SABRINA MORALES“It’s really you!” Asher exclaimed, his face lighting up with a wide grin. He turned to his friend, Blaze, and slapped his chest. “Sabrina is Brie!”Sabrina is Brie?That caught my attention. In high school, my friends called me Brie, but most people outside that circle used my full name, Sabrina. Someone saying “Sabrina is Brie” meant they knew me as Brie first, then as Sabrina, and somehow didn’t realize I was the same person.I glanced at Blaze, my eyes narrowing instinctively. He’d been talking about me to Asher. I wanted to ask what he’d said, but I knew that could spark another argument. Two more people had passed us while we stood here, and I was starting to feel like I’d come out today just to run into Blaze.“I was going to ask what you’ve said about me,” I said to Blaze, “but I’d rather get inside and watch what I came for.”“Oh, right,” Asher replied. “You had a huge crush on Denzel in high school. Of course, you’re here to support him.”Asher probably di
SABRINA MORALES Gabby stood at the snack station, and I waved to catch her attention, but she didn’t notice me. I smoothed my hair back and walked over to join her. Our high school friend Denzel was having his directorial debut film previewed today. He’d sent out what I assumed was a batch email to our old group, so I expected a few more familiar faces to show up. Gabby was grabbing two bags of popcorn when she spotted me. Her eyes lit up, and a small gasp slipped from her lips. Her scanty bangs framed her forehead, partially covering her eyes, while the rest of her hair was styled in two neat French twists. Gaby and I had both been in the same high school drama group, along with Denzel, so it was no surprise to see her here. “Brie!” Gabby called out, her voice warm with recognition. As soon as we were close, she threw her arms around me for a hug. “Ow,” Gabby winced almost immediately. She pulled back. “Shouldn’t have gone in so hard,” Gabby said with a laugh, blowing
CAROLINE MORALESI kept staring at my laptop screen as the minutes dragged by.Jo was in the house, just not in this room. I could still hear him moving around, going about his tasks while I sat here, doing nothing but staring.The screen was initially white, and it was an empty page on my document.I ran a feminine-centered blog with weekly editions. Alongside that, I was working under contract with two media houses, one of which I served as the chief in-house editor.And then there was my anonymous author profile, where I wrote romance-fantasy books—or romantasy, as most people would call it.I was on my third book, with around five thousand subscribers following my profile and three thousand views on my latest story. Still, I hadn’t updated a single chapter in almost a week.With all that in mind, I continued to stare at the screen until it finally dimmed and went black. My laptop had gone to sleep.Now, it was my reflection that stared back at me.I blinked and leaned in, trying to
BLAZE WILLIAMS “What?” Sabrina asked me after I asked her to be my girlfriend. Her eyes were flat, her gaze empty and she lit up instantly like a Christmas light. Sabrina laughed so hard, that her curls bounced as she threw her head back. She stood up, clutching her stomach. “Sabrina…” I called out to her. “This isn’t funny, but I’m…” Sabrina paused, bent over, and held her side. She pulled herself up after a second. Her shoulders were bare. The green bralette she wore was strapless, hugging her body and stopping just above her belly button. “I can’t stop laughing,” Sabrina gasped out, breathless between bursts of laughter. She wiped her eyes, shoulders shaking. I was fed up. I walked over and kissed her. Unlike the times that she would dissolve into the feel of my lips. Those other times that the pause would happen before we would set fire with our lips. Today was different. There was none of that. Sabrina tore away from my grip casting a glare my way. “What is wron
SABRINA MORALES A young boy was standing in front of the elevator, his headphones blasting music loud enough for me to hear from across the room. He nodded his head to the beat as he waited for the elevator to return. There was only one elevator, so I stood with him, holding the gift bag under one arm while window shopping on the new Metsy website. “Cute,” I said out loud when a pink pearl jewelry set loaded. I considered buying it. The boy and I locked eyes for a second. I looked away, scrolling past the beautiful jewelry set. Fuck. I wanted it. I swiped back and saved it to my wishlist, then quickly swiped away—as if that would somehow undo what I’d just done. When I looked up, my heart jumped. The boy was peering into my phone, his hot breath filling the tiny space between us. He was lanky, just an inch shorter than me, wearing an orange pullover that completely covered his arms. “What?” I asked, taking a step back. He apologized. “Got carried away. I’ll just…” He point
BLAZE WILLIAMS We were members of the Luci House Club, so I drove Jason to our usual rooftop venue, where we could enjoy some privacy in the lounge area. “How’s work?” Jason asked as he unclipped his seatbelt. He tossed his bag onto his lap and pulled out a replacement shirt. He wasn’t even on duty, so I couldn’t understand why he needed to change the one he already had on. “Good,” I replied, my eyes trailing the fresh, neatly folded lime-colored shirt. “A patient vomited blood all over my stomach,” Jason said, answering the question I hadn’t even asked yet. He changed in the passenger seat of my car, adjusting the collar of his shirt and giving his reflection a glance in the rearview mirror. “It’s just a few days to the new year. Your dad mentioned your plan to run a headline this season,” Jason said. He unlocked his side of the car. I followed suit and stepped out. We continued the conversation over the hood of my car while I locked the doors. “He told you that?” I aske