My throat squeezes when one of the girls, a brunette, strips off her cropped top, and the crowd goes wild. A footballer named Ken steps forward, nearly sloshing his drink over the edge of his cup in his excitement.
“Kiss them both,” he pants with creepy eyes.
“You can’t back down from a dare, bruh!” Easton Lang yells. “Just do it!”
My stomach cramps, and I don’t know if it’s the alcohol or my emotions eating me alive. The girl on Landon’s right side wraps her arm around his bicep and whispers something in his ear. He stares straight ahead, his face a mask of emptiness. He’s here, but he’s not. Maybe that should make me feel better, but I’ve never seen his eyes so vacant before. I want him to push her away. He doesn’t. He doesn’t react at all when she emboldens herself by rubbing her palm across his thigh.
I’m in the middle of giving myself a list of reasons I need to leave when his eyes find mine in the crowd. His dark brows pinch together, and for a split second, I could almost swear disappointment flashes across his face. I don’t understand. If he didn’t want me here, then why did he invite me? Acid burns my throat, so I force it back by taking a huge mouthful of my drink. I nearly choke on it when Audrey grabs my arm and tugs me forward.
“Out of the way, losers,” she barks at the girls next to Landon. “It’s our turn.”
The girls scatter like cockroaches, the way I imagine most people do when Audrey gives a declaration. In my disoriented state, I vaguely wonder what it’s like to have everyone fear you. She points at the newly vacated space beside Landon and shoves me down into it before making herself at home on his other side. Wyatt and Gavin stand like sentinels in front of the coffee table, watching in amusement as they pour fresh drinks for the other players.
“Is there room for me?” Carson swipes a pitcher of beer from the tray and squeezes between Landon and Audrey, much to her annoyance. He’s on the football team too. Tall and built with piercing green eyes, he’s hot by most girl’s standards. I used to think so too, but that was before I met Landon.
Audrey glances at the three of us. I’m trying not to look directly at Landon, but I can feel his eyes on the side of my face. I’m trying to figure out how to extricate myself from this situation as the crowd grows restless and urges the game on.
“So, I guess the secret’s out, huh?” Landon’s words fan against my ear, and I shiver.
Slowly, I turn to look at him, aware that my emotions are written all over my face. I’m pathetic. A sad little puppy whose eyes move over his features, cataloging every detail of this complicated, tortured boy. His body holds an undercurrent of tension, and a flush of red creeps up his neck. He’s vibrating with irritation, and I can’t tell if it’s directed at me.
“You should have told me,” I whisper.
“Why?” He studies me as though he’s trying to read my thoughts.
He wants to see how this has changed things between us. I wonder if he can tell that I’m surprised he’s even acknowledging me at all in front of all these people. Little old nobody that I am.
“Enough pillow talk.” Audrey’s shrill voice severs our connection. Landon and I both jerk our gazes away from each other and release a breath. “Carson, you go first.”
Carson passes the pitcher of beer to Landon, and he takes a long pull, his throat muscles working. My thighs squeeze together, and I take a drink from my cup to give my hands something to do. Carson’s eyes bounce around the room without much interest in the actual game, until eventually, they land back on Audrey.
“Truth or grope, Audrey.”
Her lips curl playfully as she leans back to meet his gaze. “Grope.”
“Kiss me.” Carson’s tone is bored, and I can’t imagine why. Audrey is easily one of the most beautiful girls here, and half the guys around us are already panting as they imagine themselves in his place.
Audrey grabs him by the collar and drags him in toward her. She kisses him. With tongue. The crowd cheers, and I watch with wide eyes as she smears her lipstick all over Carson’s face. It’s morbidly fascinating, like a vulture eating its prey. Landon’s expression never changes, but I catch him staring at me a few times again.
Everything feels different. It’s no longer just the two of us. Safe topics like math and books aren’t even options right now. The hormones in the room are surging wildly around us as the game continues, and I’m having trouble following along. So far, every person challenged has picked grope, and when one girl did try to pick truth, the crowd booed her until she left. It’s about that time Audrey’s eyes fall on me.
“Kailani, I dare you to kiss Landon.”
I suck in a breath. Our eyes collide. His are dark and hot and…curious. Challenging, even. Is it my imagination, or does he want me to say yes? I know what I want. If my erratic heartbeat has anything to say about it, I want to touch his lips more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But not like this. Not in front of everyone.
“Um, I pick truth,” I answer quickly.
“You can’t pick truth.” Audrey laughs. “Drop the nun act. We all know there’s a bad girl inside you.”
The temperature in the room skyrockets. Landon is a statue next to me. I can’t look directly at him because I can’t read his face right now, and it only confuses me more. Seconds pass with excruciating slowness until, finally, Audrey sighs.
“Okay fine, we get it. You’re shy.” Her voice softens like she really doesn’t want to embarrass me. “I’m amending my dare. I want you to go into a bedroom with Landon for five minutes. Just the two of you. Whatever happens, happens.”
I sneak a glance at Landon, but he may as well be carved from stone. He gives nothing away when he rises to his feet and shrugs like he couldn’t care less one way or the other.
“Are you coming?”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer. My legs are boneless when I get up and follow him. The crowd jests us as we walk away, and my body sways slightly. I feel like I’m in a fishbowl with nowhere to hide. Landon is unfazed by the taunting laughter behind us. He opens the door to a guest bedroom and gestures me inside. When it clicks shut behind us, I drag in a mouthful of air.