This is my first story ever!! Where Ava thought her first relationship would last forever. But what seemed like love quickly turned into something darker. As Zane's obsession grows, Ava is trapped in a toxic cycle of manipulation, control, emotional abuse as well as physical. Will she ever find the strength to break free, or will the ties of lust and obsession be too strong?

Aurora never learned how to ask for more. So she steals warmth instead-borrowed hoodies, quiet dinners, a place at a table that isn't hers. A house where love doesn't hurt and a boy who has always been her safe place. Asher is cold to everyone but her. He's the boy who notices everything, protects without asking, and loves in ways he never says out loud. They've grown up side by side-too close to be just friends, too scared to be anything else. Because admitting the truth might ruin the only place Aurora has ever felt at home. A slow-burn, childhood best friends to lovers story about found family, unspoken love, and discovering that sometimes... home isn't a place. It's a person.

Lena has learned how to disappear. At school, she is kind, quiet, and effortlessly beautiful - the girl who smiles easily and never asks for anything. At home, she survives chaos, bruises, and a life she refuses to talk about. She expects nothing, because expecting has only ever led to disappointment. Gray doesn't let anyone in. He's sharp-tongued, closed-off, and intimidating - the star athlete with a temper and a reputation for not caring. He's rich but never boasts, surrounded by friends he would never admit matter to him. Feelings are a weakness. Walls are safer. When a seating plan forces them together, neither of them expects anything more than tension. But stolen glances in the library turn into late-night talks. Quiet kindness becomes protection. And somewhere between school trips, bruised secrets, shared laughter, and a birthday she never thought anyone would remember, something undeniable begins to grow. This is a slow-burn romance about finding safety in another person, learning to be loved when you've never been shown how, and choosing each other - even when the future is uncertain. Because sometimes, the strongest love is built slowly... and survives everything.