𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚. After walking away from her high-powered law career - and the grief that shattered it - 30 year old Vivian Hale retreats to the quiet coastal town of Rainwood, hoping to disappear. Leah Moreno, a warm-hearted barista with a restless soul, never expected to fall for the guarded woman who orders black coffee and says almost nothing. But what begins when quiet glances turns into something deeper. As seasons pass and walls come down, both women must face the question, Can love really be a place to begin again?

Shawnee has been saving money since she was a teen with the hopes of getting custody of her little sister. Biggest issue: her main source of income is dealing and running errands for a gang she's been in since high school. She wants to get out and get away but it's hard when she has a few targets on her back. Fortunately, her best friend, Trina, is by her side to help her through it all. ~ Best ranks ~ Intersex: #3 (11/21/23) gxg: #27 (11/23/23) Studxfem: #1 (12/6/23) Lesbian: #1 (12/28/23) Femme: #1 (1/2/24) wlw: #44 (12/30/23) BlackLove: #7 (1/24/24) ContemporaryLit #3 (6/5/24) Start Date: 9/16/23 Completed: 12/6/23 **Disclaimer: Any songs, images or other media used in the story are not mine however everything else is fiction of my own creation.

"What it's called when the patient grow feelings fa therapist?" He asked, and she chuckled, staring at him. "Transference."

𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟.

A raw and riveting urban tale where trauma meets tenderness, and two guarded souls find connection in a world of secrets, survival, and slow-burning desire.

i have waited lifetimes to find you.

"𝙄'𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤𝙤" 𝘐𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘬, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘐𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘚𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘪 𝘜𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘶 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 (𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙞 𝙐𝙙𝙖𝙠𝙪 𝙭 𝙁𝙚𝙢! 𝙊𝘾) 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢: 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙨 [𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 - 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧] 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙧: 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙚, 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨. 𝙄 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙘𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩𝙨

She's fallin' in love now Losin' control now Fightin' the truth Tryin' to hide But I think it's alright

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention." In a world that thrives on conformity, August is an anomaly. Raised in a secretive overbearing family, she was chosen to leave its hidden grounds-not for freedom, but for duty. Sent to college to become the strategic mind for her generation behind the family's growing empire, she tries to move through the world like a ghost, draped in gothic shadows with secrets too heavy to share but her style is just too much to go unnoticed by judging eyes unscathed. Then she meets Kason through his older brother. A rising rapper with a reckless charm and a hunger for something real, dealing with battles of his own, he's instantly drawn to August's eerie demeanor and the quiet storm that lingers behind her dark mysterious eyes. She's nothing like the women he's used to-unbothered by trends, and untouched by the need for validation. The more she resists, the deeper he falls, his infatuation turning into an obsession he can't shake. One he cant let go of. As their worlds collide, the slow burn of their connection threatens to ignite everything August has been taught to suppress. With her past closing in and expectations pressing down, she must decide if she's willing to defy everything she's ever known for the chance at something dangerously real. In a society that demands she fit a mold, August stands in defiance. Unfortunately, love has a way of making even the strongest question their silence. STARTED; February 22nd , 2025 PUBLISHED; MARCH 18th, 2025 FINISHED; MAY 27th, 2025