Maya didn’t notice the window until her third month in the city. Her new apartment was nothing special—just a fifth-floor walk-up with cracked walls and plumbing that moaned in protest every morning. Still, it was hers, and that meant freedom. No roommates. No overbearing parents. Just the hum of traffic outside and the cheap comfort … Read more
The forest had a heartbeat. Underneath the bark of trees, underneath the soil of dirt, and even underneath the rocks of riverbeds. It was always there. That rhythmic beating made it undeniable that the forest was alive. That It was alive. It took the form of many things: the trees, the dirt, the river. But … Read more
Carlos Huston, a fit 45-year-old Black male, stepped onto the tarmac of Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena, Colombia. He thought that the many trips he made to the desert while in the Navy as a younger man would prepare him for any kind of heat, but the heat in Cartagena was different. Asia, Europe, … Read more
Jasmine guided her car to the edge of the gravel road and set the parking brake. She was in the middle of nowhere, but after 6 straight hours behind the wheel she needed to stretch her legs. She stepped out of the car into the crisp autumn day and immediately moved into an Upward … Read more
I have always been a fan of the enemy to lovers trope. The Pride and Prejudice structure of going from I Despise You to Marry Me Now. It’s sexy. It is undeniably sexy. There is an established heat from the beginning. A very thin line between seething hatred and lust, and then the sweet transition … Read more