16 stories
The Damascus Connection
Separated by borders since the Nakba, Palestinian diaspora Sami meets his cousin Layla in Jordan—and discovers that some family connections run deeper than blood.
Cardiff Caramel
When Kwesi's cousin Nadia comes to stay during a family emergency, he discovers the thick Ghanaian beauty from London has very different ideas about what family means.
Kept Quiet
His cousin catches him with their aunt. Her silence has a price—she wants the same treatment. Now he serves two women who know each other's secrets.
The Airport Reunion
She's been in Dubai for two years—an arranged marriage that fell apart. Now she's landing at Heathrow, and the cousin she always loved is waiting at arrivals. Neither of them can pretend anymore.
Keeping It in the Family
He's spending the summer with his aunt and cousin. They've been waiting for him to grow up. Now that he has, they're done waiting.
Since Fifteen
Twelve years of sneaking away at family reunions. Twelve years of pretending they're just close cousins. She signals. He follows. He always follows.
Three Christmases
The first Christmas, they kissed under mistletoe when no one was looking. The second, they fucked in her childhood bedroom. The third, they got caught—by her mother, who decided to keep the secret. For a price.
Lake House Summer
Every summer at the lake, the tension builds. His aunt watches him watch her daughter. His cousin watches him watch her mother. This year, they stop watching and start acting—together.
Thanksgiving Secret
Every Thanksgiving at his wife's family home. Every year, a different woman corners him. This year, they've coordinated.
The Reunion
He hasn't seen his cousin in ten years. The scrawny tomboy he remembers is gone. In her place is a woman with dangerous curves and a look in her eyes that says she remembers every childhood game they used to play.
The Lake House
Summer week at the family lake house. His aunt's marriage is dead. His cousin just got dumped. They find him skinny-dipping at midnight.
Study Break
She's staying with his family while attending the same university. Late-night study sessions in his room become increasingly distracted. The taboo makes it wrong, but the chemistry makes it inevitable.
Summer Heat
His cousin comes to stay for the summer. A door left unlatched changes everything between them.
Holiday Weight
A week at his aunt's house for the holidays. Her and her daughter have been waiting. By New Year's, they're done competing—and done sharing him separately.
Eid Visit
He returns to Lamu Island for Eid and finds his cousin—once a skinny teenager—now a voluptuous divorcée with unfinished business.
Binamu ya Kijiji
He returns to the ancestral village after twenty years. His thick cousin never left—unmarried, waiting, still sleeping in the room next to his. She's been waiting for him since they were teenagers. She's done waiting.