Janeisha "Neisha" Bambi has always survived by keeping a low profile. She don't get caught up in the kind of business that comes with bodies, secrets, and street names that echo. But all it takes is one night-one favor for her best friend-to slide her straight into the orbit of Seven "Saint" Carter. Saint is discipline wrapped in menace. A man the streets don't just respect,they fear. The type Neisha promised herself she'd never look at twice. He doesn't chase, beg, or explain. Yet somehow, he does all of this for her. And when that calm, unreadable gaze settles on Neisha, her careful world starts to crack. Now Saint's patience is running out, Neisha's defenses are falling apart and the pull between them is starting to feel less like a choice and more like fate. He's trying to shield her from the life he lives. She's trying to decide if loving him is salvation or self-destruction.

𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣, 𝙞'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣' 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮 - 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻

"You ain't even that cute." Jojo playfully rolled her eyes allowing Dice to pull her arm to wherever he seemed to be leading her. "Where are you taking me!" She grew annoyed with the anticipation. "On a trip, just chill." -- For as long as she can remember, Jojo Rosewood has lived a picture-perfect life in a suburban area located in Chicago-designer clothes, private schools, and a glamorous lifestyle all thanks to her high-powered mother. Evidently her perfect world seems to be a lie when it comes crashing down as her mother's secrets come to the light, forcing her to face reality. Now having all of her family's assets cleared she's every bit of confused on what to do. With nowhere else to turn, Jojo is forced to leave behind everything she knows and move across a plethora of states to live with her father, a man she barely knows due to distance, and his new family. Learning to balance the shift in culture and the chaos of her first year in college all in one, Jojo struggles to adjust to her circumstances and blend into a world where her privilege no longer holds any weight. Things grow even more complicated when she meets Dice, her half-brother's best friend-a well mannered , street-smart young adult who seems to embody everything Jojos maternal side of the family warned her about. Dice is equally frustrating and intriguing, with a no-nonsense attitude that calls Jojo out on her unrealistic expectations. As their chemistry builds, Jojo finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about family, loyalty, and love while Dice struggles letting Jojo take a trip to his world. Started; December 18th, 2024 Published; January 4th, 2025 Finished; March 2nd, 2025

love • /ləv/ an intense feeling of deep affection.

𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺.... 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦.... 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

" 𝐒𝐎 𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐃? " " 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐎 𝐃𝐔𝐌𝐁 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐓 , 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐓?"

i have waited lifetimes to find you.

𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞, 𝐈 𝐚𝐢𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐨𝐧 '𝐞𝐦, 𝐛𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝟕𝐭𝐡-𝐎𝐜𝐭 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 ©𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐡𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲