But We're Related (We're Not)

"Nate, get up quickly. Blake will be here soon. Come on, get up. You can't be late on your first day of school."I still felt extremely sleepy when I was pulled out of bed by my mother, Naomi Richmond. She helped me put on the new clothes we had bought a few days earlier.By the time I was fully awake, I found myself seated at the dining table."Naomi!" a voice greeted. I squinted my eyes against the glaring rays of the morning sun as I looked at the boy entering the house.The boy was tall and thin. His skin was so fair that it seemed to glow under the sunlight. When he smiled, his upturned eyes seemed to be gleaming. He seemed to emanate light, so much so that it stung my eyes a little.For a moment, I wondered how to describe this boy before me. He looked like a fox. In fact, he resembled the kind of foxes I saw in nature documentaries—beautiful and cunning, especially with those smiling eyes."Oh my. You're here, Blake. Have you had breakfast? Come in and take a quick bite. Nathan

My fear of Blake piling food onto my plate persisted until I entered high school and when Blake was in his fourth year of university. According to Great-Uncle Gregory, Blake was busy with his internship and wouldn't have time to come back.Upon hearing this news, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.The high school I had gotten into was the same one that Blake had attended. However, while Blake had easily entered the honors class, I had to work tirelessly to secure a spot in the regular class.This particular high school had a competitive atmosphere, with everyone striving to perform well academically. Now, my grades were near the bottom of my class, and if I didn't work hard, I might find it difficult to even get into a reasonably good university.I had no time or energy to deal with anything else other than studying. There was still a photo of Blake smiling on the school bulletin board. Every time I looked at that smiling face, I felt a lump in my throat.I would either think of the way

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, Blake suddenly turned over and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. I couldn't break free. The more I struggled, the tighter Blake's grip became!Initially, I thought Blake was doing it on purpose because he used to tease me like this. But when I turned to look, I saw that Blake was soundly asleep.Before I could breathe a sigh of relief that Blake wasn't awake, my slight movement caused Blake to stir. He pulled me even closer. Now, our bodies were pressed tightly together.Because of that, I didn't dare struggle anymore. I feared that any more movements from me would cause Blake to wake up. If we were both awake and saw the intimate position we were in—notwithstanding how Blake would react, I would die of embarrassment first.The constant heat on my back was impossible to ignore. The arm around my waist was so strong it felt like it could snap my waist in two, while Blake's breath on the back of my neck gave me goosebumps.I fel

When I woke up in the morning, I was so sleepy I could barely open my eyes. I absolutely hated Blake. Unlike other teachers, most of my classes were scheduled in the morning, so I was already not getting enough sleep. Just to avoid Blake, I had to wake up even earlier!Irritable, I cursed under my breath as I went downstairs. As soon as I stepped out of the building, I looked up and saw Blake leaning against his car door again.It seemed I still wasn't early enough."Morning, Nate. Come on and get in!" Blake called out with a smile.I found Blake's smile incredibly annoying. I stared at Blake, thinking he looked despicable. In my heart, I swore that I wouldn't let Blake catch me when I went out in the morning again.Feeling defeated, I slumped my shoulders and got into the car."Here's some breakfast for you." Blake handed me a paper bag like he did yesterday.After waiting a moment and noticing that the car hadn't started moving, I asked, "Shouldn't we get going?""It's still early,

After Blake utterly spoiled my plans to buy a car, I now couldn't help but find problems with every car brand he looked into.To break free of Blake's influence, I had no choice but to put it on hold.Over the years, Blake had developed an incredibly thick skin.Even after I had agreed with Willow to deliberately set up a date and show off our love for each other, I hadn't managed to shake Blake off. To outsiders who didn't know better, Blake's actions could undoubtedly mislead them to believe that we were a couple instead!I genuinely couldn't understand what could've triggered this unusual behavior.Why had Blake suddenly caught feelings toward me? Even though we weren't related by blood, we were technically still cousins.Fortunately, though, Blake had to return to work tomorrow. Hence, I should be able to enjoy some peace for a while.The next time we met, I would already be married to Willow. Blake should be able to accept the fact that his future wouldn't involve me. By then, he