After Movie Novels & Stories

“I agree.” They kissed again and returned. (Six months later…) “Mom… I’m about to give birth!” “What? Come on, let’s go to the hospital!”

With that, they began teasing each other and occasionally shushing one another whenever the dialogue on the TV became interesting. The movie kept playing and after almost two hours, the movie finally came to an end as the screen went dark, and the soft background music faded out. Vivian reached for the remote and switched off the television, then leaned back on the couch with a tired sigh. “That was… something,” she said lazily and closed her eyes for a brief second. Chuckling softly, Viola and Alexa both stood up, and carried the empty popcorn cups and juice cans. “We will take these to the kitchen,” Viola said to Vivian, who was resting on the couch.

I walked without direction, hands buried in my coat pockets, heart a knot of noise I couldn’t untangle. For years, I’d watched Clara and her boyfriend fight and make up, over and over again. I used to wonder why people did that — why stay in pain when leaving was an option? Now I understood. Love has inertia. Even when it ends, the heart keeps moving toward what it remembers. Even when you’ve decided to let go, something inside you still bleeds for what used to be. By noon, the ache in my chest had turned into something else — sharp, twisting.

I wanted to throw up. Leaving this place was the only thing on my mind. However, there was some sort of restriction placed on me that forced me to watch this live porn scene. Their moans pierced my eardrums. They had ended up in bed somehow and were in a passionate embrace right in front of my wedding photo with Lori. I tried hard to cover my ears. It lasted for an hour before they were finally done. I watched them coldly as they finished each other off in bed.

Melanie stepped out from behind Henry, her face a picture of innocence, yet her smile was anything but. "Selena, this is the maternity ward. How could you just 'pass by'? You're here for Henry, aren't you?" Henry's eyes, complicated and heavy, landed on me, his voice filled with resignation, "Selena, there's no need for this. I told you that we're getting remarried on the first of next month." I stayed quiet, hiding behind Wren, not ready to reveal the truth. Melanie's eyes flashed with anger, and suddenly she clutched her stomach while exclaiming, "My stomach... Is the baby coming?!"

“Sure. But I have one condition.” “Whatever you want, I’ll agree!” “Go to hell, Tony.” “Beep—” The call was cut off. Tony refused to give up and dialed again, but no one answered. “Ah!!!” He roared in rage, raising the phone to smash it, but his arm froze midair. A message popped up on Jane’s screen. [Dear customer, how were the miniature pinhole cameras you purchased last time? Are you satisfied with the image quality? If so, please leave our shop a good review.]

“Don't you dare end this ca-“ Without taking my finger out of her, I reached for her phone, clicking the end button. “He makes a lot of noise,” I mentioned. Avery’s eyes held so much emotion. Annoyance, lust. “What did you do that fo-“ Before she could complete her sentence, I curled my finger inside her, tapping on her wall. Her hips shot off the bed, tugging at the restraints as she struggled to get her hands free. Now that the distraction was over, where was I?

For a limited-time event, my fiancée and the toxic guy who wouldn't let her go pretended to be a couple. They'd agreed to break it off after a week, but he kept goading her. "Valerie, don't tell me you've lost your nerve. How about we raise the stakes for real? We said we'd play this for life. Whoever backs out first is a coward!" Just when everyone assumed Valerie would give up the game for my sake, she gritted her teeth and refused to back down. She even raised the stakes further, turning the pretend relationship into a pretend marriage. For the next five Christmases, Valerie went home with Grayson Huntington instead of me. This year was no different. I stared at another text from my

Nate who had settled on a tanned couch placed close to the wall, instantly raised his eyes from his cellphone. "Yes," He answered with a low voice. She pressed her lips firmly together before putting another question forward, "And what are vampires like in real life?" Nate seemed to understand that it was going to be a long questionnaire and got up from the couch to sit on the bed beside her. "What vampire-based movies have you watched?" He asked, the ghost of a smile playing about on his lips. "Only one. Twilight," And only because Arabella had forced her to watch it after losing a bet.

She could smell the salt of her tears as the couple on screen kissed. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine, it was just such a good movie.” Annie said as she sniffled. “It was, wasn’t it?” Stolas looked over at her and smiled softly. The credits had started rolling. “Yeah, I just hate when they end.” “Maybe they’ll make a sequel?” Candy smiled, giving Annie’s knee a squeeze as she scooted to the edge of her seat, picking up their trash as she did. “I vote we go see it right here if they do.” Stolas said as he moved to stand. Holding his hand out to Annie as they moved to follow Candy. The three of them headed towards the exit. Candy stopping to toss the trash in the trashcan before they made their way