The game carried on, each round a little braver, a little riskier.
Emily had been dared to sing the alphabet backward while hopping on one leg, which left her giggling breathlessly. Damian, of course, ended up with a dare to wear his undershirt as a headband for the rest of the game. Luke kept smirking like a cat with a secret, clearly enjoying being the one to stir the pot.
Then Damian turned toward me with a mischievous grin. "Your turn again, Amara. Truth or dare?"
My stomach fluttered nervously. I didn't trust the look on his face, but something inside me didn't want to back down. "Dare," I said, more confident than I felt.
Damian's grin widened. "I dare you… to whisper something in Adrian's ear. Something you wouldn't say out loud."
My face flamed instantly. "What?"
The group erupted with laughter and oooohs, Damian looking ridiculously proud of himself.
Emily jumped in quickly, "Come on, that's too much." But her smile betrayed the fact that she was curious too.
Adrian didn't flinch. He just sat there, calm as ever, waiting.
My heart pounded in my chest. I could have said no. I could have refused. But something about the way Adrian's gaze held steady, patient but unreadable, pushed me forward.
Leaning in, I bent close to his ear. His scent clean soap, faint cologne washed over me, and I had to steady my breath.
"I'm glad you were there at the lake today," I whispered, barely audible. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been."
Pulling back, I avoided his eyes, cheeks blazing. No one asked what I'd said thankfully and Damian groaned dramatically at being robbed of the drama.
The game went on, but my pulse never steadied again.
Adrian's POV
I hadn't expected much from the trip to the lake. Just a distraction for Damian and Luke, a chance for Emily to chatter and laugh. I'd gone along because it was easier than refusing.
But then I saw her...hesitant at the shore, tugging at her shirt like she wanted to disappear. And then I saw the man. The way his eyes lingered on her, the way his grin twisted, careless.
Something in me shifted.
I didn't even think when I stepped forward, when I told him to stop. I just knew I couldn't stand there and let him look at her like that. And when I gave her my shirt, it wasn't about chivalry. It was instinct. The need to shield her.
She'd thanked me softly, eyes wide in a way that unsettled me. And I hadn't said anything back. I never do. But later, lying in bed, I replayed the image of her standing at the water's edge in my shirt, relief etched across her face. It stayed with me longer than it should have.
Dinner was noise and laughter I half-listened to. But she sat across the table, and every time her gaze drifted toward me, I felt it like a pulse beneath my skin.
The game was supposed to be harmless. Truth or Dare. I almost skipped my turn, but Damian would never have let me. So I said dare. Easy enough.
I hadn't expected him to say her name. I hadn't expected to hold her gaze for a full minute, or for it to feel like longer.
She didn't know it, but it unnerved me...the way her eyes softened under mine, the way something in her expression shifted like she was letting me see more than she meant to. I told myself it was just a game, but even now, hours later, I could still see the way her breath caught.
And when Luke dared us to share something personal… I almost refused. But then she spoke first. About being afraid of standing out, about hiding behind confidence she didn't feel.
It struck something in me.
Because I knew what it was like to hide. To keep people at a distance. To wear silence like armor.
So I told the truth. Not all of it, but enough. Enough that when I glanced at her, the words hung heavier in the air than I'd meant them to.
Then came Damian's dare...the whisper.
She leaned in, close enough that I caught the faint scent of her shampoo, the warmth of her skin. Her voice was low, so low I almost thought I'd imagined it.
"I'm glad you were there at the lake today. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been."
She pulled back quickly, cheeks flushed, eyes avoiding mine.
But me? I couldn't look away.
Because in that moment, it wasn't just a game anymore.
And for the first time, I let myself wonder what it would mean if I stopped holding back.