" I don't even like you like that." Her face scrunched up in disgust watching water drip from curls in his hair. " 'Cause you love me. Just like I love you." He retorted with a grin, disregarding the deflecting she was doing. --- They were two sides of the same city-until one move split them down the middle. Elijah and London were inseparable once, bonded by childhood summers, beat-up bikes, and secrets too deep for anyone else to know. Unfortunately, when Elijah's mom packed up and moved her family across Onyx to a rival neighborhood, everything changed. She always thought when she spoke to him again he would've changed like her. She was witty, sarcastic, and had a low tolerance, but he was still the same calm , sweet, cute boy with a heart the size of the sun. Some things haven't changed. Some things never change. The pull between them, the memories that still burn etched marks in their brain, and the words they never said out loud. In a world where loyalty can be life or death, and love isn't always enough to cross old lines, Elijah and London find themselves circling each other again. --- STARTED; MAY 26th, 2025 PUBLISHED JUNE 6th, 2025 FINISHED; SEPTEMBER 27th 2025

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚣𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚞𝚜

"𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝙽***𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚘."

𝚆𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢...𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢...𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎, 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚎

𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐊𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬.

𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.

"And it doesn't matter how much time passed or how much time will pass-it's him. It always has been him and it always will be him...I just don't know how to tell him," When it's more than a like, and they're more than a friend. When they know you better than you know yourself and just the thought of them is all you need to put a smile on your face-telling your best friend you're in love with them should be simple. Right?

If one day is all we had, will you make it worth my while? City girl-Bradley Hughes battles with her emotions as she entangles herself in an unpredictable life with the well respected- New Orleans native, Rashad Farewood. The right man will evoke the wild side out of you, no matter how much you've tamed it. Bradley is set to learn that the hard way.