Keon "Kae" Briggs was born and built in Ridge Pointe, a place where loyalty weighs heavy, losses come early, and boys grow into men faster than they should. Youngest of five, raised in a house full of brothers tied to the streets, Kae was the only one the neighborhood protected. Football wasn't just his gift; it was his lifeline. His way out. His one clean thing. Amira Fields is quiet in a way that makes people underestimate her. A soft-spoken, introverted girl who grew up with manga notebooks, science kits, and a mind that never stopped building things. When Ridge Pointe Low was home, she was the kid who stayed inside drawing anime while chaos moved outside the window. Shy. Observant. Different in a way kids picked on. What happens when the two connect after years apart, after years of learning themselves, losing themselves, and finding out home wasn't a place, it was a person?

"She not like the others, Ma. She real." Phoenyx spoke with conviction. "She makes me feel-" "Like a bitch." Persephone cut in, raising off of the couch. "You lettin' her soften you up. I ain't raise you to be no simp." "Forreal, Ma?" Phoenyx felt the heat rising to his face, a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Why can't you just let me have this?" "Have what?" Persephone scoffed. "This shit ain't you. You gon' start actin' like somebody's fuckin' husband now? You think love gon' save you in these streets?" • • • • • • 𝙰 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊 𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎. ❤️‍🔥👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟹 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 (𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗-𝚘𝚏𝚏)

At twenty-three, Kori thought she had love all figured out: steady boundaries, clear intentions, no room for chaos. But then there's Three. Three's twenty-five with a heavy past and an even heavier heart. The streets taught him to move ruthless, but one look at Kori had him rethinking everything. What starts as a friendship becomes calls that run too long and rides that don't end at the curb. Three falls first while Kori keeps drawing lines he's ready to cross. He's learning to heal. She's learning to trust. Together they're walking a line between danger and devotion. Where every laugh, every glance, every silence feels like more than it should. This isn't just a love story. It's a slow burn in real time with two hearts circling the fire, daring each other to step closer.

"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. ❀ 🝳 ❀

MORE THAN A CRUSH She wasn't looking for anything serious-until Zaire walked in. Now Novah's caught between guarding her heart and falling for the one person she never saw coming. READ TO FIND OUT.

Sometimes love finds you in the places you least expect-right when you need it most. Tilen has learned to live behind walls-strong, silent, and untouchable. After surviving a trauma that shattered his sense of control, trust doesn't come easy. But when he meets Adjrena, everything begins to shift. She sees through his guarded edges, offering him comfort without asking for anything in return. What he doesn't know is-she's healing too. Adjrena carries her own scars, hidden behind the calm exterior and quiet strength she offers everyone else. Love hasn't been kind to her. And opening up again? That's a risk she swore she wouldn't take. But in Tilen, she finds someone who doesn't expect her to be perfect-just real. During a sun-drenched vacation with close friends in Turks and Caicos, the spark between them flares into something undeniable. Between golden beaches, shared secrets, and stolen moments in the dark, two guarded souls slowly begin to trust again-not just each other, but themselves. But healing isn't a straight line. And love isn't always easy. Heartfelt, deeply sensual, and emotionally raw-this is a story about letting go of past pain, embracing vulnerability, and discovering the kind of love that transforms everything it touches. Can two broken souls truly heal in each other's arms? Or will the damage they've endured be too much to overcome?

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.

Chosyn Wilson is a man of a few words, he didn't like talking and most people always thought he was weird. When he bumps into a yapper dapper assistant, things change.

IN WICH: Kennesey Jordan is new to Chicago. She spends her first few days there helping her brother pull off his annual Christmas event. But then she met Justice Bennett - the venue owner with the kind of calm that made noise feel safe. He didn't talk much, didn't smile often, and definitely didn't plan on catching feelings for his homeboy's little sister. Between long nights setting up lights, missed calls, and moments that lingered too long - they both started feeling something neither of them were ready for. The city's cold, the holidays are loud, and love's the last thing either of them was looking for. But sometimes, the quietest things hit the hardest.

All I wanted was to hoop, chill with my homegirls, and vibe out this summer. But then Taylor brought him around... and now everything feel different. He talk too much, flirt too boldly, and swear he got me figured out. But he don't know me like that. This summer? I'm keeping it lowkey. No drama. No slips. So whatever he think he on- Don't tell him nothin.