Jump to content
  • Newsletter

    📚 Your Weekly Genre Hit List—Delivered Free
    Craving the best reads but short on time? Our free newsletter brings you the top-read stories across every genre—mystery, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and more—every single week.
    No fluff. Just the fiction (and nonfiction) everyone’s talking about.
    Sign up now and never miss a must-read.

    Sign Up

Learning to Stay

   (3 reviews)
Sub-genres: Drama, Slice of Life

Dean had spent most of his life pretending not to feel. It was easier that way, easier to fight, to fix, to fuck, than to face what was underneath. His father taught him early that softness got you hurt. So he built a life of noise and distraction: engines louder than his thoughts, nights that ended before morning could ask questions.

Kris had spent his life quietly holding things together. After his father died, it was just him and his mother, small home, smaller dreams, and the fear that one more break would undo them.

Neither expected love to expose what they’d buried, loneliness, guilt, and the need to be seen.

Copyright © 2025 ChromedOutCortex; All Rights Reserved.

Story Recommendations (7 members)

  • Action Packed 0
  • Addictive/Pacing 5
  • Characters 7
  • Chills 1
  • Cliffhanger 2
  • Compelling 7
  • Feel-Good 3
  • Humor 0
  • Smoldering 5
  • Tearjerker 5
  • Unique 4
  • World Building 5


🔥 Unlock the Stories That Go Deeper
Some tales aren’t meant for everyone—and that’s exactly the point. Sign up for free to access our full library of mature-rated fiction: bold, emotional, provocative, and unforgettable.
From steamy romance to gritty thrillers, these stories don’t hold back.
Free membership.  No filters.

Please Join for free or log into your account to read.

Recommended Comments

User Feedback

View Guidelines

Create an account or sign in to leave a review

You need to be a member in order to leave a review

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

Summerabbacat

   4 of 4 members found this review helpful 4 / 4 members

This story was not an easy read. At times it, or at least one or more of its characters, was frustrating, irritating or downright infuriating, which of course made it so very believable and real. 

It was not all sunshine and lollipops, with an abundance of "lows", but the less frequent "highs" soared and were a joy to behold.

Emotionally charged and provocative, ultimately this arduous read turned out to be a very rewarding and uplifting read.

Superbly written @ChromedOutCortex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Response from the author:

Thank you for reading and for sitting with the harder parts of the story. I’m genuinely glad the frustrating moments felt believable rather than just unpleasant, because that emotional realism was important to me. And I love what you said about the highs soaring, that contrast is exactly what I hoped would make the journey feel rewarding. Really appreciate your thoughtful review. 💕

  • Love 4
chris191070

   3 of 3 members found this review helpful 3 / 3 members

This is the story of two complex individuals Dean and Kris.

They will both infuriate, with there stories, both of which contain highs, lows and plenty of other circumstances.

Deans story is not all sunshine, he pretends not to feel, but fight and flee.

Kris has spent his life alone, with just his Mother.

You need to read this to discover, how they overcome loneliness, guilt and how they ended up meeting.

A fantastic read.

Response from the author:

Thank you so much for reading and for such a thoughtful review.

I’m glad Dean and Kris got under your skin a little, in the best way. Dean’s instinct to fight or flee, and Kris’s loneliness with just his mother, were both really important threads for me, so it means a lot that you picked up on the highs and lows of their journeys.

Thanks again for the support, and I’m really happy you enjoyed the ride. 💕

  • Love 4
Davide

   1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member

This is a very good story about two characters that are shaped by difficulties in their lives that affect their personalities in different ways from each other. The story gets us into their heads to explore why they act and think in certain ways, and the emotional impact that has on each other. They can be frustrating at times, but that makes the good moments feel more rewarding.

(I'm late because I thought I reviewed it before, but I must have not clicked somewhere.)

  • Love 2
×
×
  • Create New...

Powered by Giphy