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."

Colton Pearce is annoying, a flirt, and definitely not in Cassidy's ten-year plan. Then again, neither is falling in love. When their English teacher hires them to clean his grandmother's house for the summer, she discovers that there may be more to Colton than meets the eye. Through a valuable baseball card, strained relationships with fathers, and much dust, Cassidy and Colton might discover forty-seven uses for a paperclip and -possibly -even love along the way. Center cover image copyright 2011 by Worlds Apart Photography

"You and I both know that any girl would kill to be in your position, with me, right now." He smirks, knowing that what he's said is completely and utterly true. Lea Wilson and River Parker don't mix; they don't like the same things, their lives are majorly different. But, what if these two people who are least expected to spend time with each other are doing exactly that? And, not only at school but at home as well. After Lea's house falls apart due to a termite infestation, the Wilson's are invited to stay at an old family friend's mansion of a house. The family friend also happens to be River's father. I'll give you time to digest that information. Yes, you're right. The sarcastic nerd and the egotistical heart-throb live under the same roof and encounter a series of events that make the two do something they didn't think would happen. They grow closer, and closer, and closer, until...well, you'll have to find that out for yourself. Follow them through their adventures of falling in love, getting their hearts broken, and learning lessons that explain there is more to life than they have ever imagined. WARNING(S): Strong Language & Mild Sexual Imagery. UNCOMPLETE. EDITING. ◊ The book trailer to the side is made by @starsandsky ◊ The book cover is made by @LightningStorms