dirt and rocks

Loving another isn't always easy. When romance first blooms, everything seems perfect, but soon the veneer peels away and trouble sets in.<br><br>The stories in this collection focus on gay men who try to make their relationships work in a world intent on pulling them apart. A young man brings his first boyfriend home to meet his parents, even though he's terrified of his father's reaction. A flirtatious coworker sparks a fight between two committed men. A cam whore is tempted by an online admirer who tests his love for his boyfriend.<br><br>The men in these seven tales are in relationships for the long haul, if they can learn how to make things work. They all want to live happily ever after ... eventually.<br><br>Contains the stories:<br><br><strong>Lesser of Two Evils</strong>: In college, Jared falls in love with Larry but isn't out to his parents. Then Larry asks to meet Jared's family. Jared knows his sexuality will distant him further from his father. Unless he can find some way to soften the blow ...<br><br><strong>I'll Take the Rain</strong>: My boyfriend is the jealous type, and I always seem to say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time. Unfortunately, our roommate only sees us when we're at our worst. I hope her misplaced concern won't come between us. Or maybe it’ll be my own stupidity that tears us apart.<br><br><strong>We're Not Fighting</strong>: Jack is in a committed relationship with Aiden and, in Jack’s mind, no one else matters. So when a new girl in the office flirts with him, he thinks it’s nothing. But Aiden is pissed. Jack wants the whole thing to blow over, but it looks like Aiden’s about to blow up.<br><br><strong>Crash and Burn</strong>: When Chris discovers his lover Aaron is secretly taking prescription drugs for depression, he feels as if he doesn't know Aaron any more. He's afraid to bring up the pills he found, but more afraid of losing his lover. Will he be able to step in and say something before it’s too late?<br><br><strong>Don't Be Late</strong>: Who says marriage is bliss? Blake and Jeremy had more time together dating than they do as man and husband. Working long hours keep them apart, and their schedules rarely sync during the week. They only make love on the weekends. One hectic day follows another. Will they ever get a moment alone<br><br><strong>Wanna Cyber?</strong>: Ritchie is a cam whore; he loves the internet. His boyfriend Doug isn't exactly technologically savvy and is worried about what Ritchie gets up to online. He trusts Ritchie, really -- it's everyone else he isn't too sure about. One evening while Doug is at class, he decides to chat up Ritchie without revealing himself to his boyfriend, just to see what happens. The response he gets surprises him.<br><br><strong>Picture Postcards</strong>: Donny has loved his friend Greg for years but never told him. They shared one brief night together before Greg married Megan and Donny ... well, Donny tried to move on. He thinks he's succeeded in relegating Greg to the past until he receives a postcard from his friend that suggests Greg still thinks of that night, too.

No one has ever achieved true perfection, but Abdellatef Sabrou—better known as Latef—came dangerously close. A legendary thief and master of deception, he orchestrated "nine flawless, artistic heists", each a masterpiece of illusion, manipulation, and precision. Banks, auction houses, and jewelry stores fell before his brilliance, their treasures vanishing as if by magic. But behind the elegance of his crimes lay a fractured mind. Schizophrenia blurred the lines between reality and delusion, turning Latef’s world into a labyrinth where he could no longer tell truth from illusion. And yet, through the chaos, his genius thrived. Crime became his art, the world his stage, and law enforcement his unwitting audience. Yet, for all his cunning, love never smiled upon him. He could outwit the most advanced security systems, but he could never hold onto a heart. Seven marriages, seven failures—a testament that even the most brilliant minds cannot master love. Now, long retired, Latef finally breaks his silence. He tells his story—the heists, the madness, the betrayals, and the illusions. But with a mind like his, one question remains: Is this the truth, or just another of his perfect deceptions?

"There are always people to be saved, at every place, at every era. So let's save them all!" In the middle of a war-torn land, a girl declared thus. She said she was the Demon Lord, the Bringer of Calamity, the Greatest of all Evils. And she extended her hand toward the hero, asking for his help. "Helping others is only natural, right?" she said. But humanity and demons cannot walk the same path. That was the belief. Nevertheless, the hero took her hand. For the hero knew, in his heart, that the world needed her "evil."

Welcome to Æstherfall, a cyberpunk metal planet where humanity's struggle for survival meets the enigmatic embrace of a world born of metal and electricity. Embark on a journey where the boundaries of technology and nature blur, and the very essence of what it means to be human is called into question. This is the chronicle of a world where soil is currency, and life blossoms amidst the metallic symphony.

Kael Renn, a genius farmer’s son from a forgotten planet, joins the ruthless Stellar Academy with a mysterious system that grants him powerful war strategies and technology. Facing elite rivals and deadly trials, he must rise from dirt to command the stars—and shape the fate of the Human Empire.

Barry Dunning is a pet stylist and a gentle soul. Animals love him and he adores them. And while he would love to have a dog or cat of his own, the lease on his tiny studio apartment doesn’t allow pets. So, he paints miniature cats and dogs on rocks, instead.<br><br>Hurt by an ex-boyfriend, Barry doesn’t date. But his sister Trixie is always pestering him to get back out there, though he doesn’t think anyone would want him or his baggage.<br><br>Not so. Sheldon Svenson, the owner of the animal shelter where Barry volunteers on weekends is attracted to Barry and asks him out on a date. Barry -- for once taking his sister’s advice -- accepts.<br><br>Dinner ends in disaster, but Sheldon, undaunted, pursues Barry and asks for another chance. Will Barry decide to risk losing his heart?

Dirt-poor in the real world, Kassidy dies in the dumbest way possible-crushed by a vending machine during a snack run. Instead of peace, she wakes up in a chaotic, game-like fantasy world... as a Mage with zero useful spells but one overpowered perk: infinite gold. No combat skills, no prophecy, no world-saving pressure-just her, a bottomless coin purse, and a personal quest to indulge in every ridiculous luxury this world has to offer. Why be a hero when you can be a very rich nobody? Updates: Weekly

Is it wrong to judge others without knowing much about them? Maeve didn't think so, until she met that gorgeous man; so persistent, that it was getting slightly annoying. Just looking at his irritatingly beautiful face and a stare from those deep honey brown eyes had her beginning to melt, and it was getting harder and harder to say no.

Fu Shinian, an extra character in the original book, awakens to find that her whole family are the vicious villains in the story. Her father, unable to establish relations with the Marquis Changping's residence, is demoted and exiled by the male lead. Her mother is beaten to death on the road to exile, and Aunt Cheng is humiliated to death protecting her chastity. Her elder brother opposes the male lead to win over the female lead and dies saving her. Her elder sister makes life difficult for the female lead, and after their father is exiled, she is divorced by the male lead and sent to a pleasure house. To protect her family and change their tragic fate, isn’t it fair for her to absorb all the male and female leads' fortunes? * [Ding! Male and female leads' fortune -1000, Fu Mansion's fortune +1000] Mr. Fu: "I attended the morning court session, why did His Majesty promote me again!" Madam Fu: "I went to the temple to offer incense, and the master said I was surrounded by a powerful purple aura!" Aunt Cheng: "How did the Cheng Family suddenly become the imperial merchants!" Elder Brother: "It seems like I suddenly have gained intelligence, I know all the exam questions!" Elder Sister: "How come right after I broke off the engagement, Little General Gu came to propose?" * The Marquis Changping can only live to 25, in two years the title will belong to the male lead? She frantically absorbs the fortunes of the male and female leads to boost the Marquis Changping's fortune! During the plague lockdown, Fu Shinian brings medicine and travels long distances into the city to safeguard his health. He understands the girl's intentions, but he only has two years left to live, how can he drag her down. However, why does his heart ache so much watching her with someone else? Finally, the Marquis Changping forces Fu Shinian into the corner of the study, lowering his head to seek her lips: "Niannian, I was wrong."

I wrote a book once. It was an unhinged fantasy born from my high-school brain, driven by loneliness and too many hormones. It was a world of beastmen, wild freedom, and the kind of romantic attention I could never get in real life. I poured every impossible desire into it: adventure, danger, and yes… a 'lot' of handsome partners. Before I knew it, I had a thousand chapters of pure escapism and pure thrill. Then on a college camping trip, I fell off a cliff. I expected to wake up in a hospital room but nope. I woke up on a soft field of grass, with air too fresh to belong anywhere on Earth. And then something moved behind me. Sticking out of my tailbone was... A tail. My tail? Yellow and black stripes and very, very real. I touched it. Completely real. My ears? Also gone—well, moved. They were now perched on top of my head like a confused jungle cat. And the outfit? Quite revealing, made of animal hide which matched my tail. What was going on? At first, I thought it was a prank. Or a dream. Or maybe karma is finally cashing in. But the more foreign memories evaded my mind, the clearer my situation became. This wasn't cosplay and it wasn't Earth, either. And—surprise—it wasn't even the world from my own book. Welp. I had been transported into a completely different Beastman world as a beast girl called Arinya. Sounds fun, right? Well… it would be, if I weren't apparently the ugliest duckling in the entire freaking savannah! Rejected by every potential mate I stumbled across and sneered at like a freaking eyesore. This was not how I planned my fantasy to come to reality. Trust me—if this is my fantasy come true, then someone needs to fire the author. But then again, after entering this world, I'm suddenly... Attractive. I mean, there's no change to my face and the freckles are still there, but for some reason, handsome beastmen begin to flock around me, because I smell... Pleasant. What's that all about?