Adulting Stories

I'm soaring for my freedom, and if you also are, maybe this can help you.

Nika thought life had a simple formula: Graduate → Work → Love life → Happy ending. But reality hit her hard. It turned into heartbreak, work life, burnout... At lagi lang "siguro" ang sagot sa lahat. Kailan naman kaya darating yung sigurado niya? Laguage: English and Tagalog

Anyone can be experiencing a range of things, whether it be from behind closed doors or in isolation of their own mind... Escaping the embarrassment of her failed engagement, Lauren finds herself starting a job that she never intended to do. Once the people's princess where she grew up, she is not prepared for the Attending on her service to hold such contempt for her. Desperate for her approval, she enlists the help of a mother/daughter duo. In doing so, she finds gaps in her own life she never once believed were there. Claudia was certain that no one was ever going to want to marry her, but when someone offers you your perfect engagement ring, how can you say no? With a ruby weighing down her ring finger, the life she has vs the life she imagined are weighing on her mind. Is this conformity or is it of her own free will? Single, almost-jobless and drowning in her knitting, Inaya will have to start getting scrappy. Whilst digging through the racks at the Salvation Army, she stumbles into a volunteer role that she has no business filling. When faced with the realities that a growing number of young women are struggling with, she decides it is time for a change. When people first meet Rosie, it always starts with, "sorry, didn't see you there". Desperate to no longer be overlooked, she decides to undertake a year long glow-up as a project for her work. Can the passive wallflower become a social butterfly? With small parts loosely based on real moments in my own life and that of my friends, I hope everyone can find a small part of a character to relate to. Being a young woman in this day and age is harder than I could imagine. Telling these moments through Rosie's eyes is a way of expressing some of things I would not dare say aloud.

"Lord, nakikita Mo ba ako?" Sa gitna ng adulting, pressure, at ingay ng mundo, madaling maramdaman na 'Seen Zone' ka lang ng langit. Pero bago ka sumuko, heto ang mga paalalang kailangan mo. Isang koleksyon ng mga maikling mensahe, prayers, at realizations para sa mga pagod pero lumalaban. Dahil sa bawat "Lord, help," ang sagot Niya ay: "Noted, anak. Ako ang bahala."

Aastha's first job lands her in Ahmedabad - smack in the middle of adulting chaos. Dry chapatis for lunch, rushed mornings, and somehow still late to work despite waking up on time. All she wants? To survive the grind of office hours, burnt dinners, and crushing expectations. Karjun Shah runs Shah Enterprises like clockwork - sleeves rolled up, silver wristwatch gleaming, and not a hair out of place. Stern, composed, the perfect CEO... until he's home. There, he's just Kaju -the steady heart of a noisy, loving Gujarati household that refuses to let him be anything but human. Neither planned this. But Aastha keeps catching glimpses of his silhouette and falling a little harder each time. Karjun can't ignore the new drafter with too many things in her tote and an uncanny way of softening his world. Love doesn't always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes, it tiptoes in - slow, steady, and unstoppable. All images/pictures belong to their rightful owners. I do not own any. Thank you. Have fun reading! Started: 30/05/2025 Word count: 70,000

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒂𝒑 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒌 𝒔𝒂𝒃 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒊 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒆 ｡｡｡ ~•◍ 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖆𝖕 𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖆𝖐 ◍•~ •◍•

Amara Dela Merced, a former high-powered executive, trades her corporate life for the quiet simplicity of the Philippine countryside, investing half of her inheritance given by her mother, into opening a small, heartfelt tea shop. Her new venture is quitely located near a home for senior citizens, a place that unexpectedly becomes the center of her life's purpose. As Amara navigates pursuing her dream business, she finds an unexpected friendly connection with her former corporate assistant, who agrees to manage the property, left by her mother. Her life is further complicated and enriched by two very different situation: the wisdom of a senior resident who survived the Japanese invasion as a comfort woman, whose memories ingrain the air with history and resilience; and the constant, irritating presence of a handsome, yet persistently annoying man who keeps crossing her path. "The Scent of Memory and Tea" is a story of slice-of-life, healing, and transformation, where the aroma of brewing leaves unseals deep-rooted memories, and a city-dweller finds an unexpected family among the past, present, and the prickly charm of a local annoyance. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Eat, Chat, and Chaos (English version of "Kain, Kwento, Kalat") A thirty-something who still looks alive (promise!), but spends each day navigating between a sometimes-sweet, sometimes-grumpy boss... co-workers with mood swings... dreams like financial stability, early retirement, happily-ever-after (and every other illusion out there), spontaneous food trips, and random brain clutter that needs to be written down before it gets deleted from the mind's memory card. Here, it's zero filter - from hunting down the best samgyup spot, struggling to start side hustles, to scenes that are fun to tell... but only fun in the story, not in real life. If you're looking for laughs, a pinch of drama, and lots of food talk - welcome to my daily chaos... but sometimes on a diet to stay sexy, lol.

Having a hard time? No one to relate to? Feeling confused? Need to read something you might like? Then maybe give this one a chance 🍿

This is about my journey going through college. It shows my growth and changes through life.

Quarter Life 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 At twenty-five, you're expected to be grateful. You're earning. You're independent. You live in a city people move to on purpose, but every month feels conditional. Rent depends on performance. Performance depends on numbers. Numbers depend on things you don't control. "I don't think we're lost," she said. "I think we just underestimated how long this part lasts." She was tired of the word phase. Everyone called it a phase. The grind phase. The building phase. The figuring-it-out phase. No one said how expensive it is to live inside a phase. "They make it sound temporary," she continued. "Like one good quarter fixes everything. Like one promotion makes you stable. Like once you hit a certain salary or close a certain deal, you finally exhale." She shook her head. "But the targets just move. The expenses increase. Someone younger is already doing more, someone older is asking why you aren't further." What unsettled her wasn't failure. It was the constant calibration. The way she was always adjusting- projections, expectations, tone, ambition- just to stay afloat. "I don't want extraordinary," she said quietly. "I just want not to feel like everything depends on the next email." The city outside kept moving, it always did. "Everyone's going somewhere," she added. "I just don't know if anyone feels settled when they get there" Quarter Life follows a group of young professionals in London trying to build careers, support families, and make choices that won't close doors too early. Somewhere between deadlines and obligations, something shifts- not loudly, but enough.

Dela's not completely opposed to love, but when a certain man at her apartment building keeps appearing everywhere, she decides to take her love life's fate into her own hands. That is until, she's politely rejected by play boy heart throb Jorge, who's strictly had casual relationships with girls since he was seventeen. Dela's always told herself that she would never pursue someone who doesn't want the same things as her. Luke's always told himself he's not the monogamous type. But can their attraction mean they will make an exception for each other?

Ava Kingston didn't move to Seoul to be anyone's prize-she came to build a life in her own silhouette. On day one, two very different boys notice: Seo Jihoon, a composed model‑actor with a smile that quiets rooms, and Park Minjae, an idol rapper whose baritone can set a stage on fire. What starts in school hallways refuses to fade; it grows up with them through late‑night rehearsals, movie sets, fashion runways, and the messy, beautiful ordinary moments that make a life. Hearts tangle. Ambition tests loyalty. And desire keeps asking for one more chance. A slow‑burn AMBW/KMBW Korean romance about timing, boundaries, found family, and choosing yourself while your heart is choosing too. ©️ _RelleLebby_// R. L.

This is the story of a broken soul A girl who grew up alone , carrying silence and pain she never asked for, life tested her with heartbreaks, hardships, and the weight of adulthood Yet through it all , she learns to heal ,to find herself,and to choose her own peace Raw heart ,and real -- This is her journey from being shattered to slowly becoming whole again 🕊️

19th Season is a collection of poems I wrote during the last year of my teenage days. A product of life lessons, experience, living life in romance, heartaches, breakdowns, hope, love, and finding Joy in His arms and strength.

Lu a guard of his pack is tasked with being a companion to his future alpha and mate, but when they reach their destiny trouble finds them. "Lu has always been a loyal guard of his pack, so why he is doubting his decision?"

"Things I wish I had known sooner.." Tagalog/English

a collection of random thoughts and ramblings from a troubled soul

Nathan was helping his mother by being a part-timer in a cafe she owned, balancing school and work is not an easy task, but Nathan makes it work. As a senior at Harrison High, he was determined more than ever to be accepted into an Ivy League school. A past mishap haunts him, he didn't want to leave for college with an unanswered question. However, he was pretty caught off guard when he finally knew the truth. He asked himself, am I gay? All photos and videos used are credited to the respective owners.

Lauren. Ren to her friends, Lou to this one guy that she has been blindly chasing. This girl tries to conquer college with her you-only-live-once attitude and deals with the consequences after while barfing in the bathroom of her friend's place. *** Pursuing a degree in the City of Pines, far away from her hometown, she hoped to escape from her family and find comfort in this new foreign town. Find a home: that was second to her ultimate goal. Three years is her time limit, surely by then she will find even a simple hut, right? Her timer begins. Every minute counts.