"When he first heard her, he knew. She was his bestseller." Before there were great stories, there were only words. Luke's were smart and eloquent but hollow. It was nothing like Emma's story, bleak and awkward, but honest to a fault. This is a coming-of-age journey of a writing prodigy in search of a story, his story, and a doe-eyed, homeless storyteller stifled by secrets, her secrets .

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."

Olivia Harris has one dream: to become a professional photographer. She’s determined and even went out of her way to intern at a well known photography company. Olivia knows that doing so may give her an opportunity to pursue her dream a step further. What she doesn't know is that, sometimes, expectations don't go as expected. When her dream takes a detour, Olivia finds herself running out of time since she’s graduating high school in less than five months. Her situation doesn’t get better when she has a bitter encounter with her locker buddy she has never spoken to. The two are like fire and ice. But, doesn’t heat have the ability to melt the frost? Olivia claims she will never spare a breath with her locker buddy ever again, yet somehow, she ends up saving him. And the more time Olivia spends with her locker buddy, the more she wants to discover what his compositions are all about.

❝ the worst way for friendships to end is for literally nothing to go wrong. you just stop talking.❞