Thirty-five-year-old Richard is “falling” for 34-year-old Alexia, his cousin, who he only saw once in a blue moon when growing up.
“We lived in different countries growing up,” Richard explained to Reddit. “But met and hung out once a year when she and her family came to visit.”
Drifting apart during their teenage years, Alexia came back into Richard’s orbit when she moved less than an hour away from where he lives now in Canada.
“We are both single of course, and have been in multiple relationships but just not found the one,” said Richard.
“We started hanging out again and discovered we have so much in common. We now spend a lot of time together and are practically like a couple, except it’s all platonic.”
Richard said they haven’t “said anything” to one another about the feelings developing underneath the facade of friendship.
“I admit that I have fantasised about her,” Richard revealed, adding that the daydream was sexual.
“[We] are falling for each other,” Richard said adamantly. “In fact, if we were not related, I’m sure we would have had s*x by now. The… tension is off the charts.”
Richard wishes he and Alexia weren’t related, as things would be “so much easier” to navigate.
“But the truth is we are,” Richard acknowledged. “And I have to find a way to stop this before it gets out of hand.”
One Reddit user quipped: “You guys definitely have so much in common! Like when you say ‘Grandma’ you’re referring to the same person. Don’t do it mate.”
Another, Bastet19 queried: “You sure she feels the same? You only talk about your feelings here.
“She might just think she’s getting close to a family member in a country where she may not have a lot of friends?”
Another Reddit commentator, Interesting_Entry831 joked: “Family tree gonna [sic] start looking more like a wreath.”
DebbDebbDebb claimed: “Across the globe, more than 10 per cent of marriages are between first or second cousins.
“In the UK, there’s no legal bar to two cousins having a relationship. That means that if end up falling for the children of your aunts and uncles, there’s nothing stopping you from eventually tying the knot.”
Another Reddit user, _PinkPirate pointed out: “There’s eight billion people in the world, there’s no reason to date someone you’re related to.”
*Names have been changed.
