Austerity - Valerie Metis-Humphrey - Wattpad

Story cover for Austerity by VMHumphrey

Austerity

Reads 57
Votes 0
Parts 7
Time 22m

Reads 57
Votes 0
Parts 7
Time 22m

Mature

Austerity
/ɒˈstɛrɪti,ɔːˈstɛrɪti/
noun
noun: austerity; plural noun: austerities

1. sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
"he was noted for his austerity and his authoritarianism"
           ◦ plainness and simplicity in appearance.
             "the room was decorated with a restraint bordering on austerity"
_____
Don Johnson was thrust into the whirlwind declination of The White Room. Watching one of the greatest services crumble from within, he couldn't help but become suspicious of everyone around him. As politics and corruption unravel, he finds more than he bargained for. 

*this is a novella with additional chapters of short story that is unrelated to main plot. But Rocky and Johnny do not belong in one world. They're mere mirror of struggles and identities that exist in all universe. They're a reminder that lovers are not one half of each, and puzzle pieces are better to find when one is not doing it alone.All Rights Reserved

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7 parts

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Extra Credit by Xmintflake

"Why do you always avoid my questions?" "I'm not, it's just that there's nothing to say. Who would ever want to date someone they can't even talk to? It's not rocket science. My eyes are weird, and people get tired of me eventually. There's your one-page essay. Now please don't snow me to death .-." "What? All that you just said is a lie. And I should snow you to death for even saying that! I would definitely date you." "...Thanks." 🍒｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍓｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡ Dallas Addison had it all; being a talented swimmer and dating the star of the football team, she didn't think she lacked anything in any capacity. Sure, she and her boyfriend had minuscule issues, but which logical relationship didn't have their occasional ups and downs? After landing in Extra Credit class due to a series of mishaps with her grades and attendance, Dallas's turmoil became despair when she became paired with one of the most eccentric people in the entire class. Seriously. Who wore sunglasses to school, much less indoors? When weeks turned into months of working together, series of back-and-forth message threads started to hit closer and closer to home. Suddenly, Dallas realized that maybe her life wasn't as idyllic as she was previously led to believe. || Completed 2023 ✔️ || ©ReeseTory2022

Sailing With Destiny by Bookworm_Tina

"Do you have any idea how damn frustrating you are?" He trapped me between him and the wall. Stubbornly, I looked squarely at him, "You say this like it's news to you." He pursed his lips, clenched his jaw, and stared at me with darkened eyes before he closed the gap between us. I stared at him squarely as I felt his body heat radiated off me, my lips parted and my breathing picked up a notch. He placed one hand on the wall and brought his lips an inch away from mine as the other hand trailed up my arms, "I am going to make you feel my frustration." I ran my finger along his jaw and dared him with my eyes, "I'm Mila," I grinned, "You can try but we both know you won't succeed." He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, "Don't take my love for you as weakness," he stated and captured my lips with a fiery kiss. The road to love for Mila and Mitchell wasn't easy, but they finally reached their destination after many bumps along the way. Blissfully in love, they set off on another journey together but instead of the Highway, they hit the high seas. However, love and life aren't always smooth sail and they learn that when they embark on their adult life after college. Mitchell is trying to prove to his father he is worthy of handling the grand Clarke Empire one day while Mila is determined to make her mark in the medical world. Two strong personalities have finally accepted they love each other but both are set in their ways and stubborn with unbreakable egos. Can their love weather storms in their path or will things like jealousy, insecurity, and family stand in their way to happily ever after?

𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 by llviox

𝐂𝐇𝐋𝐎𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓 the embodiment of sunshine, always with a bright smile and an easy laugh. She was the one everyone turned to, the friend who never faltered, always radiating positivity. But behind that cheerful exterior, how much darkness could she let in before it consumed her? How many people could lean on her before the weight became too much? Beneath her bubbly personality lay hidden struggles, secrets she kept locked away. And no matter how hard she tried to keep them buried, one day, they would surface-because no one can carry that much without eventually breaking. 𝐉𝐀𝐘𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐙 a successful soccer player with a future as bright as the lights that followed him on the field. His life had been meticulously planned out since day one, every step calculated to ensure success. And Jayden? He did a damn good job at maintaining it, living up to every expectation set before him. But there was more to his life than just soccer. Taking care of the people he called family-his friends, the ones who needed him most-became his priority. The question was, how would balancing the weight of those relationships affect the future he and his parents had so carefully built for him? Together, they were the people who kept each other thriving. She was the ice to his wounds, soothing the pain he tried so hard to hide, while he was the water to her roots, nourishing the parts of her she kept buried deep. In a world that could easily tear them apart, they found strength in each other, balancing their broken pieces to create something whole.

Through The Flames by EveGraceWrites

Everest moves in with her future fellow firefighter who just so happens to be her best friends brother and her frenemy. When they're at work one day and there's a baby drop off that turns out to be his kid, will they work together to help eachother or will they turn on eachother in the process. ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ ❝𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕔𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕤𝕒𝕪?❞ ❝𝔻𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟❞ ❝𝔻𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥?❞ ❝𝕐𝕠𝕦.❞ ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ゜ﾟ*☆*ﾟ T༶r༶o༶p༶e༶s༶: Slowburn, bestfriends brother, enemies to lovers, single dad, firefighter romance, workplace romance, rivalry, roommates. Started- 8/02/2023 Ended-TBD 16/03/23 Number 1 - #hashtag

Love At First Text ✔️ by ForeverAimee_

Being a hopeless romantic has never faired Eden Holland well. For all her expectations of being swept off of her feet, to public declarations of love and swoon worthy date nights beneath the stars, she's suffered only broken hearts, failed first dates, and a long list of let downs. Still, she dreams of her own cliche love story, and when an exchange of texts begins with the nameless man she saw at a bar, she is quick to fall head over heels. Sebastian Walker is a charmer, and he knows it. He has been since his teen years, when he spent most of his time flashing a pearly grin at the girls in the corridor, splashing on dates every other week, and letting them down easy and gentle. He hasn't changed much, and for all of his weekends spent tangled in a different girls bedsheets, he's still never called one back the next morning. Yet, when he's left a mystery girls number in a bar, and her replies are nothing short of uninterested, he cannot help but press send. But is it love at first text, or will the serial dater and the love story singleton be a recipe for disaster? --- #2 in mature, slow burn This book can be read as a stand alone, but character cross overs occur from my first and second book, 'Mr and Mrs Nemesis' and 'In Drunken Matrimony' respectively. Buckle up for the cliches, foul language, and the stuff that means I have to rate this book mature.

One Temptation by xx_sleepyreader

"What's with the glare? Just a few admirers for the beauty, West." I smirk, teasing his jealousy. "Because beautiful doesn't justify you sweetheart, you... you're not just beautiful, you're extraordinary. And it drives me mad. I don't want anyone else laying eyes on you. They wouldn't survive the night if they tried." "What will you do about it? Threaten them?" I move closer to him. His hand finds my face, gently stroking my cheek, "If I have to. Anyone who thinks they can take you, better think twice. You are precious to me, you're not just another pretty face. You are mine and I'm yours, and I intend to keep it that way. " **************** Madison Rose Monroe is a charming, yet stubborn 18-year-old that wants nothing but to pass her senior year at Mount View High. Getting through her classes is all she wants. Her friends, her grades and her crazy family is all that matters to her. Kaleb West, an arrogant 18-year-old, with no manners. He doesn't care about any other then himself, not to mention he is a womanizer too. He is heartless, and ruthless. Kaleb and Madison have known each other for their whole lives, but never dared the word 'friendship'. He is the guy that made it his life's mission to make her miserable. Even though Madison despised Kaleb she had to admit that the guy was built like a model straight out of a Calvin Klein Magazine. Flawless Greek God. Luckily, they never crossed paths that often, and since it was their last year at Mount View High, it was rare they would ever cross paths again. That was until they get put together in a group project and all hell is broken loose. What happens when they start spending time together, is the time spent together really that bad? Read along to find out what happens with their crazy ex's and families, high school parties, deep secrets and not to mention their CRAZY crazy friends. Start date: 04/03/2024 End date: ~ongoing~

Echoed Whispers of Love by thaliahbridget

Mazi thinks everything is fixable given the right tools and time, just not herself. She's irreversibly broken, incomplete, a lost cause. Living in the grey area of not quite dead but not really living, she's the perfect definition of a paradox. Gray is her contradiction. He sees life through more than the lens of black and white. Only living enough to make it through each day. Get up, fix cars, work a second job, sleep, rinse, repeat. Maybe what they need is a little spice in their lives; maybe what they need is a match lit under their asses. "I hate how I noticed the small details, like the slight dusting of freckles below his eyes and across his nose... His eyes. His eyes made me feel like they could see right through me. It was a combination of alarming and mesmerizing. There is no other way to describe him other than intense. My abysmal past with men should be enough to scare me off, to go to any cost to avoid him. It has done exceptionally well in spooking me off the footpath leading to disaster with men every single time, nearly. This time appears to be the exception. I hate that. He is the epitome of the fine line between hate and love. I take that back, I just love to hate him. The way he speaks to me only makes my anger flare. The way he looks at me makes my body temperature rise." Read more to follow their whirlwind romance, healing traumas, and the mending of hearts they didn't break. Update every week!

Something Worth Fighting For by Ashful

Independent Braylee Mitchells faces the prospect of falling in love with her new roomie: self-proclaimed player and long-time friend, Dominick Mulder, when a damaged apartment and old vows force them together... and make them possibly confront and deny something that has been in front of them all this time. *** Braylee Mitchells remembers what it was like to live with Dominick Mulder in university- as well as all her other friends. Now, ten years later, and despite a vow taken by all of them never to live together again, Dominick may just very well save the day (and her savings) when he takes on the task of becoming her roommate once again. With her apartment in need of costly repairs and her freelance career as a copywriter and editor struggling to cover the bills, Braylee's options seem limited. That is until she stumbles upon a charming country bungalow that seems like the answer to her prayers. The only catch? The rent is far beyond her means. Desperate to make ends meet and reluctant to burden her loved ones with her troubles, Braylee turns to Dominick for support. As they navigate the complexities of adulthood and the challenges of chasing their dreams, their friendship deepens into something more profound. But as Braylee and Dominick grow closer, they must confront their own fears and insecurities, navigating the blurred lines between friendship and something deeper. Will their bond withstand the tests of time, circumstance, and untold secrets, or will the weight of their individual struggles tear them apart? WARNING: This story contains depictions of narcissistic abuse (off-page), mature language and adult themes that may be upsetting to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

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Slide 1 of 8

Extra Credit cover

Sailing With Destiny cover

Through The Flames cover

Love At First Text ✔️ cover

One Temptation cover

Echoed Whispers of Love cover

Something Worth Fighting For cover

Extra Credit

"Why do you always avoid my questions?" "I'm not, it's just that there's nothing to say. Who would ever want to date someone they can't even talk to? It's not rocket science. My eyes are weird, and people get tired of me eventually. There's your one-page essay. Now please don't snow me to death .-." "What? All that you just said is a lie. And I should snow you to death for even saying that! I would definitely date you." "...Thanks." 🍒｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡🍓｡･ﾟ♡ﾟ･｡ Dallas Addison had it all; being a talented swimmer and dating the star of the football team, she didn't think she lacked anything in any capacity. Sure, she and her boyfriend had minuscule issues, but which logical relationship didn't have their occasional ups and downs? After landing in Extra Credit class due to a series of mishaps with her grades and attendance, Dallas's turmoil became despair when she became paired with one of the most eccentric people in the entire class. Seriously. Who wore sunglasses to school, much less indoors? When weeks turned into months of working together, series of back-and-forth message threads started to hit closer and closer to home. Suddenly, Dallas realized that maybe her life wasn't as idyllic as she was previously led to believe. || Completed 2023 ✔️ || ©ReeseTory2022