Salem had always been a bright light in a world that tried its best to dim her. She was a twenty-year-old woman with warm brown skin, a heart full of kindness, and hands that worked magic. Since she was eighteen, she had built a name for herself with her own nail business, a craft she poured her soul into. Her work wasn't just about making nails pretty-it was about making people feel beautiful, cared for, and heard. But behind her warm smile and soft voice was a childhood weighed down by hardship.

You here forever or temporary?

Kason "Khotic" Brewster never planned on living long. At seventeen, he buried both of his parents in the same week. His mother died instantly in a car crash. His father held on just long enough to make Kason promise one thing before he passed. Take care of your brother and sister. So that's exactly what he did. Twelve years later Khotic is the man the streets call when things get ugly. Feared. Respected. Untouchable. Everything he does is for the two people depending on him to make it out of the life he's stuck in. He's content with that. Until Beauty Cardwell crashes into his world. Bee is nothing like the women Khotic usually deals with. She's a twenty-five-year-old brain surgeon, a child prodigy who finished school before most people finished learning who they were. She's blunt, literal, and socially awkward in ways people don't always understand. 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦, Bee doesn't believe in pretending to be something she's not. She says exactly what she means. And for some reason... Khotic likes that. What starts as a chance meeting turns into something neither of them expected. Bee sees the man behind Khotic's reputation. The older brother trying to keep his promise. The boy who never got the chance to grieve. And Khotic sees something in Bee that the world keeps missing. But loving a man like Khotic means stepping into a life Bee was never meant to be part of. Enemies. Loyalty. Violence. The kind of danger that doesn't care how smart you are. And Khotic knows one thing for sure. Good girls like Beauty Cardwell aren't supposed to fall for men like him.

"You can't see the future. I might have a chance. You don't know for sure." He mumbled, making her expression soften. "M-my mom used to tell me t-that birds still sing even after a storm. Why shouldn't people feel as free t-to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?" Samir stopped talking for a moment to regather himself so that he didn't stutter, but Nina froze completely. "You don't have to settle with him Nina. It's been five years an-and you're not a-as happy as you should be. You smile differently with me.. and you cry a lot with him. I just think that you deserve to enjoy your time with someone other than h-him for a minute because there's still sunlight out there for you too, even if you can't see it yet." How did he become her source of 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 so 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲? A short story.

a traphouse production #5 "Nothing in this world that I ever wanted more, nothing like them girls you ever loved before."

Kyland Jai Presley and Sailor Noelle Collins had been enemies since middle school, over an incident between Kyland and Sailor's older brother, Tailor. Sailor was most definitely her brother's baby, so if he didn't like someone, she hated them. Life basically forced them into one another's space, and soon enough, Kyland realizes the real shot he didn't see coming wasn't a rival-it was his baby.

Reentry Case 007: Male, 37, assault with intent to kill, parole conditions strict. Not to be left alone with female staff.

18 year old Seven is the pride of 12th Street. With a 4.0 GPA, a clean record, and a future that stretches far beyond the projects, she's the "good girl" everyone points to. She lives her life by the book, tucked safely behind the protection of her brother, Serge, and the iron gate of her porch. She's a goldfish in a shark tank, and she knows it. But the walls Serge built are starting to feel thin. Ghost is the first crack in her foundation. He's Serge's right hand, a man who has known Seven since she was in pigtails. He's respectful, steady, and moves through their house with a silent, predatory grace. He knows the "don't touch" policy better than anyone, but the way he watches her from the kitchen door tells a different story. He's the familiar danger, the one who's always there, whispering that he sees the woman she's becoming. Then there is Lucky. If Ghost is the fire, Lucky is the cold, dark eclipse. As the man who runs the neighborhood, he doesn't come inside, and he doesn't play by anyone's rules, not even Serge's. He doesn't talk much. He doesn't have to, his presence is a loud enough statement. Seven is caught in the crosshairs of two different kinds of power. One man is her brother's best friend who respects the house, the other is the street legend who intends to own it. On 12th Street, loyalty is everything... but some temptations are worth the war.

"You know how special you gotta be to change a nigga like me? Huh?" He tilted her head back to make her look at him, and a faint smile grew on her face as he wiped her cheeks. "My own grandparents couldn't do it for me and I loved them more than anything. You the one for me ma. That's why I ain't told you everything yet 'cause I don't wanna run you away. I need you." He laid his forehead against hers, gently kissing her lips. "Nobody will ever believe that King Von from O Block be crying to me like this." She smiled as she gazed into his red eyes, and he chuckled, nodding in agreement. "I ain't King Von wit' you. Just love." He kissed her cheek next, and her smile grew as her arms tightened around him for a warm hug.

"𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞" •𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙫𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨