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."

Katie Holmes is a caffeine addict. Between college, and taking care of her brother, it's acceptable. Though, it doesn't help that the cafe down the street is full of handsome baristas, including one William Cerak in particular who has a mysterious scar on his wrist. Synopses will be the death of my publishing career.

Sequel to It's Like Monopoly, But Physical.

Love Has No Gender Copyright © 2012 Charlie Kingston has been fighting with her sexuality for the past year. Her family is religiously Christian and she's known since day one of her confusion that liking girls is a big no-no in her town. But when Lacey Trent comes around, everything Charlie has been doing to pretend she's straight comes tumbling down the second they meet. Charlie knows it wrong because everyone has told her it's wrong, but what if what she has been taught is wrong? What if she's right and everyone else is wrong?

An infamous music school. Cute teachers. A delinquent. And rich bitches. What exactly has Allie Heywood gotten herself into? Allie Heywood loves to play piano. Ever since she was a child, she's dreamed of being a pianist. In order to go the best music school in her state, she moves in with a family friend-- a young man who also happens to teach at the school.

Hal was completely entranced by Amanda from the moment she set foot in Endeavor, and she shook his world view to its core, re-coloring the way he looked at everything. The guides continue to make surprising discoveries as they sleuth into recent alarming developments at school, Amanda's true identity, and her reasons for coming to Orion. They come to realize that Amanda may have disappeared physically, but she is definitely still sending beacons and clues so that they can uncover the larger mystery of which she is a part . . . does an intricate, carved box belonging to Amanda hold the key to everything?