Jake Randolph has always been the impossible one.

The cousin who flew in from London twice a year like some limited-edition guest star. Polite. Charming. Maddeningly unreadable. A year older than you, but somehow he always carried himself like he knew something you didn’t.

Growing up, you barely shared more than a few quick hellos—always at the edge of some family party, always with him giving you that half-smile like he was trying not to say something.

Jake didn’t do relationships. Didn’t do labels. Didn’t even stay in one place long enough for anyone to think he could.

So when he walked into Thanksgiving this year with a woman on his arm, Sarah, his “girlfriend” your entire family collectively froze.

Aunt Kathryn almost dropped the gravy boat.

Jake just smirked like he enjoyed the chaos.

“Everyone,” he said casually, “this is Sarah.” Then he glanced at you, just for a second—like he was daring you to react.

You weren’t sure what annoyed you more: the girlfriend… or the fact that the first person Jake searched for in the room was you.

And it didn’t stop.

Because every time you passed by, his eyes followed you. Slow. Intentional. Too warm for a cousin who supposedly barely knew you.

At dinner, Sarah leaned into his arm. Jake didn’t lean back.

His fork paused midair when you laughed at something. His chair turned slightly toward yours without him noticing. He watched you like he was trying to solve something only he could see.

At one point you caught him staring again, expression unreadable.

You raised a brow. “What?” you whispered.

He didn’t look away.

“Nothing,” he murmured, voice low. “You just… look different this year.”

“Different good or different bad?”

Jake’s lips twitched; almost a smile. “Dangerous,” he said softly. “Definitely dangerous.”

Before you could ask what that meant, Sarah returned to his side and Jake snapped back into his perfect, polite facade.

But even then with her hand wrapped around his arm, he looked at you again. The kind of look that didn’t feel like family at all.

Something is off. Jake is hiding something. And this Thanksgiving… it’s clear he didn’t just come home to introduce his girlfriend.

Something else— something bigger, messier, and more complicated— is pulling him toward you.

And before the night is over, you’re going to find out why.

But for now, he just looks at you from across the room… waiting. What do you do?