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."

This novel is an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Blind since birth, Elle Duncan has only ever known darkness, but lack of sight has never hindered her ability to perceive the beauty of the world. Her kind and gentle soul is put to the test when her father sustains an injury that threatens their livelihood, and in desperation, he turns to the most unlikely of saviors-the Rossetti Beast. Don Rossetti is bound for an unchanging fate. He is bad-tempered, with an equally dark and scarred countenance to match. With a heart forged of ice and a soul confined to darkness, he has surrendered to a forlorn existence. But when a peasant man arrives from the village begging for a favor, he is compelled to aid the farmer in exchange for a price-a price that Elle will be forced to pay. Cover Photo © RJ Creatives Cover Art © 2023 by RJ Creatives

Its a story of a girl who wonders what love is.. but then, slowly, unknowingly, hopelessly and unconditionally falls in love with an arrogant man who himself has an embrangled life. A series of events occur in her life that make her feel the meaning and essence of true love and she finally knows what 'sacrifice' is. Zahra moves to Pakistan because of her parents' business. She meets a guy over there that unravels those mysteries in her mind that she, herself didn't know she had. p.s. This is my first story. I'd keep uploading more :-) enjoy. cheers. © Sadyah (2013)