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 story is being rewritten and is now called Love/Hate, link below:~ https://www.wattpad.com/story/94679436-love-hate Rori Everhart is your typical nerd, with your typical glasses and typical grades. If you looked up the definition of Nobody in the dictionary you'd find a picture of Rori in her thick black framed glasses staring back at you. But everything is certainly not what it seems. Rori wants everyone to assume that she is nothing but a nobody. She comes from a beyond wealthy family and she most definitely isn't a nerd, but no one can know that, not if she ever wants to have a normal life. Alexander Clarke is the definition of Bad Ass with his leather jacket and motorcycle. He is hot, wild, and rebellious. He is what every girl wants to date but not marry. Of course behind the jerk attitude is a boy who is hard working and sweet. After his father's death Alex's family is left with a huge debt to the Everharts and Alex has to work every day to pay it off. So what happens when Alex becomes Rori's personal servant and finds out about all her dirty little secrets? Will all hell break loose? What will happen when those two are thrown together in the most compromising situations? Will they get over their differences and work together or is pride too big to over come? Maybe it will be just plain awkward? Find out in Slave to the Geek.