Milan Ren Vaughn and Kairo Benton have spent months turning their apartment hallway into a silent warzone. She's convinced he's loud, messy, and allergic to respecting her peace, while he swears she was born to complain about anything he does. Their neighbors know the tension. Management knows the tension. And Christmas is the only thing keeping the building from falling apart. So when the manager assigns them to co-run the annual Christmas charity event, neither of them takes it well. Still, the holidays won't wait, the toy drive needs saving, and someone has to hang the lights - even if it means working side by side with the one person they can't stand. But as the season settles in, something unexpected begins slipping through the cracks. Late nights of planning feel calmer than they should. Their banter softens. The glow of the holiday lights makes everything seem a little less harsh, and a little more... possible. Moments that should've meant nothing start to feel like something they can't explain. They promised their truce would end after Christmas. But the holidays have a funny way of revealing gifts you never knew you needed - especially when they're wrapped in the person living right next door.

Sierra didn't come to Houston looking for love. She came for new opportunities, a fresh start, a life that felt like hers. Love? That was never on her mind. Never had been. But everything shifts the night she meets Maleek, the quiet but rough around the edges guy who steps in and saves her in an uncomfortable encounter. He doesn't say much, doesn't ask for anything, but the way his eyes linger on her makes her feel seen. What starts as a coincidence slowly turns into unexpected sparks. Their lives combine in ways neither of them planned. Late night hangouts, stolen glances, moments that feel too intimate to ignore. Maleek becomes a calm in her chaos. As feelings arise, caught between fear and craving, Sierra must decide if trusting Maleek is worth risking everything she's worked so hard to protect. Cover by: @trenchlordtales💖

Ari Janelle had everything most girls dreamed of - the voice, the beauty, the fame bubbling right beneath the surface. But behind the spotlight, she was falling apart. Drowning in pills, liquor, and loneliness, her nights blurred into one another - until one nearly ended her life. One moment she was slumped over in a hotel bar. The next, she was in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there - only that someone had saved her. Her mother's, who's also her manager, ultimatum came next: To attend rehab or she'd be dropped from the label. Feeling too sick to even argue, she agrees. Three months later, Ari was sober, clear-headed, and ready to start again. Music was her therapy now - and she was determined to reclaim her voice. So when her manager lined up her first studio session, she didn't hesitate. What she didn't know was that the man behind the board, was the same one who'd saved her life. Kairo Steele wasn't your average producer. With credits on albums from Beyoncé to Future, his reputation spoke for itself - the man was disciplined, focused, and untouchable. He'd built his empire from nothing, and he wasn't about to let anyone distract him. One night, after celebrating an album release with his close friend and colleague, Future, Kairo finds an unconscious Ari near the bar floor. Being that the bar was closed, no one was around, and that alarmed Kairo as he sprung into action immediately. He brings her to the hospital before contemplating if he should leave or not. Finally, he decides to go, deciding that he really didn't know her well enough to stay. Months later, his team lets him know a new singer would be stopping by his studio later on to possibly collab with him on a new album. But what he didn't expect, was for Ari Janelle to walk through the door. Time passes and somewhere between the beats, the lyrics, and late nights, Ari and Kairo will have to decide if what's happening between them is destiny - or just another beautiful disaster.

21 year old Amil is a college student learning that when life detours, sometimes it's for your greater good. These detours bring people and situations into her life that seem to piece everything together.

"So you just wanna fuck me forever, and that's it, huh?" "I ain't say-" He sucked his teeth. "We already talked about this shit, Z." "Nah." She chuckled dryly. "You just keep shutting me out." "Why you doin' this to me, Ma?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hm? Why you tryna fuck everything up?" • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌, 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 💌👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

Two guarded souls who recognize the ache in each other, trying not to fall too hard but drawn together anyway. Their love simmers beneath the surface-fierce, quiet, and complicated. He's her storm in silence; she's his peace in chaos *Unedited 𝑷𝑼𝑹𝑷𝑳𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑨𝑰𝑵 _® Started: 12/13/22 Published: 12/23/22 End: 12/29/23