Written in the Stars

She wasn't looking for him.
But maybe the stars were.

Stella Iverson used to be that girl.
The girl who smiled at strangers, helped older women with their groceries, and believed in happy endings.

But after that night, the light inside her... went out.
And the girl she used to be? She's buried somewhere under layers of guilt, grief, and everything left unsaid.

When her parents decide to move to Mariton for a "fresh start,"
it doesn't feel like a new beginning.
It feels like a hollow attempt to run from a past that still haunts her.

Then there's Asher Reed.
Her next-door neighbor. Sharp-tongued, guarded, and always bruised from a fight.
He's been in Mariton longer, but he never really arrived.
He doesn't talk about his past - never.

They don't have much in common.
She's all sunshine, trying to find her warmth again.
He's built from tall walls that no one has ever tried to tear down.

Pain has its own way of connecting people.

He won't let anyone get close.
She tries not to show she's hurting.

But somehow, fate always pulls them together.

What if two shattered souls find each other?

Maybe it's not about fixing one another.
Maybe it's just about not feeling completely alone.

Tropes:
🌟 grumpy x sunshine
🌟 slow burn
🌟 next door neighbors
🌟 trauma bonding
🌟 found family
🌟 emotional healing