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ANASTASIA'S POV
The first time I saw Isaac Hayes was at the Christmas party my family hosted years ago. He was the first man to ever look at me in that way like he truly saw me. At work, men barely noticed me, let alone stared. But Isaac did, and that look had lived rent-free in my head ever since.
It was as if fate whispered that I had met my soulmate.
A beautiful one at that. Tall, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly handsome. His green eyes had a way of piercing straight through me, and his soft, unruly brown hair stirred sinful thoughts I never admitted aloud. I used to wonder what it would feel like to slip my fingers into it or tug it while crying his name. Shamefully, he became the star of dreams that made me wake breathless.
But Isaac Hayes wasn't just anyone. He was my cousin. My mother's sister's son. My forbidden crush.
Was I Insane? Absolutely. Yet he was the only reason I ever felt truly seen, valid, and alive. And tonight, I will see him again. Their family was gonna be here any minute.
"Ana! Aunt Jane is here!" My mother's voice rang out from downstairs.
My heart leapt into a sprint. He's here.
I scrambled toward the mirror. My romper, short and playful, sat just right against my thighs. I tugged free the pink tie from my hair, letting it spill loosely down my back. One last look, yes, I could almost believe I'd stun him. Then I spotted them. My glasses.
I froze. They'll ruin everything. Yet without them, I was nearly blind. With a frustrated sigh, I shoved them on and rushed out of my room.
The sight of Aunt Jane in the foyer made me squeal, "Aunt Jane!" I flew down the stairs, arms outstretched.
But then my foot slipped and in an instant, the world tilted. One more step and I'd face plant into the floor. My breath caught when strong hands seized me mid-fall. Oh, God, they were big and warm. My eyes snapped open as my body collided with a solid chest, so firm and muscular beneath my palms.
My glasses slid from my face, but before they hit the ground, long fingers caught them with effortless precision.
"Hey, Ana," a deep voice rumbled above me. It sent a shiver through my bones, freezing my blood.
"Oh my god, Ana, are you okay?" Aunt Jane gasped somewhere nearby.
I barely heard her. Because when I finally tilted my head up, I realised I didn't recognise the man holding me at all.
Aunt Jane rushed forward, gently tugging me out of the man's arms. "Ana, sweetheart, are you sure you're okay?" Her worried eyes searched mine, but I could hardly look at her.
Because my gaze was still locked on him.
There was something about the curve of his mouth, the warmth in those eyes and even if I couldn't see them clearly without my glasses. My pulse hammered in my ears.
Then he laughed. A low, rich sound that rolled through me, stirring something buried deep in memory. My stomach flipped.
"Oh, Mom, she's fine," he said casually, as though saving me from tumbling headfirst into the floor was nothing at all. His voice carried the same teasing vibe I remembered. "Snowy's fine, come on."
Snowy? No one else called me that.
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