They didn't end up in the same space on purpose. Brooklynn is the quiet type. Not shy... just tired. Tired in the "life been heavy for a while now" way. He minds his business, goes to work, comes home, and keeps his world small because that's how he breathes. Azyir is the opposite. Loud, funny, always in motion. ADHD running the wheel every day. Talks so much he forgets to say what he really means. Laughs loud so nobody asks if he's okay. They sit in the same trig class at their HBCU, but they don't talk. They don't dislike each other either. They just... live in two different worlds. Messiah Markell is their professor. Older, calm, strict in the quiet way that makes people sit up straighter. He owns a club downtown called Desirable, but in class he keeps everything controlled. He doesn't like watching people drown in silence or noise. He sees them both slipping. Not failing. Slipping. So he tells them to stay after class. Every day. Not for tutoring. Not for discipline. Just to sit, breathe, work, or not work. A room where nobody has to force themselves to be "okay." And somehow, without anybody planning it... The quiet one. The loud one. And the man who teaches them how to stay. Start learning how to need each other. Not in a fast way. Not in a dramatic way. In the way real connections happen: Slow glances. Shared exhaustion. Walking home together because home doesn't feel safe tonight. Sitting in silence that doesn't hurt. Being seen without having to explain. This is a story about: Black boy rest. Soft dominance. Messy feelings. Learning how to stay present. No fake deep. No forced love. Just real people figuring out how to breathe.

She dreams of owning her own bakery one day. Baking is her passion and what she considers her dream job. She was content in life, just taking things one day at a time learning new techniques and recipes every day. She didn't think life could get any better, that is, until she met him. His life was already a successful one. He was a very private man who's only goal in life was to continue making more money, building his legacy up, despite coming from old money. He was content in life and wanted for nothing, that is, until he met her. ------- "Have a nice day." I told him with a smile as I gave him the box. "Have dinner with me." He told me." Here we go... "Have a nice day." I repeated with a smile. My customer service is excellent if I do say so myself. He gave a light laugh. "I'll see you around glykiá mou." He told me and just like that he was out the door. Highest rating: #9 in Interracial ~ May 2022 #1 in Baking~ August 2022 #3 in Interracial ~ August 2022 #1 in Rich ~ October 2022 Created: Sept 2021 Published: 5/18/22 Completed: 8/26/22

" 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐧' 𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭."