Let's Play Pretend Novels & Stories

Belle instructed. This caused a moment of awkward silence between us. “Come on!” Belle laughed. “Hold hands.” I felt Liam’s hand clasp around mine, warm and strong. He gave it a little squeeze, which sent shivers down my spine. “We’ll figure something out,” he said, referring to my need to find Johnson while still making sure the kids were looked after. I nodded. “Let’s have a parade,” Belle squealed with delight. So we spend the rest of the afternoon playing pretend with Belle as Princess Mommy and Prince Uncle Liam.

I asked playfully. The kids shook their heads with wide eyes. “Well, I’m telling you—it’s true. Everyone gets scared of something,” I said with a gentle smile. “And even if something doesn’t go exactly according to plan, how would he know? Just keep going like it’s all part of the show. He doesn’t know what was supposed to happen—so fake it like pros.” I leaned in a little closer, lowering my voice to a mischievous whisper, “And if that doesn’t help, just picture the Alpha… showing up without his pants on.”

His mother lifted a perfectly plucked brow as she waited for him to explain. His mother knew Emily and she had even joked about them getting married one day because of their closeness, but it had sounded absurd to him. Moreover, it still sounded absurd since he wasn't ready to get married and women like Emily were the kind he often avoided. They always wore their hearts on their sleeves and lived in a fantasy world. A world far from reality and it was the place he never had an intention to venture into. "Mamá, nothing is going on between Emily and me. We will always be friends and nothing else." He affirmed.

Kendra and I cheer on our respective partners, adding an extra layer of excitement to the already spirited atmosphere. In the final round, it's my turn to act out a phrase. I draw a slip of paper and read the words: "Baby's first steps." A knowing smile plays on my lips as I begin to pantomime the tentative steps of a toddler. The room falls into a hushed silence as my actions convey the profound journey of parenthood, a journey we are all eagerly anticipating.

She even offered to help give my husband 'massages' at night. Their clothes were entangled on the ground as their undressed bodies moved under the covers. The atmosphere was steamy in bed. How were they not afraid? Well, it was only normal that they were not worried about anything because I was 'blind'. I opened my eyes in the dark. It felt so disgusting that I wanted to throw up, but I pinched myself to hold it back. They had no idea that I had just been joking when I claimed to be blind. They started to go about their filthy ways when they heard that I could not see.

“Don’t baby me!” “Then what? Sweetie?” “No!” “Hmm, how about I call you mine?” “Eww~ don’t!” “How about I call you baby?” “Same difference…” "No, it’s not... I think I like babies. Let me call you baby.” “Please don’t use any of that!” “Then what should I use?” “You... wait, I asked you why you pinched me. You're avoiding the question!” “I did no such thing.” “Yes, you did.”

The four words were: *Everyone is watching you.* Ava had spent the rest of lunch trying to identify the number. It wasn't saved in her contacts. It wasn't the same number Mason had used yesterday. She had typed back a single question mark and received nothing, and by the time the bell rang for fifth period the message was sitting in her phone like a splinter, small and specific and impossible to ignore.

Without looking up, Lizzy nodded as she licked her fingers, but she remained quiet. “Lizzy?” The girl looked up again. “You don’t have to say a word now, but will you talk to me one day? I would really like to play dolls with you.” The girl’s eyes widened and light danced inside her huge orbs. In excitement, Mercedes’ heart picked up a faster rhythm. “Would you like that?” Lizzy nodded faster. “I would, too, but I cannot play with you unless you talk to me.” Lizzy lowered her eyes as she gobbled down the remainder of her roll.

There are neglected toys sitting in the middle of the tent, and when I can’t get a single child to meet my gaze I simply go and sit down on the floor in front of a tower of blocks. Gabriel, Henry, Roger and Cora stand at the entrance and watch me with baffled expressions, but I simply begin to play with the toys, first building a tower and then grabbing a couple of dolls and staging my own small-scale production of a popular fairy tale. I’m sure I seem like I’ve lost my mind as I begin speaking in silly high pitched voices and ridiculous dialogue, but soon enough a small herd of hesitant pups have gathered around me. I pretend not to see them at first, then pause, “If only I had someone to p

We simply gathered the boys and headed into the golden afternoon, the pretend roles we’d agreed upon slipping dangerously close to something neither of us dared name. And deep in my chest, one terrifying thought whispered louder than the rest: I don’t want it to be pretend anymore.