Since I was sixteen I've always known the kind of life I wanted for myself. I wanted the love. The peace. The happiness. The marriage. The family. The home. But sometimes life doesn't always go as planned. Instead of getting what I wanted, I got what I needed. I got lessons. I got heartbreaks that forced me to grow. I got silence that taught me how to listen to myself. I got endings that pushed me toward new beginnings. And even though it wasn't easy, every detour shaped me into the person I am today. Stronger. Wiser. More passionate about the life I'm still building. And despite all of that, I still want the love. The peace. The happiness. The marriage. The family. The home. I still want it all. Because no matter how many times life has tested me, the desire for those things has never left. It's only grown stronger. ~ Crystal

"Solè, why'd you stay?" "Because, Zaire... you the first thing that ever felt worth staying for." ❀ 🝳 ❀ Harlem held the noise. Solè gave Zaire the quiet. Zaire Knox, Harlem's quiet storm, known for his ties to the streets and a gaze that read people faster than they could lie to him. Respected. Feared. Loved. With scars buried deeper than his tattoos, he never planned to love soft. Until a Harlem vinyl shop left behind by his late grandfather forces him to slow down, to breathe, to find his real purpose in the world beyond the streets. Solè Sinclair, soft but unbreakable, raised by her father after loss. By day, she serves warmth behind the counter of a café. By night, she disappears into her art, trying to paint the parts of herself no one ever sees. When their worlds cross, the city shifts. What starts off tense and unexpected turns tender. Together, they learn love can hold you just as fierce as the streets ever did, and softer, too. But love in Harlem always asks one question: what are you willing to risk when the heart wants more than the streets ever offered? A Harlem story. A hood love. A soft place to land. ❀ 🝳 ❀

I will cross the ocean for you I will go and bring you the moon I will be your hero, your strength Anything you ne- Scratch that No, the fuck I won't !

When Ryan transfers to a new school, the last thing on her mind is connection. Especially not with someone like Kairo Porter, a star athlete with a name bigger than his reputation. But fate (and a media arts professor) pair them together for a semester-long film project. What unfolds behind the camera is a slow unraveling of secrets, pressure, and attraction. The story they're telling? About finding identity in a world that demands perfection. The story they're living? Something neither of them were prepared to write. -Book 3 of the My Slime series

After five years apart, Ariah Montgomery and Najeer Porter find themselves back in the same city, picking up their friendship where they left off. But as familiar laughs and late-night talks turn into something neither of them expected, they're forced to question if things between them have truly stayed the same, or if something unspoken has been there all along.

Damn, college really is the best part of yo life. Especially at an HBCU.

Arinze is an ER nurse with a chip on her shoulder, Mahdi is a sweet firefighter with a heart of gold. Read to find out what happens when these opposites meet. (18+)

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

𝙏𝙞𝙡 3005, 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨, 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙪𝙥.....

"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