When Lily inherits her grandfather's old T-shirt printing shop, she considers selling it-until she realizes it's an opportunity to create something truly unique. With a vision in mind, she rebrands it as a store for personalized gifts, a place where people can tell their stories through custom designs. From anniversary shirts to quirky inside jokes, every order has meaning, and every T-shirt becomes a cherished memory.
One day, Lily meets Alex, a talented freelance graphic designer with a gift for capturing emotions in his art. He comes in to help with a large order, but the two quickly find themselves working together more and more. Lily is inspired by Alex's creativity and dedication, and their collaboration brings a new spark to the shop. They launch a campaign called "Threads of Love," inviting customers to submit their own stories. Alex designs shirts based on real-life moments, and the shop soon fills with stories of love, friendship, and family bonds.
As they spend late nights working side by side, Lily realizes that she might be falling for Alex. But she's too shy to tell him, worried that it could ruin their friendship and business. That's when Alex surprises her with a custom T-shirt of his own-a design featuring two hands intertwined, with the words, "My Partner in Design & Life." It's his quiet way of confessing that he feels the same way.
From then on, Lily and Alex make "Threads of Love" a true passion project, designing for couples, best friends, and families. Together, they transform a simple T-shirt shop into a place filled with memories, laughter, and love-proving that the best gifts are the ones that come from the heart.
As Claire aims to leave her oppressive stepfamily behind, she befriends Zion. Will he be her ticket to freedom or a distraction in achieving her dreams?
*****
Claire Olsen has had a crush on Zion Petrakis since the first time she laid eyes on him, but he never noticed, instead only having eyes on the school's it girl, Maddie Jennings. Knowing she couldn't compete with Maddie, Claire hid her feelings for Zion, satisfied with admiring him from afar. However, when a series of events led Claire closer to Zion, her feelings for him grew from infatuation to love. And despite fighting hard to keep her feelings contained by distancing herself from Zion, he was determined to show her that he's earned a spot in her life.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]