food, and to self deprecate. Superman knows something about mental illness and when he looks at her, he sees the war flashing behind her soft oceanic eyes. Sometimes when he’s angry, he does 100 pull-ups until his calluses open up and he’s bleeding, red lines running down his forearms. But he’s more in control now. Disciplined and determined, this unconventional superhero has pledged to help her overcome her demons. But how far will he go for love?

Their heads leaning close in hushed conversation, he cups her face in his huge hands, his thumb wiping under her eyes, and tells her what she needs to hear. The words he whispers in her ear become her voice, and she learns to become her own superhero.