The Elephant In The Room
- Reads 20
- Votes 2
- Parts 2
Ongoing9m
Last published Tue, Aug 10, 2021
*April 1930*
*Chicago, Illinois, USA*
Mere months after the shaking 1929 crash on Wall Street, one man decides to make his move amidst the uncertainty of the new decade-go to the Windy City, trumpet in tow, and try his hand at the Downtown ballrooms.
After moving into a dilapidated apartment mysteriously furnished with a stuffed elephant, the man quickly trades his rural upbringing for the flighty world of urban nightlife.
Little does he know, judging and watchful stares aren't just found in the sparkling ballrooms at midnight-they're also found right at home, through the eyes of the elephant in the room.
All Rights Reserved
#438
novella
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Break My Heart *Tom Kaulitz Love Story*
My life wasn't perfect, but it wasn't terrible either. It was quiet. Predictable, and safe. I think it could have stayed that way. And honestly... I would have been fine with it. And then one night, I met him. The boy with the long braids and glimmering eyes-the kind that could make a girl believe anything, become anything, for him. There was a darkness to him. Not the kind that makes you run, but the kind that pulls you closer. The kind you convince yourself you can handle. You fall into it. Into him. Into the idea of him. And before you know it, you're hoping you never have to return to a life where he doesn't exist. Until one day you realize... you're not living a life you want anymore. He places his hands behind his head and shakes his head in desperation, mumbling words only he can hear. His whole body shaking. He stops pacing and takes one large deep breath before exploding into a fit of anger. Juliette Emerson agrees to go to a concert with her best friend Alysa. There she meets guitarist Tom Kaulitz, known for his one night stands and bad boy reputation with a dark secret. In this captivating, heart wrenching, emotional rollercoaster of a story, Juliette and Tom will find that being with one another is anything but easy. What's good never lasts forever. And forever may not be the best. **full disclosure, as many others, this does contain sex, drugs and alcohol, trauma and abuse that may be triggering to some. Essentially explicit content - R** #1 December 7 2023 : #Tomkaulitz #1 January 19 2025 : #Tokiohotel #1 August 19-September 26, 2025: #KaulitztwinsComplete
Everything Has Changed
"If you asked me three months ago what heartbreak was, I would tell you it's losing somebody close to you due to unspeakable circumstances. But right now, in this moment, I would say it's you. I would say it's the feeling I got in my chest when I realized I was out of time. When I stood in the rain and yelled for you to stay, but all I saw was your back. I would say heartbreak is lying in bed at two in the morning, watching my ceiling fan go around and around, wondering why you couldn't stop to listen. Two seconds. All I needed was two seconds to say the words. All I needed was to seconds for me to tell you I was in love with you. With everything about you. With the way you move, and the feeling of your arms around me. With the feeling of your chest vibrating as you laugh. Heartbreak is falling in love with everything about you, but having the words permanently stuck in my throat." _____ Gracelyn Levinsky grew up with Daniel Grey. She has always looked to him as a brother, but when she escapes from her abusive Mom and moves to the same town Danny moved to when he was ten, she finds out that he's in love with her. After countless attempts to get her to feel the same, Danny gives up. But when Grace realizes just how much she does love Danny, words can't help her because he shut her out of his life completely. How do you tell somebody who you can't talk to that you're in love with them? Simple. You force them to listen. WARNING: THIS STORY INCLUDES THE VERY ATTRACTIVE DANIEL GREY WHO REMINDS ME AND EVERYONE WITH OVARIES OF A SOFT GOLDEN RETRIEVER PUPPY THAT IS SLEEPING ON YOUR CHEST SO PLEASE BEWARE THAT YOUR OVARIES WILL EXPLODE WHILE READING THIS STORY! AN: please don't steal this story. I'm working/have worked really hard to create this and develop the characters and story line. This is solely made up out of my mind. The cover was made by @nerdfpiper and I highly recommend her!Complete
Love Complications
#10 in bf #11 in gf #21 in miscarriage #47 in chicklit #50 in chances #502 in romance She was sitting on the foot of bed, clamping the sheets in her hand. He entered in room with his briefcase from work. He looked at her in confusion but try to remove his neck tie from neck & sliding his briefcase on table. She asked him in frustration "Who is she?" He gets confused by her sudden outburst "Who?" He asks not knowing It makes her more furious from his pretending behaviour. She yells at him "Who is she. Girl you were having coffee with at 'make my day' coffee house" His confusion turns to guilt. How does she knows & how much she knows "She is......" Breathing out he finally spill it, looking in her big eyes who were holding anger & discontent written all over her face "She is my girlfriend. We are deciding to settle down together in a marriage after all this is over in a year" She cant breathe, she looking at ground thinking she will faint any moment. Slowly her steps moved back until she reach the wall to hold as support. How could she take this all. If he has girlfriend, what relationship she is hold in his life, what is she to him?, is she even important in his life. Her thoughts were interrupted by him saying "Sam....." ############## Meet samantha sparks-young, sexy, strong, talented, hot, confident girl. Who can sacrifice anything for her loved ones Meet william stone-handsome, charming, a hottie, caring guy. Who will take what belongs to him See what happens when complications comes in between love & relationshipsComplete
Taunt
"Can we stop feeling guilty, Amelia? Guilty for all the things that weren't our fault." "We can Leo. Maybe someday." "That day isn't far off Amelia. I'll make sure of it." ___________________________________ There is a lot to think about when you find out your best friend has been raped and murdered. There is even more to think about when you're the last person she saw the night she died. But that's not what caused me to black out in the middle of a rocking party scene, surrounded by all the people I had known all my life. It was when I saw who had killed her. Hilarious, charming, the guy with the perfect quiff, and star quarter-back of the football team. He was loved by everyone. He was the guy you couldn't stay away from. Levi Harrison. My brother. ____________________________ #1 for General Fiction in The Grace Awards 2019 #1 College Romance 11/19 #3 Bullyingawareness 04/20 #2 Assault 06/20 • Started: August 2018 Ended: - January 2020 (Unedited) • WARNING: this book contains a mature theme, not suitable for all audiences. There are recurring themes of assault, mild depression, and violence. On the other hand: it'll put a big fat smile on your face! •Any media used belongs to it's rightful owners. No images or videos used belong to me.•Complete
Starting With You
Romance trope: best friends to lovers. "You're supposed to be my best friend, but all I can think about is kissing you again." TEDDY: I somehow got stuck in the unfortunate "one of the guys" category. It was on accident, naturally falling into this role since my childhood best friend was a boy. The crush on my best friend was also an accident. He's always seen me as one of the guys. That is, until the one drunken night he didn't. The one that nearly ruined everything a decade ago. JENSEN: It was much easier when I didn't notice how hot my best friend is. It would be even better if the rest of the jackoffs in our small town would stop noticing too. I can still remember all the details from our night together years ago. The night we never talk about, yet it's still so fresh in my mind. But will a secret scar from a past relationship ruin everything? [This is BOOK ONE of the WITH YOU series, a small town romance series set in Minnesota about the lives of the dysfunctional, blended Anderson family - with an interwoven mystery built into the background that spans the entirety of the series.] **Title formerly The Rest of Forever**Complete
The C.E.O'S shattered heart (MxM, C.E.O X C.E.O)
Zachariel Joseph's heart shattered when the man that he had loved for ten years betrayed him. His lover took everything that he loved away from him. He was turned from a popular and rich C.E.O into a pauper overnight. Zachariel was left heartbroken, and homeless by his lover. Zachariel suffered a nervous breakdown after the betrayal. And his lover denied to help him in his time of need. Zachariel couldn't function anymore from the shock and was in a mental institution for months. His psychiatrist wanted him to build his life back up again after his recovery, but will the heartbroken man be able to do so? Alexei Marquis lived a happy life with his grandmother in France. All that changed when he lost his grandmother due to illness. He was just eighteen years old when it happened. Alexei's grandmother's will stated that he was the next owner of her empire. Alexei was suddenly burdened with responsibilities that he never wanted. He had to move from France to America to fulfil his duties. Alexei's wish was to become a surgeon and live his life leisurely with his future lover and children. Alexei became bitter and cruel when he didn't get what he wanted in life. People didn't dare to approach the C.E.O. Alexei in return only talked to his best friend Chance and two other friends while leading his grandmother's empire. The astonishing thing was that Alexei had never forgotten the man who had once saved his life. Will the mighty C.E.O ever manage to meet the man or will something unexpected happen? (There is a more detailed description in chapter 1. Enjoy reading my friends and please keep in mind that this story may trigger some issues in people. This is not a supernatural story.) Mature content.Complete
Venom
On the run since she was ten, Charlotte "Cher" Woods dreams of nothing but escaping her nightmares. But when her apartment is flooded, she's pulled back into a world filled with darkness, despair and deception. Truths of her repressed past begin to resurface and Cher soon finds herself conflicted between following her heart or her mind. - PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. THIS STORY WAS CREATED ENTIRELY BY ME. IT'S NOT NICE TO STEAL PEOPLE'S WORK. ANYONE CAUGHT COPYING WILL BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY. Thanks have a good day! Started: May 20, 2021 Completed: May 31, 2021Complete
The Dream Before the Dark ✓
Chicago, IL. January 1992. When Jenny Adler shows up to her first day at a new job, she hopes it can be as simple as it is on paper - a few short months of doing paperwork and answering phone calls before she moves on to the next thing. It was never supposed to be anything more than a mere stepping stone, never meant to be significant. But no matter how fast she runs, the past clings to her like a shadow and having to constantly see the woman she wants to forget forces her to confront the uncomfortable truths she's been trying so hard to ignore. Meanwhile, a new friendly face slowly coaxes her into opening up and for the very first time, she starts to believe that humans aren't as inherently broken as she thought them to be. What she intended to be just a tiny blot of ink on the pages of her life ushers in the beginning of a brand new chapter and makes her challenge her beliefs about what it means to be a woman in a man's world, if love truly can be found in the most unexpected and darkest places, and what to do when you realize that you've turned into the very thing you swore you'd never become. Their future was a tragedy waiting to be written, a tale of endings that came too soon after beginnings. But there was a life before the dark, a life so full and hopeful it later felt like but a dream. »»----------«« ♡ featured in @NA's general + historical fic reading list ♡ »»----------«« ♡ Started: May 17th, 2021 ♡ Completed: October 31st, 2021Complete
The Forced Bride
Rated No.1 #matureaudience #separation #maturelanguage #contractmarriage #loveforever #funnyromance#chicklit || 𝑯𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 ♡ || They say men always fuck up the things more, he's one of the best examples of those men. He's a mess and he won't even think twice before involving someone else in his mess. His world is dark, so dark that you'll lose all path even if you try to escape it countless times. The loneliness he carried within himself, he believes, can only be pushed away by drowning himself in the thirst of lust which is always flaring inside him to quench. But if only he knew by pushing it, he can't get rid of that loneliness. The ruthless billionaire does not know how to feel. Well he doesn't care about that all he does was fuck and throw without giving a shit about other's emotions. Meet him '𝑨𝒏𝒗𝒂𝒚 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒉 𝑹𝒂𝒋𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒕' the male protagonist of this story. He believed he could bend any girl on her knees for a night to satisfy his lust and get his pleasure until his ways collided with her. She wasn't any different and that's what made him hate her more. For a fact now she's his so called "𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝑾𝒊𝒇𝒆" he knew she wasn't any naive dove she knows how to pull her cards and defeat him in a worst way possible. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙝é 𝙁𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙖𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚. ° 𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 b/w the leads ° 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 T.W. ° Not a book for virgin obsessed male lead/female lead.Complete
Half of My Heart ✔️
how far would you go . . . for someone you love? ♔ Levi steps forward, placing himself between me and Jack. Like he's protecting me from him. But I don't need protecting, certainly not from Jack. "Who do you think you are, dude?" Levi spits, getting in Jack's face. "Look, Scarlett was just helping me out with a proj-" "I'm not your dude," Jack bites, and I want to tear my hair out of my head. This is going downhill very fast. Jack turns to me. "Scar, we need to talk," he says lowly. Then loud enough for Levi to hear, "So can you please get this kid to leave." "Hey, you don't get to come in here and start ordering her around," Levi says harshly. "You don't control her." "And you think that you do?" Jack spits. ♔ When Scarlett moved off to college, she hoped to start anew and find her way in this world alone. Two problems. One: her older brother goes to the same college, and it seems like he's everywhere, keeping her from doing everything she hoped to do as a college freshman. Two: her brother's devastatingly handsome best friend also seems hell-bent on ruining her college experience . . . but in a different way. Their paths keep crossing, and Scarlett is reminded of the powerful attraction that they've both ignored for far too long. Not to mention, a new face begins to occupy everyday Scarlett's thoughts. When Scarlett is paired with an allusive, darkly handsome stranger for a film project, her world begins to open in ways she never thought possible. But as his mystery unravels into dark secrets, she wonders if she's falling a bit too hard. Before long, Scarlett is forced to realize that balancing the hearts of two boys at once just might result in the breaking of her own.Complete
My life wasn't perfect, but it wasn't terrible either. It was quiet. Predictable, and safe. I think it could have stayed that way. And honestly... I would have been fine with it. And then one night, I met him. The boy with the long braids and glimmering eyes-the kind that could make a girl believe anything, become anything, for him. There was a darkness to him. Not the kind that makes you run, but the kind that pulls you closer. The kind you convince yourself you can handle. You fall into it. Into him. Into the idea of him. And before you know it, you're hoping you never have to return to a life where he doesn't exist. Until one day you realize... you're not living a life you want anymore. He places his hands behind his head and shakes his head in desperation, mumbling words only he can hear. His whole body shaking. He stops pacing and takes one large deep breath before exploding into a fit of anger. Juliette Emerson agrees to go to a concert with her best friend Alysa. There she meets guitarist Tom Kaulitz, known for his one night stands and bad boy reputation with a dark secret. In this captivating, heart wrenching, emotional rollercoaster of a story, Juliette and Tom will find that being with one another is anything but easy. What's good never lasts forever. And forever may not be the best. **full disclosure, as many others, this does contain sex, drugs and alcohol, trauma and abuse that may be triggering to some. Essentially explicit content - R** #1 December 7 2023 : #Tomkaulitz #1 January 19 2025 : #Tokiohotel #1 August 19-September 26, 2025: #Kaulitztwins
More detailsContent Guidelines