Alex and Mia had been inseparable for nearly a decade, their friendship forged in the innocent days of childhood playdates and shared secrets. They'd seen each other grow up, from awkward pre-teens with braces and bad haircuts to the confident teens they were now. Alex had watched Mia's hair grow long and wavy, her laugh lines deepen from all their inside jokes. Mia had seen Alex grow, his voice drop, his shoulders broade...

Leo sat alone in his dorm room one quiet Thursday evening in early October, the campus outside buzzing faintly with the distant laughter of students heading to weekend parties. Ben, his roommate, was out at a study group that would inevitably turn into a beer pong tournament. The room was dimly lit by a single desk lamp, casting soft shadows over the cluttered space—textbooks piled on the floor, a half-eaten pizza box fro...

Lila sat in the darkened movie theater, her legs crossed tightly beneath her miniskirt, her hands fidgeting in her lap. The flickering light of the screen illuminated the faces of her friends—Sophie, Mia, and Emma—whose giggles and whispers filled the air during the quieter moments of the romantic comedy. The film was predictable: a charming, muscular male lead with a chiseled jaw, a quirky female lead with a wardrobe tha...