coffee cake (n): a class of cakes intended to be eaten alongside coffee "She was like the coffee cakes you steal away at breakfast, the ones that stand alone without coffee to drink, the ones that are so sweet they rot your teeth from the inside before you realize. She was my coffee cake, but now she's my cavity." +=+=+=+=+ An experiment in writing. This project is all about reader interaction. It's the 21st century, so why can't readers get a little more control over what they read? It's time to change that. With this book, I will start and complete a full-length story based on crowd sourced suggestions. The catch? I will be speeding through the project and writing as fast as humanly possible, so readers will be able to see their suggestions come to life almost immediately. Don't worry, the quality won't suffer much. I've honed my writing and did one of those fancy college thingies for about four years, so I'll keep it as engaging as possible with as few major errors as possible. Anyone who wants to contribute or suggest an idea is welcome to leave a comment. If you ever thought about a story idea that you want to read but won't ever write, come make it happen with this book! I will incorporate as many as I can without turning the story into a joke, and hopefully everyone will win at the end! Learn more about this project inside!

"I know it's crazy; to fall in love with someone when you've only met them once. But you don't realize you're in love until you've stumbled too far into it. " completed.

Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

In which I am you, you are me, and we are the moments that define us.