"𝘾'𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨" 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 "𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖"

" I don't even like you like that." Her face scrunched up in disgust watching water drip from curls in his hair. " 'Cause you love me. Just like I love you." He retorted with a grin, disregarding the deflecting she was doing. --- They were two sides of the same city-until one move split them down the middle. Elijah and London were inseparable once, bonded by childhood summers, beat-up bikes, and secrets too deep for anyone else to know. Unfortunately, when Elijah's mom packed up and moved her family across Onyx to a rival neighborhood, everything changed. She always thought when she spoke to him again he would've changed like her. She was witty, sarcastic, and had a low tolerance, but he was still the same calm , sweet, cute boy with a heart the size of the sun. Some things haven't changed. Some things never change. The pull between them, the memories that still burn etched marks in their brain, and the words they never said out loud. In a world where loyalty can be life or death, and love isn't always enough to cross old lines, Elijah and London find themselves circling each other again. --- STARTED; MAY 26th, 2025 PUBLISHED JUNE 6th, 2025 FINISHED; SEPTEMBER 27th 2025

"𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝." [𝐆𝐀𝐘.] 𝟐𝟏 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐱 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐕𝐎𝐍 𝐱 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐱 𝐍𝐁𝐀 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐎𝐘

Love wasn't supposed to be this dangerous. Taylor has always lived by one rule-stay out the way and survive quietly. But everything changes the day she crosses paths with Davion, a street-raised, battle-scarred man with a reputation that follows him like a shadow. He's unpredictable, magnetic and carrying secrets heavy enough to break anyone who gets too close....

𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥?

"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

𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚅𝙰𝙶𝙴, 𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴

♡ 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂. (notttttttt edited yet!!)

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘪𝘯. 𝘕𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.

Jamani Raelynn Carr has always preferred life behind the scenes-quiet, focused, and in control. But when she lands her dream internship as a sideline reporter for the Detroit Pistons, she finds herself thrust into the spotlight, balancing ambition, family expectations, and her own need for authenticity. Navigating the male-dominated world of sports journalism isn't easy, especially when every day feels like a high-stakes audition. Jalen Montez Duren, the Pistons' charismatic young star, is used to the pressure and scrutiny that comes with fame. But underneath his cool exterior, he's searching for something real-someone who sees the man beyond the jersey. When he meets Jamani at a chaotic NBA Media Day, a single thoughtful question sparks a connection neither of them expects. As Jamani and Jalen's paths continue to cross-on the court, at press conferences, and in the city that raised them-friendship slowly deepens into something more. But their growing bond is tested by public scrutiny, career setbacks, past heartbreaks, and the ever-present tension between personal dreams and professional duty. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Detroit, this slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance explores what it means to fight for love, identity, and your rightful place in the world. For Jamani and Jalen, the real victory might be learning to trust themselves-and each other-when the spotlight fades.