Milan Ren Vaughn and Kairo Benton have spent months turning their apartment hallway into a silent warzone. She's convinced he's loud, messy, and allergic to respecting her peace, while he swears she was born to complain about anything he does. Their neighbors know the tension. Management knows the tension. And Christmas is the only thing keeping the building from falling apart. So when the manager assigns them to co-run the annual Christmas charity event, neither of them takes it well. Still, the holidays won't wait, the toy drive needs saving, and someone has to hang the lights - even if it means working side by side with the one person they can't stand. But as the season settles in, something unexpected begins slipping through the cracks. Late nights of planning feel calmer than they should. Their banter softens. The glow of the holiday lights makes everything seem a little less harsh, and a little more... possible. Moments that should've meant nothing start to feel like something they can't explain. They promised their truce would end after Christmas. But the holidays have a funny way of revealing gifts you never knew you needed - especially when they're wrapped in the person living right next door.

"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵𝘢, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳." 𝖠𝖯𝖱𝖨𝖫 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟥 － 𝖠𝖴𝖦𝖴𝖲𝖳 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟥

"𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙'𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧."

"You're the fucking reason why we've got left!" he shouted "Oh, I'm the reason!?" he groaned out of frustration, running his hand through his hair. "didn't I just said you were?" "fuck you!" I shot back, throwing sand at him. he glared before running after me, catching up fast. his hands grabbed my waist, pushing me down into the sand. our eyes locked, breaths heavy. the anger on his face was clear. my bikini top had slipped, with my nipple exposing me. "don't fucking play with me, indigo," he said voice low, fixing my bikini top before pulling away. his eyes lingered on mine for a moment longer before he stood up. --- 𝐓𝐖𝐎 rival swimmers who can't stand each other... 𝐎𝐍𝐄 college trip to a deserted island. When their constant bickering gets them left behind in the middle of a storm, they're forced to stay together on an island for 365 days. A year together of 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐃, 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓, and 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 that were always there.. but was just hidden - 🌊🦀🐬; - 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 - 𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌 - 𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒 -𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑E SCENES -𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄

Aaliyah Mercer never planned to catch the eye of the campus's most respected professor. She was just trying to survive her sophomore year balancing track, six siblings, and a past she never asked for. Professor Malachi Rothwell wasn't supposed to notice her. Nine years older, painfully disciplined, raised on intellect and family expectations-he never crossed lines. Not with students. Not with anyone. But over the school year, something shifts. Not all at once. Slowly. Intellectually. Quietly. Until she is the only thought he can't outrun. Their attraction grows in silence in late-night library shadows, in classroom debates that feel too charged, in the soft places where she lets him see her and the hard places he never shows anyone. One semester becomes two. Winter turns to spring. Spring becomes summer. And on chapter fifteen, a line finally breaks. Now they must survive what happens when a forbidden love becomes the only truth that makes sense.

"You want tater tots, I'm finna make some." Kamaria rubbed her stomach feeling hungry. "Why you say it like that?" "Say what, like how?" She questioned, raising her eye brows in confusion since she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. "You say Ta-ter like Tay-Tah. Like Tayta." He kept his eyes trained on her, not missing how the corners of her mouth twitched trying not to smile. "Imma call you that now." He declared with a shrug. "Uhh no you ain't, and you could've just said you ain't want none." She shut it down waving him off. "Okay...Tayta." He smirked. --- Ever since a small child, Kamaria had always been the feisty middle child bringing life to every situation with her vibrant ways. She never took mess from any one, and was big on defending herself. Toting a big heart, she always saw the good in people, which had to be her best and worst trait wrapped in one. Known for her spirited ways, her life is turned upside down when one deadly night occurs. Changing her life for the worst. Samir was always the outgoing friend of his group. Known for his unapologetic attitude, he never had to feel like an outsider with his two bestfriends. Although the life of the party, Samir struggles to be contempt with living a normal teenage life, always finding himself in the middle of troubling situations. It wasn't until one fatal evening that changed his view on life, forever. Fast forward years later, brilliant and ambitious Kamaria finds herself struggling with her academic life as the trauma she has endured takes a toll on her every day life. Focused on securing her future life throws her in for another loop when the past she had been avoiding shows up with a bright smile on his face, crashing full force into her life. Being back in the presence of one another their worlds collide in a whirlwind of emotions and an undeniable connection between the two of them. Started; October 20th 2023 Published; October 22nd 2023 Finished; February 29th 2024

𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺 "𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯"

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

𝙞'𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞'𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤, 𝙞'𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤 - 𝗷𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗸𝗼

"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