Can we be lovers and friends? 𝐌𝐱𝐌 .

Vondre needed to win Kaden's love and trust back. The was the only thing he cared about. The boy he'd fallen in love with as a teenager. But Vondre knew if only Kaden knew the truth he'd still care about him too.

"If you were really my best friend, you'd see that you were the only person I've ever wanted to be with. You've been dating everyone else while I'm just sitting around waiting for you to open your damn eyes!" I yelled at him as tears streamed down my cheeks. He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly confused. He then held a sympathetic look on his face when he saw how passionate I was about this entire situation. I can't believe he didn't realize all these years that he was the one I wanted to be with all along. "How was I supposed to know Riley? You didn't tell me shit!" He yelled back at me but still held his same sympathetic look. I shook my head at him, wiping my face as I backed away from him, stepping into a pile of snow in the process. There was already snow on ground but more snow had just started to fall from the sky. "Look, I have to go. My mom wants me home for dinner." I said turning on my heels and walking away towards my house. I didn't even bother looking back but I knew he was still standing there. I wondered if he'd run after me or if he'd sweep me off my feet like I always imagined but no, nothing. Just broken dreams and maybe even a broken friendship. *For hopeless romantics

From opposite worlds, Gio found himself drawn to Cian. Brought together by a mutual connection, kept close by Gio's relentless curiosity - a tattoo artist and a game developer, tied not just by fate, but by intrigue.

Everybody expected Jalen Carter to crash out after prison. Instead, he came home trying to be a father. Trying to stay free. Trying to move differently. Trying not to lose himself again. But Amir Johnson makes that shit difficult. His best friend has been attached to his side since they were kids, still loud, still reckless, still the only person who can get under Jalen's skin without trying. And the closer they get, the harder it becomes to ignore the tension building between them. Now with his baby mama wanting their family back, old street problems resurfacing, and feelings neither of them knows how to handle... everything they built together could either save them- or destroy them..

Kai refuses to let him disappear. He finds him, sits beside him, and says: "You don't scare me. You just... act like you don't deserve good things."

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢'𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧

Revenge. I'm familiar with it. You have to be when you're the firstborn son of a notorious mafia leader. Death and vengeance have been the very foundations of my life. So who in their fucking mind would be stupid enough to cross me? My brother and I have been wrongfully convicted of a crime we didn't commit. We know who is behind this. We bid our time behind bars, planned and prepared for the day we got out. Now we're free and hungry for redemption. I know what must be done. I know whose blood will be spilled. But before I go after him, I'll go after his daughter. I never said I play fair. *Book one in the Marino Brothers Duet. Rated 18+ due to explicit language, sex, and violence.*

"Maybe this won't work out.." "Why j? Why shouldn't we be together?" "We're good together we just shouldn't BE together mama.." Journei said, looking down at her hands. Journei and Taliya meet at one of Taliya's babysitting job unexpectedly they end up building a life together.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 ，𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦？ 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶．．𝘪 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭．