Pretending to Be Their Future Kids

My brother and I each saw our future in a dream. I married the campus heartthrob and had a handsome son. He married the campus itgirl and had a beautiful daughter.

With a royal flush like that in hand, we happily trotted off to confess. And we both got shot down. Our two matches made in heaven were about to die before they were even born.

That's when my brother suddenly fixed his eyes on me. "They won't believe us, but they've got to believe their own kids, right?" "Starting today, you pose as my future daughter." "And I'll pose as your future son." Chapter 1 He didn't waste a second.

Before I could even react, he'd already picked a photo of me and sent it to the itgirl. [There's something I've been keeping from you.] [In the future, you and I have a sweet little daughter who's got beauty and brains.] [She traveled back from the future to get her Dada and Mama together.] Three seconds after he hit send, the itgirl replied. [Psycho.] Then she blocked my brother.

He'd lost his very last chance. The next day. After class, I stopped by the boba shop for a milk tea. A fragrant breeze drifted up beside me.

A soft voice spoke at the same time as mine. "Salted cheese, taro balls, and cheese foam, thirty percent sugar, thanks." The barista paused, then giggled. "You two have the exact same taste!" We glanced at each other.

I froze. She looked a little startled. It was none other than the campus itgirl, Marissa Brennan, my brother's secret crush.

It was hot out, so after I ordered, I stayed in the shop to drink my tea. A moment later, the itgirl sat down across from me.

No wonder she was the crush my brother pined for day and night. Bright eyes, a dazzling smile, and wavy teabrown hair. She was stunning.

I could already picture my brother kneeling at her feet, rubbing them and serving her tea. "You like folding little bunnies too?" She suddenly spoke to me.

I blinked and realized I'd folded a napkin into a little bunny without even noticing. "Um, uhhuh." She propped her chin on her slender hand, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I like folding them too.

We even fold them the exact same way." "What's your name?" "Sienna Doyle." She took out her phone and pulled up her Instagram QR code. "Want to follow each other?" That night, my brother and I went out for hot pot.

His phone buzzed. He opened it and yelled, "My dream girl followed me herself!" Hands shaking, he followed her back.

She got straight to the point. [Dream Girl: You said before that we have a daughter.] [Dream Girl: I ran into her this afternoon.

Her taste, her habits, all the little details are exactly like mine.] [Dream Girl: And looking closely, she really does look a bit like me.] [Dream Girl: Am I really going to have such a cute daughter someday?] [Dream Girl: It's just… why would I end up with you?] [Dream Girl: You're so not my type.] [Dream Girl: Whatever.

I don't like you, but for the sake of our adorable daughter, I'm willing to try getting to know you.] My jaw dropped. This… actually worked?!

My brother was so happy he didn't know which way was up. After hot pot, I was itching to make a move. Could it really be fate?

With that thought, I took out my phone and snapped a picture of my brother. Then I sent it to the campus heartthrob, Chase Harrington. [I actually have a secret I haven't told you.

In the future, we have a handsome, smart son.] [He traveled back from the future.

He says he's here to get his mom and dad together.] Once it was sent, I sat quietly and waited for Chase to reply. The seconds ticked by. Suddenly, my phone buzzed.

Chase had replied. [Him?] Chapter 2 [He beat me up a while back without even asking questions.] [You didn't even do your research before lying?] I went silent.

Chase kept typing. [Chase: What is this, some new tagteam routine?] [Chase: It's fine, improvise all you want.

I've got plenty of ways to turn you down.] [Chase: If he's my future son, I'd rather get a vasectomy.] After that humiliation, all I wanted was to crawl into a hole and die.

My brother saw my eyes had gone red.

He put away his big toothy grin and asked, worried, "Sis, what's wrong?!" I gritted my teeth. "You beat up Chase?" He blinked. "Who's Chase?" I showed him the photo.

It dawned on him. "Oh, so this punk is Chase.

We had a little disagreement on the court last time, and I threw a punch at him." Then it hit him. "So I punched my future brotherinlaw!" "No, wait—I punched my old man." He gave me a cautious look. "Sis, what should I call him?" I was fuming. "You're dead before the fight even started.

Calling him your greatgreatgrandpa won't save you now." The next day. After class, I was about to go eat with my roommate.

Chase suddenly messaged me. [Come here.] I had no idea what he meant. [Come where?] He sent me an address. [Now!] When I got there and saw my brother clinging to Chase's leg and bawling, my heart just about stopped. "Dad, please forgive me.

Your son didn't know any better. Your son is apologizing to you." "Don't take it out on Mom. She loves you so much." "Sure, your game is trash, but your son's a beast!

The student surpasses the master, each wave rolls in over the last, every generation's a bigger player than the one before. You should be proud!" I facepalmed.

Even at a time like this, he still had to take a few shots at Chase's game. Was he asking for it?

Sure enough, Chase's handsome face went livid. "Let go of me first." My brother held on tighter. "No.

Not unless you forgive me." Chase drew a shaky breath, spotted me standing far off watching the show, and finally exploded. He yelled at me, "What are you just standing there for?

Get him off me!" Things got pretty lively for a while. Chase had never been so humiliated in his life. In record time, he called over several bodyguards in black.

My brother's eyes went wide, and he shielded me behind him. "Dad, no domestic violence!" Me: "…" Chase couldn't be bothered with him and signaled the bodyguards with a look.

The bodyguards went around taking the phones of the gawking bystanders. My brother got it. "He's destroying the evidence." I glared at him. He had some nerve saying that.

In the end, Chase dragged us to his house off campus.

He sat on the sofa and looked at me like a judge passing sentence. "Miss Doyle, I think you've taken this game a little too far." His presence was overwhelming.

My knees gave out, and I nearly knelt. My brother caught me. "You only kneel when you're proposing.

Don't chicken out now." Seeing us, "mother and son," propping each other up, Chase narrowed his eyes. "What proof do you have that you're my future wife, and that he…" Chase gave my brother a disgusted look. "…is my son?" Before I could open my mouth, my brother cleared his throat. "You married my mom in 2033 and had me in '34." Chase toyed with the pinky ring on his hand. "That's it?" "Anyone could make that up." I broke out in a cold sweat.

My brother and I believed these were prophetic dreams, sure— Chapter 3 —but the dreams only showed simple scenes. Where was he going to find proof that would convince Chase?

Yet my brother looked completely sure of himself. "You've got a heartshaped birthmark on your butt, right?" "I saw it when you gave me baths." The second he said it, Chase's expression changed. "What else?" "You proposed to my mom in Turkey, in a romantic hotair balloon, with a pink diamond you spent a fortune on at auction." "After you got married, you did whatever Mom said.

You were her clingy little puppy every day, and every night you'd beg Mom to…" "Enough," Chase cut him off. "No need for details." In the end, Chase let us go.

But he didn't say whether he believed us. Once we'd left the house, I let out a breath.

I asked my brother, curious, "How did you know about the birthmark on his butt?" "Last time we fought, somebody yanked his waistband down, and I accidentally saw it." I stared at him, deadpan.

I sighed. "We've seriously got some nerve. Big, fat nerve." "Who cares? The process doesn't matter.

The result does." I'd just gotten home when Chase messaged me. [I booked a private room for tomorrow night. Bring… him, and we'll have dinner.] My eyes went wide.

Had he accepted it? Chase sent an address and a time. I was about to tell my brother, but he called me first. "Sis, tomorrow night at seven, Larkspur Kitchen.

Marissa's taking us to dinner." I fell silent. I sent him a screenshot of my chat with Chase.

My brother went silent too. "Why don't you move yours to another day?" I wasn't having it. "Why should I reschedule?

Why don't you?" My brother said, "Do you care about your brother's happiness or not? My dream girl finally asked me out.

I'm going, come hell or high water." I still wasn't having it. "Chase isn't somebody you want to mess with either. You saw what happened tonight.

If we piss him off, neither of us is getting out alive." "So what do we do?" A lightbulb went off. "It's the same restaurant, just different private rooms.

We can stagger our timing!" My brother said, "Right.

If we're doing this, let's go big." I made a fist too. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." The next day, we arrived at the restaurant one after the other.

I pushed open the door to the private room. Chase was standing by the window with his back to the door, on the phone. "Fine, so she's coming back. So what?

It's not like she can't take care of herself." "That was all back when we were kids." "Okay, I've got plans tonight. I'm hanging up." He put his phone away and turned around.

When he saw me standing in the doorway, something unreadable flickered in his eyes. Then he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why are you standing there?

Come in." "ChChase Harrington, hi." "Hm?" He sat down, propped his chin on his hand, and looked at me. "Full name?" I was a little shy, but I went for it anyway and said in a tiny voice, "Hubby." Chase was silent for a full minute.

Then he turned his face away, the tips of his ears going faintly red. "I meant you can just call me Chase." Me: "…" He looked toward the door. "The kid didn't come?" "Uh, he got too nervous.

He went to the restroom." Half an hour went by. My brother still hadn't budged.

I'd practically ground the steak in front of me into paste. "Our… son doesn't seem to have a great stomach," Chase said, teasing. I laughed awkwardly.

Chapter 4 I lowered my head and texted my brother. [Me: Did you fall in?

Get over here.] [My brother: Almost there.] [Me: You said that twenty minutes ago.] I sent a knife emoji. [Me: If you don't show up soon, both our heads are gonna roll.] [My brother: I'm here.] I breathed a sigh of relief.

My brother pushed the door open with a flawless smile. "Good evening, Daddy." Goosebumps broke out all over me. Chase wasn't doing much better.

He looked like he was trying not to gag. He set down his knife and fork and glanced at my brother with distaste. "Sit." My brother shot me a look. I stood up. "You two talk.

I'm going to the restroom." The moment I was out of the room, I texted my brother. [Behave.

Don't talk nonsense.] He replied. [You too.] I took a deep breath and headed for room 1603. This was my second time seeing Marissa.

I put on a timid, bashful smile. "Ccan I sit next to you?" Marissa paused, then nodded. "Of course." My brother and I had long since aligned on deliverables.

I pinched my thigh hard and squeezed out some tears. "Actually, I recognized you last time.

I was just scared you wouldn't believe me, so I didn't dare say anything." I looked up, on the verge of tears. "Mommy, are you mad at me?" Marissa was so won over by my cuteness she forgot which way was up.

She reached out and gently stroked my head, her face full of tenderness. "How could I be mad at you?" I buried my face in her soft, sweetsmelling embrace, and the corners of my mouth curled up.

Half an hour passed. I stood up. "Mommy, I'm going to the restroom. Wait for me, okay?" Walking out, I ran into my brother. "Well?" "Well?" I gave him an OK sign.

He let out a breath. "You didn't say anything crazy to Chase, did you?" My brother coughed lightly, his eyes darting away. "Nno. Nothing." That settled my nerves.

I pushed open the door and put on a polite smile. "I'm back." I'd been in the restroom for half an hour.

I figured Chase would crack a joke about me having a bad stomach, just like our "son." Instead, he was sitting in his chair, red in the face.

When he saw me come back, his eyes landed on my lips first. Then his gaze swept slowly down. I hadn't even said anything.

Who knew what he was imagining, but his face got redder and redder, like a boiled shrimp. "Why is your face so red?" I asked, concerned. At that, Chase finally snapped out of it.

He pulled his eyes away and cleared his throat. "It's a little hot in here." I checked the thermostat. A steady 75 degrees. How was that hot? The server kept bringing out dishes.

When I saw the enormous abalone, I couldn't help gushing, "Wow, it's so big." Chase, in the middle of sipping his soup, nearly spat it out.

Next came a plate of handmade seafood noodles, extra long. I wanted to get on Chase's good side. So I smiled sweetly and said, "These noodles are so smooth and soft, and so long.

They're really good." Chase coughed like the world was ending.

Halfway through the meal, my brother texted me. [My dream girl went to the restroom to find you.] In a panic, I shot to my feet