Hearts entwined, forbidden love ( Book 5 of Floyrince)

32

Theo: "Heard Floyd and Levi Prince are dating, those who don't know they were cousins before becoming boyfriend words."

Alex: "I knew Levi was Prince's little brother "

Avicii: "So, like… double family discount?"

Jude: "Wait, so who gets dibs on the best man? Youngest Prince or Floyd?"

James: "Forget best man. Is it weird I’m more worried about the seating arrangements at Thanksgiving?"

Mark: "Nah, the weird part is both sides of the family now come to *the same* wedding."

Chad: "So y’all are keeping it in the family—literally."

Arnold: "Floyd's gonna start calling Younger Prince ‘Cousband.’"

Brent: "Bro, I’ve got questions…"

Me: "Bro, I’ve got limits, and also stop calling me Younger Prince, Levi is fine."

Matt: "Yo, I always knew y’all were close, but… I didn’t see this one coming."

Theo: "Plot twist, though. What season of *Game of Thrones* are we on?"

Chad: "Somebody cue the banjo music."

James: "Bro, if y’all have kids, what’s the family tree gonna look like?"

Adam: "More like a family circle."

Arnold: "A perfect circle, though. No loose branches."

Me: "Y’all got too much time on your hands."

Matt: "All I’m saying is, you better let me DJ at the family reunion wedding."

Edison: "DJ? You can’t even work Spotify."

Me: "Y’all are idiots."

Reggie: "We’re your idiots, though."

I couldn’t even argue with that.

The chat kept going, and I knew they weren’t going to let this die down anytime soon. More names started popping up as if everyone had been waiting for this.

Brent: "Wait, does this make the honeymoon just like… another family vacation?"

Arnold: "Bro, imagine Floyd introducing you at the family BBQ like, 'This is my cousin-slash-boyfriend.'"

Mark: "And they say multitasking is hard."

Chad: "Bet he’ll say it with his chest, too."

Me: "Oh, trust me, he’ll do it just to mess with y’all."

Luka: "Damn right. Gotta keep the cousins-to-lovers story alive."

Theo: "Bro, this man went from 'family gathering' to 'family reunion' in one move. Elite play."

Matt: "Floyd really out here playing 4D chess with the family tree."

Brent: "Luka just streamlined the family introductions. One intro for all occasions."

James: "Man’s like, 'Why meet someone new when you can just date the cousin you already know?'"

Luka: "Efficiency is key, bro."

Me: "More like laziness."

Theo: "Is this what they mean by ‘keeping it close-knit’? Cuz y’all are basically knitting with the same thread."

Edison: "Plot twist: Luka’s just saving gas money on holidays."

Reggie: "Imagine the grocery list. 'Do we need food for date night or just... Thanksgiving?'"

Adam: "And the *presents* man! Bro, y'all only need one gift exchange!"

Luka: "I’m all about maximizing the returns, my dudes."

Avicii: "Bro’s really trying to make dating sound like a Costco membership."

Me: "Y’all act like we don’t know how crazy this sounds. We’re *not* that weird."

Jude: "Nah, you’re *exactly* that weird, but we respect it."

Chad :"If anyone can make ‘cousin dating’ work, it’s you two."

James: "That’s true love. And family bonding…"

Brent: "Literally."

Alex: "Luka out here rewriting the rulebook."

Me: "Y’all think you’re funny, but I’ll be the one laughing when y’all bring your future *ex-girlfriends* to dinner."

Luka: "Facts. They’ll be gone, but we’ll still be here, roasting you *together*."

Alex: "Well damn. That’s what I call teamwork."

James: "Relationship goals: roasting the boys as a united front."

Matt: "Yo, wait a minute. Where’s Prince Senior in all this? Bro, how do you feel about your brother dating your cuz?"

Chad: "Yeah, you’re family too. You cool with it?"

Jay: "Don’t forget me. I’m another cousin in this family drama. How y’all think I’m feeling?"

Ethan: Man, I don’t even know why y’all asking like I didn’t see this coming from a mile away.

I snorted at that, he was lying.

Jay: "Facts. I’ve been knowing about this. Y’all acting shocked, meanwhile, I’ve had *time* to process."

Theo: "So y’all just sat back and watched the cousin-to-boyfriend thing unfold like a soap opera?"

Ethan: "Bro, it was less ‘soap opera’ and more ‘slow-burn rom-com.’ I was like, 'These two are definitely happening.'"

Jay: "It was inevitable. Honestly, I’m just waiting for the family to start asking awkward questions, I mean they know but it has to get weird at some point."

Arnold: "So you're saying you’re cool with it, and your family knew?"

Ethan: "Look, if anyone can deal with Levi and Luka’s drama, it’s me. I’m built for this."

Jay: "Besides, Luka’s cool. As long as he doesn’t steal my snacks, we’re good, and the family is a work in progress, nothing harsh."

Brent: "Yo, imagine Thanksgiving at your place. Awkward family stares?"

Me: "Nah, we’ll be chill. You just gotta know how to distract the old folks. Hit 'em with, 'Did you hear about so-and-so’s baby?' and they forget all about us."

Jay: "Bro, you gotta play the long game. Keep the family busy with other gossip while Levi and Luka make their great escape."

Me: "Y’all really planning strategies for us like it’s a heist movie."

Luka: "Ocean’s Eleven, but make it 'Cousins Eleven.'"

Ethan: "Exactly. We’re all in on this. You date the cousin, we provide the cover."

Chad: "Teamwork makes the dream work."

Jay: "And the snacks stay safe. That’s my main contribution."

Theo: "So y’all just out here plotting family distractions like pros. Respect."

Mark: "Prince Senior's like the lookout, Prince Junior's the snack guy, Younger Prince and Flyod are the main act. It’s a solid team."

James: "I gotta say, the family support is strong. That’s what counts."

Me: "Y’all are more involved in this than we are at this point."

Luka: "And now we know who’s got our backs at Thanksgiving."

Ethan: "That’s what brothers are for."

Jay: "And cousins. I’m just here for the drama."

The chat kept going. We were part of the team, and with them on our side, I was ready for whatever came next, at this point, I didn't care if the world knew, I didn't want Luka to be something I hid from everyone, he wasn't a dirty little secret, he was my lifeline, my everything.