My bandana is yellow. Dani tied it for me. Worse: she's the team captain. Worse than that? She keeps calling me "Mango Commander." "Alright, Commander," she says, jogging up beside me with two coconuts and zero shame. "You're on water balloon defense. If you get hit, we lose points." "Who designed this?" "Me," she says proudly. "Also I may have borrowed half of it from a summer camp activity called 'Fruit Wars.'" She hands me a coconut. "Why are there faces on them?" "For morale." I stare at her. She stares back. ●○●○●○●○●○● When an uptight billionaire CEO is forced to take a "mandatory" corporate retreat at a beach resort - a PR stunt to prove he supports employee well-being - he ends up rooming next to the most enthusiastic, sunshiny employee in the entire company. She's on the trip because she won a "Wellness Champion" contest for being a ray of positivity in the office. He's there because the board is threatening to remove him if he doesn't start showing a human side. Too bad she loves sunrise yoga, group karaoke, and interrupting his peace with coconut-scented chaos. And worse: he might actually start to like it. And her. ●○●○●○●○●○● Word Count:22,155

"Morning, Mr. Serious," I say now, setting his usual cup on the table. I add two sugar packets because I can't help myself. He never uses them. He never even looks at them. But I like the idea of them sitting there, taunting him with sweetness. His eyes flick up to mine - stormy gray, the kind that make you feel like you're under interrogation for a crime you don't remember committing. "You should stop doing that." His voice is low, accented, like gravel dragged across velvet. Russian maybe? Or Italian. Or both. Either way, it does unholy things to my stomach. "Doing what?" I ask innocently, sliding the sugar closer to his hand. "That." His gaze drops to the packets. "I don't take sugar." I grin, all sunshine and sass. "You don't know that. Maybe one day you'll wake up and realize life's better with a little sweetness." ●・○・●・○・● Rafael Volkov doesn't do small talk. Or smiles. Or sugar in his coffee. As the mafia's underboss, he's built a reputation on silence, sharp suits, and an expression that could curdle milk. So of course, Lila Parker makes it her mission to crack him. The sunny diner waitress insists on slipping him extra sugar packets, calling him "Mr. Serious" behind the counter, and treating him like a normal guy instead of a walking red flag. He tells her to stop. She doesn't. He growls. She grins. And suddenly, his late-night coffee runs feel less like routine and more like... something he shouldn't want. The problem? In his world, affection is dangerous. Smiles get noticed. Weaknesses get used. And if Lila isn't careful, her little act of kindness might just paint a target on her back. Rafael swore he didn't have a sweet tooth. Turns out he was wrong. ●・○・●・○・● Word Count: 37,478

"She lives quietly, hidden from the world, a timid soul who has only known fear and solitude. He stands before her as a wall of ice-cold words, hard eyes, a man feared by all. To her, he is cruel. To himself, he is a shield. For beneath his ruthless exterior lies a love so fierce it could burn through the coldest winter. She is the last petal of warmth in his frozen world... but can a fragile bloom survive when spring is forbidden to come?"

"I need you to be the put together one because I'm so fucked up. You've saved me." He whispers. "Carter, we saved each other." I mutter looking at him through my eyelashes. I lean into him, our lips not even an inch apart. "Sophia we shouldn't..." He looks hesitant. "Please, I need you." I almost started crying. "Please." I mutter one more time, my eyes begging for him. My body needing him. Sophia Carrington. She just moved from New York to California in search of a new life. When her life took a dark turn she's forced to leave everything behind. She just wants to finish her final year of high school, numb to the world, while learning to cope with the trauma she's endured. Carter Marquez. Newly single after being dumped by his girlfriend of two years. After losing his dad in a car accident he's fallen apart. The list of people he trusts is short, he hates letting people in. He's constantly trying to make up for his mistakes of the past, trying to find a new purpose in life. When the two of them collided, they instantly took a mutual disliking to each other. Misunderstandings and a dash of alcohol set a flame between them. Sophia hates the snarky remarks and stupid nicknames that leave his mouth. Carter thinks Sophia is just another trust fund brat. Soon their rivalry begins to dissolve and they learn that sharing the pain of their past can form connections they never thought to be possible. WARNING: This story contains mature topics such as sexual assault and drug addiction. Read with caution. Copyright © by lulustoriesss 2021

|𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆| - arranged marriage - slow-burn - plot twists - philosophical ideas - no spice 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. This story explores themes of autonomy, survival, class, power, psychology and love. In short, it is a philosophically based book, set around a mafia setting with a slow-burn romance/arranged marriage trope. It focuses on main characters as individuals first, allowing them to share thoughts on how they view the world, and how their experiences shape their development along with the storyline. ~~~ 𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈 always knew her fate was to marry rich - to save her family from poverty, even if it meant sacrificing herself. But when her abusive father sells her to the powerful Alvarez family, she realizes she hasn't been promised to a wealthy heir... she's been sold to the mob. Yet, for the first time, Adora tastes freedom away from her suffocating home. In a mansion full of rules, danger, and shadows, she clings to her independence - even when it puts her at odds with those who now control her future. 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐆𝐎 𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐙, the reluctant new head of the Spanish Mafia, has been raised to care about nothing but power. But he despises the bloodstained world his father built. He only finds solace in books - the one place he can breathe. When Adora enters his world, fiery and unbroken despite her past, Santiago discovers someone who understands him in ways no one else ever could. But in a house where loyalty is currency and secrets can kill, their connection might cost them everything. Is it possible for two enigmatic people to fall in love? Or perhaps their fate lies within the world around them. Rankings: #1 in immersive - 26/11/25 #1 in socialhierarchy - 26/11/25 #1 in flirt - 21/3/26 #1 in classics - 28/1/26

Nathan Kingston has been forgotten by the world. A dad that fucked off when he was young and a mother gone days at a time with work he feels alone. Especially since he goes to the most elite private school in the city on scholarship. He's falling down a pit, he needs someone. But nobody notices him, except a smiling girl with icy blue eyes. Ivy Matthews loves her family, she really does. But she's the middle child, squashed between a supermodel older sister, a basketball star twin brother and a figure skating prodigy younger sister. She gets overlooked, unless she gets in trouble. She's failing two of the classes she needs to graduate, she needs someone. And he's the boy who never smiles. • • • Matthews Series: Book Two [DUAL POV] ⚠️Tw: Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Panic Attacks [word count: 103129]

A small town named Ravenswood, a preppy high school, young love and a hockey player who fell for an introverted book worm. What could possibly go wrong? Answer: A whole lot. Faith wrestles with the restraints of her family life, fighting for those which she loves while her brother's threats loom over her. Studying hard and loving harder, Faith comes to realise just how different Logan is from the cocky facade he portrays. If only he'd looked past the hand me down jeans and faded converse. Logan never paid her any mind until a dickless chemistry teacher pairs him with a most unlikely partner, unknowingly causing a domino effect of lust fueled sex, ugly emotions and love powered by a passion for escapism. ----- "Touch yourself." He whispered against my ear as I leant into him, our bodies almost touching. His hand coating mine as he pushed my fingers against the single layer of fabric separating my fingers and skin. Fuck it, I was done waiting. Opening his shirt and pulling my body on top of him my body sunk down onto his hard length. "You missed this, hm?" He hummed against my lips as he held my ass, moving me up and down on him. "As much as I love the sound of your voice, just shut up and fuck me." I moaned, still feeling every inch of him pushing up into me. "Thought you'd never ask." ----- Started June 21st 2022

COMPLETE !! "What would you do if I die?" "Die." "Oh you would die?" I mumble and he nods giving me a small smile. "What would you do if I die?" He repeats my question. "Live." He frowns and I internally evil laugh at myself. That was a good one. ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Adelia Collins was a talkative girl always in the mood for friends and Zeke Miller just happened to be there at the right time. Her bubbly personality, weird obsession with marvel, and stupid jokes enlightening his mood and fitting perfectly with his uncommunicative behaviour. No one would've expected it, but they understood each in a perfect, unusual way. She was funny and kind to everyone. He was rude and dull to everyone. Well, everyone except her. ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* HIGHEST RANKS- #1 in goodgirl #1 in innocent #1 in cold #1 in heartfelt #1 in sweetheart #1 in attraction #2 in opposites #2 in cliche #4 in humour ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Adelia Collins wanted someone to match marvel sweatshirts with, but she didn't expect to come across a wealthy family who did dangerous things for living. Zeke Miller wanted a quiet day to observe, not meaning to contain a conversation with a weird girl at a cafe. But why did he come back? Why did he make her a friend? ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* "Darling?" "Yes?" "Do you love me?" "Always. Why?" "Just making sure," ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Are these two going to get a happy ending? ~~~ 𝘼+𝙕? ~~~ *𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 * This story is rough around the edges in the beginning chapters and will hopefully get better. This story contains mature themes (language, scenes, self-harm, etc.)