𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.

She walks in like the epitome of black girl luxury, but pain follows her. She covers it with bust-down jewelry and white roses. He's quiet, but his presence is loud in itself. Everyone knows him, but she sees right past him. She's confident, but he's more confident. She's fierce, but he makes her cower. Passionate. SADITIFIED.

kis·met /ˈkizmit,ˈkizˌmet/ noun destiny; fate. how do you know when you've met your soulmate?

nir·va·na a state of perfect happiness; an ideal or idyllic place. where we see what happens when an emptiness that one thought could never be filled is overflowing. when two lost souls find each other. where a broken record plays a perfect harmony. when after years of searching, you find nirvana.

you're just too good to be true... can't take my eyes off of you.

This story is told from two perspectives. From someone who longed for all life had to offer, Kalíanna, who had the ideal life that many would kill for or many worked so hard for. This young girl who lead what society deemed as a privileged life, who "had it all"...but a what cost? Her happiness. Javier was from a struggling background, he worked his way to the top. All his life he sought material things, thinking it heal the scars from his past. What will happen when he finds out all the wealth he has acquired won't heal his broken soul? The two are childhood friends who venture on different paths but have a similar struggle. Will the change in their friendship be for the better or the worse?

'𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑..

2𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝗼𝗼𝐤 𝗼𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐘𝗼𝐮

A pair of caramel eyes, a sharp and pointed noise, a strong and defined jaw, and carnation pink lips-those were the words that could describe the man Allison Tanya Valmonte kept on dreaming every night. The man she didn't know existed. Bewitched and curious, she meticulously drew every detail of his physique and brought him to life using every stroke of her paint brush. Making that man her own masterpiece that would be featured on an art exhibit that she needed to attend to. On the day of the exhibit, their worlds collided-the man on her painting was standing next to her, real, alive, and breathing.

Celebrity life wasn't always peaches and cream with chocolate syrup on top. It was a nightmare, especially if you were the child of a celebrity. That was how eighteen-year-old, Shai Carter, felt his entire life. Born to an NBA player and supermodel, Shai rarely had an image for himself. He didn't have a life and his dreams were shut down. He was always seen as that basketball player's son or that supermodel son. Sometimes he wasn't even mentioned and went unnoticed as if he didn't exist at all. Being neglected and ignored by your parents would make any child miserable, but Shai grew accustomed to it after years of experiencing it. He was used to being invisible, but things were quick to change as he entered adulthood and finds out his status made him a target. Dreams are what makes a person a dreamer. Goals are what make a person work harder. Dreams and goals made her the person she was today. Seventeen-year-old, Desdemona Young, was a simple girl who sought out simple things. Coming from an unlucky family, she didn't have it all to make all her dreams come true. Though that may have discouraged others, Desdemona made sure to learn from her failures to be successful. She knew it wasn't going to be easy but it was the difficulty that made her continue. Now going on her own for the first time, Desdemona realizes that life was much harder than she expected. Follow Shai and Desdemona as they tackle love, family, basketball, and school during their freshmen year. Part 1 in Love and Basketball series. September 9, 2022-October 8, 2023