Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it a memory... You know you're in love when you can say anything to the person and you know they won't laugh at you. When you can see their face when you close your eyes. When you can still feel their arms around you holding you tight after they're gone. When you can still taste their kiss after you have said goodbye. You can tell you're in love when you miss them before they're gone. When their voice lingers in your ears. When their presence eases any pain. When their name sends chills down your spin. When they're the only thing you can think about. You know you're in love when you can see all their hopes and dreams and their soul when you look into their eyes. When they call you at four in the morning to say, "I Love You" and mean it. When your tears stain not only their shirt, but also their heart. When even a simple chore done with them can become a lasting memory. Ultimately, you know you're in love when you can't imagine living without them and can't figure how did you live before you knew them. When they fulfill every need and without them you're incomplete. The love of someone else completes the heart, and sound and mind all at once. 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎-𝐟𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

"Mama, I can't just leave Abir." I admitted, telling her exactly why I couldn't do this. Not only would she be snatching me away from my family and friends but she was taking me away from the person I'd loved for five going on six years. I couldn't just walk away from him. "Baby.." She trailed off, sighing deeply. "I know you love Abir." She stood to her feet to stop packing for a moment and pulled me into her. "But I promise you, there will be other boys. Right now you have to do what's best for you and that's coming with your daddy and I to give you a better life." "Better life for who? You?!" I screamed out, becoming even more angry at her choice of words. As if my feelings were robotic and I could just turn them on and off for any and every person. "My feelings just don't matter to y'all at all, huh?" I asked, crying harder than before now. "Speak to your mother with some respect, Giselle." My father spat to me and I shook my head, watching as they stood there looking at me like some dumb teenager. This wasn't puppy love for me. I didn't spend 5 years building something, just to walk away from it for their dreams. I couldn't do it. Sinner. Book #1

"Montana, come here." He nodded his head toward the door, leaving out of the room. Staying silent as Ms. Carol looked at me, I kissed the back of Josiah's hand before leaving out of the room. As I walked out, Messiah stood there looking at me in disgust while I closed the door. "What are you doing that shit for?" "Huh?" I said since I had nothing else to say, just trying to stall time to get my words together. "Why are you stripping, Monty?" Sighing, I decided that I wasn't going to lie like I'd originally planned to do after listening to Chocolate's stupid advice. "Money." I spoke simply and he scoffed as I looked down. "Why not just ask Josiah for money instead doing hoe shit?" "First of all, It's not doing hoe shit. I don't have sex with anyone. I just dance. And I don't want to ask him for any money. It's not his job to take care of me." "So stripping..." He trailed off with a laugh. "..stripping was the last resort? Instead of putting your pride aside?" Saying nothing, I just looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please don't tell him, Messiah." I could already tell by the look on his face that he was going to tell him. "I ain't gon' tell him.." Thank God. I thought. "..you are." "What?!" I shrieked. "No. I'm not." "You are." He spoke in a demanding tone. "Please. You know how he is." I expressed "And you know how he is too but you made that bed." "Messiah, he's going to kill me." I begged. "I know." He shook his head, walking away from me. "Better figure it out. You got until the end of the day to tell him or I will." He mumbled before walking back into the room.

Book 1. - ❝THINGS AIN'T ALWAYS SET IN STONE, THAT BE KNOWN LET ME KNOW.❞

"Tryna keep it low, keep 'em all on the need to know."

"And it doesn't matter how much time passed or how much time will pass-it's him. It always has been him and it always will be him...I just don't know how to tell him," When it's more than a like, and they're more than a friend. When they know you better than you know yourself and just the thought of them is all you need to put a smile on your face-telling your best friend you're in love with them should be simple. Right?

"You trust me?" I look up at him, staring into his light brown eyes that stared directly at me. It felt like he was staring into my soul trying to read me. I could barely answer his question because I was busy looking at him. Once I realized I was staring like crazy, I quickly look down. "I do." ----------------------------- She's the girl you never saw coming, the unexpected one who calms you, centers you, and still she turns out to be the surprise love of your love. She gets you, really gets you like no one ever has. She is your best friend, lover, and soulmate all wrapped in the prettiest package. She is unforgettable, she is like no one, which is why you are addicted to her mind, her soul, her body, and her presence. You can't get her out of your system. You taste her and she runs through you hot like blood and fire. She never leaves you no matter what, because she too, knows how rare the connection is. You have never had anyone stick by you like that before. She is the safest place you ever know. You are soft for her no matter how hard life gets, she is there and your feelings never change. She loves you fiercely and you feel her love deep in your bones and in your soul. She is the one who makes you feel whole in a way you never have before and that terrifies you. But, what terrifies you even more...is losing her. 03/12/21-04/25/21 Rankings: #9 in africanamerican 9-16-21 #84 in urban 9-16-21 #113 in blacklove 9-16-21 #1 in blacklovestory 9-16-21 #45 in contemporarylit 9-16-21 #18 in blackcouple 9-16-21 #218 in urbanromance 9-16-21 #1 in saveblackcharacters 9-16-21

A promise. It seems like the simplest thing in the world to keep. But so often, they're broken, empty and hollow. They seem like the easiest thing in the world to believe, but after the words are left out to bleed, after they leave you waiting and wanting, after all the emptiness and hollow words-how are you going to believe the one who actually say what they mean?

There was a woman Born from a lotus Her heart was golden Deep as the ocean Until this one man He came and broke it Til it was open Just like a lotus Oh yes, There were explosions She found her focus The beast awoken.. - Jhené Aiko

𝙼𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 #𝟏// ❥ Amoura never knew what love was until she met Dre. After a one-night stand with him, they continue to see each other on and off. Although their relationship starts off rocky, they eventually realize how much of an impact they have on each other's feelings. Take a look into Amoura's life as she navigates the stages of teenagehood and confronts the unresolved issues of her past. At first, things between them are rocky-raw, impulsive, confusing. But as time goes on, and as their lives continue to cross paths, Amoura starts to realize how deeply Dre affects her. More than that, she begins to uncover how much they're helping-and hurting-each other in ways they never expected. Soul Ties is a story about the stages of love, emotional healing, and the haunting weight of past trauma. As Amoura navigates the messiness of her own history-family wounds, and the longing to feel seen-she learns that love isn't always neat. 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭