If I were an ice queen, Casey has come to thaw my frozen heart.RobinAria Falls is a small city known for celebrating even the smallest of holidays on a grand scale. So why did I choose today to participate?Now I’m shivering at the shore of the freezing ocean, waiting my turn to jump in.Luckily, Casey takes my hand and plunges us both into the new year with a fresh start.Maybe it can be a fresh start for a ne...

Being voluntarily set up with my best friend has its perks.MakWhen my roommate Heck invited me to his family’s Christmas celebrations, I was hesitant. They were notorious for setting him up with literally anyone, and I was allowing myself to be served up on a silver platter.What I didn’t expect was Ace, Heck’s cousin who offered me his warmth on the porch swing in the winter cold, complete with kind eyes and a sinful smile....

Never take a sample from a stranger…CrystalI’m on the final day of Aria Falls’ Bagel Festival, and I have my aim directed right at those Sunday-exclusive bagel sampler booths. I want a blackout bingo for the sampler punch card, there’s nothing that will stand in my way.Except him, it seems.Jerome eats half my bagel samples, teases me, and even flirts with me. But I find that somehow, I’m not upset at it. I want more...

“Right person, wrong time” but this time, the pieces can all come together…forever.TurbineVal Argent was the love of my life. I knew that from the first time he kissed me in our high school locker room after hockey tryouts.But, as kids do, we split apart for college. We were drafted by different teams.It was the way of things, no matter how much we hated it. We broke things off and let each other fly on our own for ...

From sharing a bed to sharing a bed…MaxAfter years of confronting and eventually accepting my asexuality, the last thing I thought would happen would be kissing my best friend.No, the LAST thing I thought would happen is that kissing them would send me into a spiral of romantic yearning that I’d never experienced before.Lou shares my food, my apartment, and even my bed when they need assurance and affection, but thi...

Can glimpses and not-so-innocent touches at the club really become a relationship?CassWho am I kidding? I’ve been seeing Layne at the club for months, but I’ve never made a move. We’ve kissed, touched, danced under the black lights, yet we’ve never seen each other after each dance.Now, suddenly, xe agreed to come over for family game night to save me from being a fifth wheel, but we aren’t even together!But… Could w...

OliverBeing single was fine until my best friend decided to spend the holidays with her boyfriend’s family instead of with me. Now I’m sitting in an empty apartment, wallowing in self-pity.Until Theo knocked on my door.This sexy single dad needed sugar so he could bake cookies with his son, and now I’m invited to join them.How could I say no to that?All that was left to know was if this was going to be one night. Or could this be for...

All it takes is one nightmare to break a friendship.CadeLiving with your best friend slash roommate slash love of your life can get complicated.Haines and I shared an apartment, a class schedule, and all of our groceries. But he didn’t know I was in love with him and have been for years.Today, one of my usual nightmares drove me out of bed and onto our fire escape, gasping deep breaths of cold air ...

Winter is coming, and these theater friends find themselves falling into their own love stories amidst the snowfall of the winter months, starting from the frost coating the fall leaves through the wild snow storms of January.Between Friends and LoversAfter years of confronting and eventually accepting my asexuality, the last thing I thought would happen would be kissing my best friend.No, the LAST thing I thought would happen is that kissi...

In a campus apartment complex far, far away…HeckIt’s bad enough that younger students were partying all night and making all kinds of noise, but when someone pulls the fire alarm and I’m thrust into the parking lot in the middle of the night in my decade-old Star Wars pajamas, I’m not a happy camper.I’m a second away from crawling into my friend’s jacket for warmth when a honeyed voice matching a stunning woman firefighter ...

MariahI had everything I needed—a husband, a beautiful son, and a life I loved. But one day, he decided it wasn’t enough, and my existence became suspended as I scrambled for footing.Six months later, I found myself strapping on my high heels and zipping up my sexy dress, throwing myself back out there and hoping a holiday singles party might change my life.Hailey was a light, and she made me feel alive and seen for the first time in months. So betw...

I’d never been hot for my professor, but Vincent’s lips around my trifle sent a chill down my spine.ShaunaSetting up a little pop-up table in front of The Paper Realm bookstore had been a way to get in some new customers for my baking business and celebrate today’s tiny holiday.Halfway through the day, though, Vincent stopped by my table.They were tall and academic, with a narrow waist and a long coat, looking every...