Almost Caught

AVY

It was a warm, sunny day, and I had decided to go for a jog in the nearby park. The sun was shining brightly, casting a golden hue on everything it touched. The trees were swaying gently in the breeze, and birds were chirping merrily in the branches above. 

As I jogged along the winding path, I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and contentment.

 While rounding a bend in the path, I suddenly found myself face-to-face with Bryce. 

It was the third time in the past few weeks that we had bumped into each other like this. I couldn't help but wonder why the two of us keep meeting this way? Was it just a coincidence or was fate somehow bringing us together?

I decided to act like I hadn't seen him, hoping that he would be the first person to call out to me. 

To my delight, everything happened just like I had planned. Bryce waved at me with a friendly smile, and I feigned surprise as I stopped in my tracks.

"Hey there!" he called out. "I fancy meeting you again."

I laughed, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, what are the chances, right?"

We struck up a conversation, chatting about everything from the weather to our favorite movies. 

As we talked, I couldn't help but notice how easy it was to be around Bryce. He had a way of making me feel comfortable, like we had known each other for years.

Before I knew it, we had been talking for quite some time, and Bryce casually mentioned the idea of coming over to my house.

 I hesitated, unsure of what to do. I didn't want to let him come over, but in the midst of our conversation, I had accidentally pointed out my place to him as we jogged past it earlier.

After a moment of deliberation, I finally allowed him to come in, but I tried so hard not to let him know that there was someone else in the house.

 My little boy, I did not want Bryce to find out about him yet. I wasn't ready for him to know that part of my life.

We made our way to my house, and I quickly ushered him inside, closing the door behind us.

 As we sat down in the living room, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I knew I had to be careful, as any little noise from my

son upstairs could give away my secret.

Suddenly, we heard a sound from upstairs, and I could see the curiosity in Bryce's eyes. Thinking quickly, I decided to lie my way through the situation, claiming that the noise was from my cat.

"Oh, that's just Dane, my wild cat," I said with a forced laugh. "He's a bit clumsy sometimes, always knocking things over." I added, hoping that I was truly able to convince him.

Bryce seemed to accept my explanation, but I could tell that he was still a little suspicious. I knew that I would have to be extra cautious from here on out, as one slip-up could reveal the truth about my little boy.

As the day went on, I found myself constantly on edge, trying to balance my conversation with Bryce while also keeping an ear out for any sounds from upstairs. 

It was a delicate dance, and I couldn't help but wonder how long I could keep it up before the truth finally came out.

To avoid getting everything all wrong again, I put on the television and then I turned on the volume to the highest, which I was quite sure aroused Bryce’s attention.

I turned to him, smiling as though everything was normal and, just like I expected, he returned the smile.

“Please excuse me Bryce, I need to fetch a drink for the two of us,” I said, trying to look for an excuse to go upstairs, particularly to my son’s room.

He briefly replied. “I am really okay, you do not have to go through any trouble on my behalf.”

I let out a smile, before assuring him that it was not a big deal after all.

Without waiting to hear his reply, I ran upstairs, not in an obvious manner, then I rushed into my son’s room.

I found him intently focused on his computer game. How lucky could I be? Whenever he played this game of his, he hardly made a noise or noticed anyone.

“Hey baby boy,” I greeted him, caressing his shoulders and smiling.

“Hi mom, how long have you been in my room?” He asked, still solely focused on his computer game.

“Long enough to know that your game is more important to you than I am,” I replied, but this joke of mine seemed to have gotten him.

He left the game at once and turned to me.

“Mom, you are the most important person to me. Maybe if I had a dad, he would have been in your position,” he teased, making me laugh but not loudly enough to get Bryce’s attention.

“It’s a good thing that he is not with us then,” I added, past memories hitting back into my head.

“Mama, please tell me about my dad. Where is he and why did he abandon us?”

Same question over and over again. I knew it was time to give him a befitting reply, else he would never stop bugging me.

“Your father is late,” I lied, making my face look really down. 

After seconds of waiting to hear him explode, he said nothing, instead he turned and went back to his computer game.

It was very notable to see that my son could be angry at me.

“Son, why are you crying? I only kept it away from you because I didn’t want you to feel hurt.”

Just as I was about to appease him with lots of sweet mummy talk, I heard Bryce’s voice.

“Miss Avyanna, are you okay?”

I froze in my tracks at once.

What would happen next? Would Bryce discover the secret that Avy is hiding? Find out in the next chapter of this gripping story.