Close Enough to Fall He's my older cousin's best friend-the one person I should never want. What starts as stolen glances and late-night conversations quickly turns into something neither of us can ignore. But with family, loyalty, and years of unspoken rules standing between us, falling for each other could cost us everything. Some lines aren't meant to be crossed... until love makes them impossible to see. *SHORT STORY*

"ɪғ ʏᴀ' ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴀ ᴄᴏғғᴇᴇ ʜᴏᴛ...ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏғғᴇᴇ ᴘᴏᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴛ ʙᴀʙʏ, ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀs." ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴡᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴀsᴘᴇɴ ᴋᴀʀᴛɪᴇʀ x ᴏᴄ

He don't talk much. He don't smile either. But when Dre "Ghost" Carter sees Jade for the first time, words ain't even necessary - the look in his eyes says it all: she's his. Dre runs the streets in silence - no noise, no witnesses, no mercy. The kind of man people whisper about but never dare to cross. Jade? She's not from that world. She's quiet, funny, the type who minds her business and stays out the way. Until her best friend drags her to a party that changes everything. One stare across that smoky room, and the most dangerous man in the city decides she belongs to him. Jade swears she's not the "ride or die" type... but Dre's pull feels different. Possessive. Addictive. The kind of love that burns slow - and might just destroy them both. Because in his world, silence can kill... and love can too.

Eboni Ames grew up in The Quarters-a tiny, but historic, Black settlement just outside Whitman, Arizona. Her classmate, Ahn Ji-Yeong, grew up in the only Asian family in Whitman and harbored a secret crush on Eboni. Eventually, they both left their hometown to follow their dreams. Eboni's vision of a being a celebrity chef faded in California, where the foodie scene was flooded with thousands of other wannabes, and her family soul food recipes weren't enough to catch the eye of foodies seeking flashier fare. Meanwhile, AJ became a K-pop and K-drama megastar, sitting at the top of the Billboard charts and the Netflix top ten. When Eboni is forced to return home and take a day job while trying to get her soul food catering business off the ground, she finds that AJ has come home too. The bright spotlights of the K-pop industry cast a very dark shadow, and AJ needs a break. Still carrying a torch for his childhood love, AJ offers his Korean fried chicken recipe to help draw attention to Eboni's business. As their lives become more and more intertwined, the heat turns up outside of the kitchen as well. But when their pasts come back to haunt them, Eboni and AJ will have to make tough choices about what they are and want to be to each other. Season 1 of My Seoul Man WARNING: This story contains depictions of racism and mental health crises and references to suicide that may not be suitable for some readers.

"You taught me the real meaning of love again" 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿: @Dreamgirlmyaah

Kairo is scared his autism will stop him from finding love.