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."

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION The Bro Code says to leave no bro behind... But what happens when you have to choose between love and friendship? ***** Nick Maguire would never betray his best friends, Carter and Austin, by breaking The Bro Code, and he knows they'd never do that either. They've got each other's backs. That is, until Carter's sister, Eliza, returns from Australia. Unfortunately, Eliza is basically incredible, and Nick almost immediately falls head over heels. The two begin to form an undeniable bond that crackles with electricity - and spells a whole lot of trouble. Nick is about to find out that codes are made to be broken. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

“I’m going to get straight to the point. I want you to make me fall in love with you.” Camila Jones is fearless. She’s also uncontrollably fierce and overly ambitious which tends to be a bad combination. When she unexpectedly fails an audition due to her inability to express love, she’s forced to reconsider something she swore she would never do when she was a kid – fall in love. But where is a seventeen year old supposed to find a guy to fall in love with? Turns out, it might be a lot simpler than she thought.

‘Let’s just say that I’ll follow my heart when I need to.’ Everything hangs on edge when sixteen-year-old Amanda met Liam. Her secret of being next in line of the throne is out, well that’s true. But why is he keeping the secret all to himself? From blackmailing, to fake dating, read as Amanda finds out to the real reason of Liam’s stay. What can I say? Bodyguards have their secret to hide too. Even if it’s to his pleasure of teasing his Mistress. (Shush, let’s see how Amanda copes on about hiding her secret form the person who is bound to protect her.)