Aashiem & Hysia — Natisha Raynor

***FULL STANDALONE*** Aashiem Cazier grew up in a household with his father, who happens to be the chief of police, his mother, and two sisters. His middle-class upbringing is a far cry from the life that most of his peers lived in the hood, but his family's social status didn't stop Aashiem's love for fast money and his fascination with the allure of the game. Tired of being broke and under the roof of his strict father, on his eighteenth birthday, Aashiem takes part in a caper that changes the course of the rest of his life. Once life begins to change for Aashiem, he meets a beautiful self-made shawty with the Nola accent: Hysia. The slightly older woman is a bit intimidating but too intriguing for Aashiem to pass by. With a lot to learn about grown women and facing the obstacles that come along with getting his weight up, Aashiem soon learns that you can't play kid games with grown women and to watch who he calls a friend. A friend may be the very thing to cause the demise of Aashiem's relationship with Hysia and take his freedom, if it doesn't kill him first. Hysia was seven years old when Hurricane Katrina hit, and she watched her mother die right in front of her. At the age of eighteen, she becomes responsible for her younger sister, Hydia, and hustler becomes Hysia's middle name. She believes in securing her own bag and not having to depend on anybody for anything. Putting her dreams on hold, she goes hard to send her sister off to college. Hysia wasn't looking for love when she met the caramel colored, dreaded up Aashiem, but he was too charming for her to resist. Even after several red flags were noticed, Hysia couldn't break free from the spell that was him. Hysia is as strong as they come, but she has one weakness. Something that only she and her sister know about. It's the very thing that makes Hysia terrified of being alone. That vulnerability allows her to fall hard for Aashiem. So hard that when she finds out about a secret that he's been keeping, it literally feels like she's dying inside, but somehow, she must pick up the pieces. Love isn't always pretty. But if it's true love, it will always prevail.