Elle Grayson's guilty pleasure is reading cheesy romance novels. Always has been, always will be. Maybe that's why she's never had a boyfriend - no guy can live up to her expectations of the guys in romance novels. She doesn't think there is one guy that can prove to be even half as decent as guys in books. But when there's somebody set on doing exactly that, things just might start to change. Romance #110 Short Story #23 - May 28, 2014

"Every fairytale begins in the rain." When you run into an old bookshop in the middle of Paris to escape a storm, who knows who you might meet there. {Written 2014.}

True beauty is being kind to yourself, and ultimately, to others as well; especially those who have hurt you deeply.

Marina Jacobsen and Elliot Martin have been friends since the start of secondary school, the moment they met they knew that they would become the greatest of friends. From their meticulously planned devious pranks to their hilarious banter and inside jokes, they knew that their friendship would be everlasting. When Elliot confides in Marina about his developing romantic feelings for the new girl, Erin Ford, she compiles a check list and set of rules to help her best friend get the girl who cannot seem to evade his every thought. Little did she know that whilst Elliot was completing each and every requirement that she had written down for him to follow, she would be falling for him with every box he ticked off. | cover credit: the lovely @decadently|

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

|| Available in book stores!! || watty award 2017 winner! || Becca's life takes a thrilling turn when she pretends to date Brett Wells, the most popular boy in school. Becca Hart is determined to coast her way through her senior year at Eastwood High School. Counting down the days until graduation had become her crutch. Her plans come to a screeching halt one afternoon when she ends up sharing a spontaneous kiss with Brett Wells, who's known for being captain of the football team and an all-around good guy. Their "love" spreads like fire and their fake relationship begins. But the two quickly learn that just because it started off fake, doesn't mean it won't become very real. ___________________________________________ Highest Rank in Teen Fiction: #1 - June 24, 2017. Featured in Teen Fiction: August 1, 2017. Watty Award 2017 Winner for Riveting Reads: September 29, 2017 Completed on: September 18, 2017. ___________________________________________ This story was originally published by myself on the Episode Interactive App as RIVALS. However, the story and the sequel have now been taken down. Alex Light © All Rights Reserved 2017 Cover: Designed by Corina Lupp and drawn by Jordi Labanda.