Chapter 11: Pretending Nothing Happened
750 Words
The silence stretched.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Amara was the first to look away.
She couldn’t keep staring at him.
Not after that.
Not after what had just happened between them.
Her heart was still racing, refusing to calm down, refusing to act like everything was normal.
Because it wasn’t.
Nothing about this was normal anymore.
“I’m going to my room,” she said quickly, her voice quieter than she intended.
She didn’t wait for a response.
Didn’t trust herself to.
Turning, she walked away, her steps faster than usual, like she was trying to escape something.
Or someone.
Behind her, she could feel his gaze.
Heavy.
Unmoving.
Watching her leave.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Inside her room, the door shut softly behind her.
Amara leaned against it immediately.
Her eyes closing.
Her chest rising and falling unevenly.
“What was that?” she whispered to herself.
The kiss replayed in her mind.
Again.
And again.
Too real.
Too intense.
Too dangerous.
She lifted a hand to her lips unconsciously.
As if she could still feel him there.
“No,” she muttered, pushing herself away from the door.
She couldn’t think like this.
Couldn’t feel like this.
This wasn’t part of the deal.
It wasn’t supposed to mean anything.
And yet…
It did.
That was the problem.
Across the hallway, Alexander stood exactly where she had left him.
Unmoving.
Silent.
His jaw clenched slightly, his hand running through his hair again.
Control.
That was what he was known for.
What he never lost.
Until now.
His mind replayed the moment just like hers.
The way she had looked at him.
The way she had stepped closer first.
The way she had said—
“This isn’t fake anymore.”
His expression hardened slightly.
That was exactly the problem.
It was becoming real.
And real things…
Complicated everything.
The next morning came too quickly.
Amara stepped out of her room, already dressed, already composed.
Or at least—
Pretending to be.
She walked into the dining area and stopped.
He was already there.
Of course he was.
Seated.
Calm.
Like nothing had happened.
Like last night didn’t exist.
For a second, she just stood there.
Watching him.
Waiting.
But he didn’t look up immediately.
Didn’t acknowledge her.
And something about that irritated her more than it should have.
“Good morning,” she said finally.
Her voice was steady.
Controlled.
Just like his.
Alexander glanced up briefly. “Morning.”
That was it.
No tension.
No mention.
Nothing.
Amara slowly took her seat across from him.
So this is what we’re doing.
Pretending.
Fine.
She could do that too.
Breakfast was quiet.
Too quiet.
The clinking of cutlery was the only sound between them.
Amara tried to focus on her food.
Tried not to think.
But it was impossible.
Every small movement felt amplified.
Every glance felt dangerous.
Then—
“You have an event tonight,” Alexander said suddenly.
She looked up.
His tone was normal.
Business-like.
“An event?”
“Yes. You’ll attend with me.”
Of course.
Back to roles.
Back to acting.
Amara nodded slowly. “Alright.”
A pause.
Then she added, “Anything else I should know?”
His eyes met hers briefly.
Too briefly.
“Just stay close,” he said.
The same words as before.
But this time…
They felt different.
Because now she knew what it felt like to be too close.
Later that day, Amara stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her dress.
Elegant.
Perfect.
Exactly what was expected.
But her thoughts weren’t on the event.
They were on him.
On last night.
On the way he had looked at her.
On the way he had kissed her.
Her fingers paused slightly.
“This is getting out of hand,” she murmured.
And yet…
A small part of her didn’t want it to stop.
That evening, when Alexander saw her, he paused.
Just for a second.
But she noticed.
His gaze moved over her slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was seeing her differently now.
“Ready?” he asked.
Amara nodded. “Yes.”
He stepped closer.
Too close again.
Her breath caught slightly.
But this time—
Neither of them moved away.
Not immediately.
Then, like nothing had changed, he offered his arm.
She took it.
And just like that—
They stepped back into their roles.
But beneath the surface…
Everything had already changed.
And both of them knew it.
They were just pretending they didn't
- Writer
