Around Me Familiar Faces Novels & Stories

Familiar faces everywhere. Both my grandmothers were there. Sitting comfortably like they owned the place, which honestly they kind of did. My fathers were there too. Aunt Lena. Aunt Dahlia. Even cousins I had not seen in a while. The atmosphere was warm. Joyful. Like a family gathering that had been planned for weeks. Someone noticed me first and smiled. “Jayden’s home.” Then everyone turned. For a second I just stood there, stunned, heart racing, unsure whether to cry again or ask what the hell was going on.

As she stepped into the room adorned with vibrant artwork, she was greeted by a sea of faces, each person engrossed in the beauty that surrounded them. Among the attendees, Sarah's eyes locked onto a pair of piercing blue eyes that felt oddly familiar. It was the elderly man from the park—the one who had shared his tale of lost love. A smile played upon his lips as recognition passed between them. Sarah felt a gentle tug in her heart, an unspoken connection that transcended time and space. They approached each other, and the man introduced himself as Thomas. Sarah thanked him for his inspiring words and shared how she had embraced his advice, finding solace in her art. Thomas spoke of his ad

And from the looks on the faces of everyone around me, I wasn't the only one. ***

“Confidence looks damn good on you.” “Should’ve tried it earlier,” I muttered. We stood by the large bay windows, out of the direct center of the crowd. From this angle, I had a clear view of the entire ballroom. Familiar faces popped up here and there—people from old acquaintances, women who used to whisper behind my back. Now they looked unsure. Rachel twirled the straw in her drink. “You know, most of these people probably thought you’d never show your face again after leaving Ethan family.”

“Miss me? Or miss having that ‘understanding’ daughter back?” He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything. I walked out of the hospital entrance. The sunlight was blinding. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Nancy. [We got another huge order. When are you coming back?] I replied, [Tomorrow.] That night at the hotel, the doorbell rang. When I opened the door, Mom and Dad were standing outside with swollen, red eyes. “Freya, can we come in for a while?” I didn’t say anything and stepped aside to let them in.

The remaining men laughed and logha stretched his hands as they both exchanged firm handshake, while I stood there beside him, feeling small and conspicuously new, a slight smile plastered on my face, hoping it looked real. My eyes scanned the room, a nervous habit, taking in the women who looked at me with cool, polite smiles. Then my gaze landed on a familiar face. She was sitting beside one of the men with a thick beard. It was as if she was waiting for me to look at her because the moment I did. Her eyes grew wide in shock. It was that kind of look that meant "what the hell are you doing here?". It was Aria. The same Aria from the club Clara's friend.

When he is finished he looks at me. I stand up. I walk to the front of the hall. I look out at the faces — familiar ones, the ones I have known for seven months and longer, and the unfamiliar ones of people who came in from further out, and the specific faces of the people who have become family in the last few months, Talia and Corvin and Lena and Petra and Wren who is new and already present.

MIGUEL They were all staring at me. Every face in the room turned toward mine. Some were familiar and some were not. I hadn’t realised how deep the bloodline ran until now. There were people here that I’d never spoken to, men whose names I’d only overheard in conversations, and women who hadn’t shown their faces since I came here. Some were old workers with creased shirts and tired eyes. Some young—barely older than me—were standing beside uncles or cousins like they were still trying to prove that they belonged.

I turned around. The man came from around the burning structure's far corner. Moving carefully. Professional. His eyes found me across the heat-warped air — And I knew him. Not his name. But I'd seen that face before, across a dinner table at some Thorne family occasion years ago, one of the rotating cast of men who always seemed to be near my sisters, never introduced, never explained. I'd filed him away and not thought about it again until this moment, when he was raising a rifle and I was standing still like an idiot because the recognition had hit me somewhere behind my knees.

It seemed like no one was home, which could explain the eerie silence that enveloped me. As I slowly turned the doorknob of our main entrance, it swung open without any resistance, leaving me in a state of bewilderment. Inside the living room, a group of people welcomed me with apparent jubilation. "What the heck?" I blurted out. All eyes turned towards me, and oddly enough, they all looked familiar. These were Grantt's friends from outside the entertainment industry, but I had never been in such close proximity to them, not even at his concert or our wedding. Their presence here was perplexing. I wasn't certain if they were aware of our current situation, but it would be better if they were