a 30 year love story told in 30 days (design by: @perfected, artwork by: James R. Eads)

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."

"We all live, Emily, and we all die. It's part of being human, but more than that, it's part of being alive. I'm proud to say that I lived, and when I die, I want you to be proud too." Emily knows a lot about life. She does, after all, have sixteen years of hands on experience. But when her best friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the time has come to find out what he can teach her about death.

They're worlds apart, and this isn't high school, so how the hell did a homeless female writer end up renting a billionaire's mansion? And - hold your breath - becoming his fake girlfriend? ➳ full blurb inside ➳ winner of best humor book in the fiction awards 2016 ➳ first reached #1 in humor on july 6, 2015 ➳ first reached #1 in business on august 29, 2023 ➳ first reached #1 in satire on july 27, 2026 ➳ featured by cadbury (marvellous creations) and secret lives of the americans (pivot) P.S. This is a SATIRICAL BILDUNGSROMAN. Proceed with caution.

"i. they tell me they 
cannot comprehend art. where art is, whispers reside. ii. i tell them
 that the only art i need are the words that bleed onto paper. iii. they tell me it doesn't work that way. there are compromises for art. sports. science. history. iv. but i want to speak. there are moments that fleet away when i do not store them. there are impulses that dab off when i do not write. v. when i am alive, i burst
open with Slyvia Plath and Robert Frost. my hair fluffs with words. my veins cry with poetry. vi. welcome to my poetry book. i hope you drown in the words you sink in." ©theperfectphoenix Established -- [09-03-2016] Highest Rank : #2 in Poetry. Now A Wattpad Featured Book! [20-05-2016]