On a not-so-eventful afternoon, Audrey received a phone call from her cousins. They insisted they found the perfect man for her! He’s an English professor, check. He’s a wonderful father, check. He loves games and D&D, check. They sent a picture, and wow, he was handsome too! “So can we give our cousin your number?” “…. Your cousin?” Audrey thought. “I’m your cousin! I can’t date someone related to us!” They told her to relax and that there is NO BLOOD RELATION, but the more Audrey thought about it, the more she talked herself out of it, so the answer was no. Fast forward a year later. Alaric is cornered by his cousins at a family Thanksgiving. “We have the perfect girl for you,” they insisted. She is pretty, check. She is a published writer, check. She is dazzlingly witty, check. Before Alaric could tell them he wasn’t interested in dating anyone, they gave him her phone number and insisted he text her. An entire month passes by. And then one day, after Audrey had just finished setting all her New Year’s goals for 2025 (none of which included dating). She looked down to see her phone had received a text from a number she did not recognize. It began, “Hello Audrey, this is Alaric, Ashley’s cousin on the other side…” The two of them kept talking, and they never stopped.