Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Page 10

  “Tessa’s here,” Debbie hisses as we take our seats.

  “We know,” Michelle and I say in unison. We both sound equally glum about it. I shoot her a look, then smile at the smattering of freckles that have appeared across her cheeks. I can’t tell if her nose is just red in the torchlight, or she’s sunburnt.

  The girls erupt into conversation, speaking in low voices about Tessa. But I don’t care to listen. Mark and Cameron keep out of it and I sit back to watch the fire breathers performing on stage. I soon forget all about the plate of food sitting in front of me.

  “Hello again.”

  I snap out of my daze and look up at the sound of Tessa's voice. She and her fiancé approach the table. My smile stiffens and I give them a curt nod. Meanwhile, the rest of our friends exchange awkward looks.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask... Are you two here for the couples’ retreat?” Michelle asks in a high voice. I swallow against the hard lump in my throat and take a swig of my drink. Tessa’s smile widens to the point I think every single one of her gleaming teeth are on show. They look impossibly white, much whiter than they had been when we were together.

  “Yes,” Eddie says for her, his voice so deep it makes mine sound like it belongs to a boy in puberty. His dark eyes linger on Tessa, his left cheek dimpling. “It’s our six-month anniversary, and my queen deserves the best.”

  “Wow. Where are you gonna take her when it’s been a year? Martha’s Vineyard?” Holly asks with a laugh. Debbie’s face turns to a look of thunder and a thump under the table prompts Holly to cry out in pain.

  Holly doesn’t have a filter. But she often says what everyone's thinking, and this is no exception.

  Yet, Eddie is perfect for her. He’s everything Tessa wants in a man. Tall, dark, strong. Not only that, but he also seems to have a limitless cash pile and a mission to spoil Tessa until his dying breath.

  Tessa’s smile disappears and her eyes flash at Holly. But she recovers herself with a toss of her hair.

  “Well, we should take our seats. Enjoy your food. I hear the shrimp is to die for.”

  I hold my breath as they leave the table and walk toward the stage. When they turn into two shadows and disappear from view, I look at my steak.

  “I don’t like the way she said that,” I say through an exhale. Cameron snorts softly while chewing his food.

  “What, you don’t think she’s a bunny boiler do you?” he asks, his brows rising at me.

  Mark thumps the table with a jolt and looks at me with a glint in his eye. “Yeah, right,” he says. “The only one doing the killing around here is her new fella. He’ll destroy you, Jonah.”

  “Not helpful,” I mutter, shooting him a dark look.

  As the others break into conversation, I turn my attention back to the performers onstage. A blast of fire splinters the darkness. It disappears almost as quickly as it appears. I bite my lip, hoping this isn’t a foreshadowing of my relationship with Michelle. Will Tessa’s being here complicate things between us? She’s in a happy relationship, that’s apparent. But seeing her parading around with Eddie puts a sour taste in my mouth. I turn to look at Michelle as she tucks into her salad, apparently oblivious to my concerns. The corners of my mouth prickle as I watch her nose wrinkle. Her bright eyes fly up to meet mine and the eye contact sends a bolt of adrenaline through my body.

  I look away, fighting the urge to grin like a fool. Tessa and I are over. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing something with Michelle. Even though her dare was not to fall in love.

  What does that even mean, anyway? Did she suspect we’d fall for each other on this trip? If she was so happy to go along with it... Heck, even think up the dare in the first place, then doesn’t that mean she might have feelings for me? The thought makes my mouth dry.

  Once the fire breathers are done, Malcolm walks on to the stage and stands with his arms spread wide. “It’s time for a little friendly competition,” he announces, smiling broadly now. “Do we have two couples to volunteer in a dancing contest?”

  If we were back home, in the club, I’d be first up on the stage. I’m always up for a challenge. But this is a couples’ competition. I glance at Michelle and study her face. It looks like she isn’t listening. She's currently frowning at her empty plate.

  A rush of excited chatter sweeps across the tables until two people near the stage rise to their feet.

  “Great. Come on up,” Malcolm says, gesturing to the volunteers. My stomach lurches as the woman turns and a flash of light illuminates her face.

  “Great,” I mutter under my breath. Of course, it's Tessa and her new man.

  Michelle looks at me, then at the stage and back at me again. Her face flushes red and her brows pinch together.

  “We’ll do it,” she shouts determinedly as she finishes her drink and slams the glass down.

  “Are you serious?” I stammer as Michelle jumps to her feet and yanks on my arm. Dancing on stage next to Tessa and Eddie is the last thing I feel like doing right now. But Michelle grips my hand and I rise to my feet in obedience. She could lead me to the edge of a cliff, then tell me to jump and I would gladly do it. The rest of the couples cheer us on as we walk up to the stage.

  I follow Michelle, still holding her hand, and my heartbeat is picking up pace. She swishes her hips with her steps as if the dance has already begun and her fluid movements make my stomach wobble like jelly. Then, just as we reach the steps leading to the stage, she stops and turns to me.

  “Let’s show Tessa what a mistake she’s made,” Michelle says leaning to my ear, then she presses her velvety lips to my cheek. She steps back to give me a warm smile, the corners of her eyes creasing. I smile back, but squeezing her hand gives me the feeling that maybe Tessa didn’t make a mistake. Maybe letting me loose was the best thing she could have done.

  Michelle

  “Gentlemen, please take your ladies and wow the audience with your best dance,” Malcolm says, and slow, sultry music begins to play. Several people in the audience wolf whistle when Tessa’s man grabs her waist. They sway on the spot hip to hip.

  I turn to Jonah. He glances at them for a split second, then he takes my hand in his and rests his other on the small of my back.

  “You’re fierce. A leader, and you’re passionate––like a mountain lion,” Tessa says. I glance over to see her looking at Eddie through her lashes, her left hand placed on his cheek. He nuzzles her as they sway to the music, then he replies, “You’re vivacious, brave, and you taste delicious.”

  A groan pulls my gaze back to Jonah. He has his eyes fixed on them, and his face is a twisted scowl. “What the heck is that all about?” he mutters, but not too quietly that Tessa doesn’t hear it.

  “It’s just something we do when we’re dancing. We tell each other three things we love most about the other person,” she says.

  I force a smile and refocus on Jonah, who turns his attention back to me. I realize I’m frowning as my eyes water, fogging up my vision. “Are you getting emotional?”

  I blink furiously. As cheesy as it looks, I would kill to have Jonah tell me three things he loves about me. But I don’t want to admit that just yet.

  “What? No. I’m just trying not to puke.” As soon as the words escape my lips, I drop my mouth in horror. Jonah clutches my waist, grazing the satin material of my dress with his fingertips. The touch sends little shivers through my body. “You’re not going to be sick, are you?” he asks, raising a brow. Suddenly, my mind places us back at prom night.

  It should have been the best day of my life, with swooning and dancing, and maybe even our first kiss. I really thought prom would be the start of something.

  But then Jenna White, Jonah’s rebellious older sister, spiked the punch, and I ended up hurling all over the dancefloor. Too mortified to look at the repulsed stares of everyone in the hall, I made a run for it, leaving a bewildered––and vomit-covered––Jonah, alone.

  We were dancing like this just before disaster str
uck. But I laugh off the memory and give Jonah a reassuring smile, even though my stomach is actually doing flips.

  The music picks up in tempo and we throw ourselves into it. Neither one of us knows what we’re doing, but I’ve seen enough episodes of Dancing with the Stars to pick up a few moves. Jonah holds me firmly in his arms and I sashay my hips, lowering myself to the floor. In my head, it’s a sexy move, where I fluidly reach the floor and come back up to a stand again. But in reality, my knees lock up just as I reach a full squat and they won’t let me get back up. I try to stand again, but my knees forbid it.

  Instead, I remain stuck, half-way down, groaning like my great Aunt Bertha when she picks up something off the floor.

  I want to die.

  A wave of laughter crosses the audience, and I don’t need to look at them to know what they find so funny. Gripping onto Jonah’s forearms, I give him a pleading look.

  “I can’t get up.”

  “What do you call that move?” Tessa asks as she and Eddie circle us like a pair of professional dancers. Eddie spins her around and lifts her onto his shoulder. The crowd cheers as she swoops down and he catches her, then they dance away to the other side of the stage again.

  I turn away from them and look up at Jonah. His mouth is fixed in a thin line as he tries his best not to laugh at me.

  “Here,” he says, squatting down to meet me. I’ve no idea how he thinks this helps the situation because now we’re both bobbing up and down in a half-squat position, looking like a pair of pigeons fighting on the street. Meanwhile, Tessa and Eddie continue their dirty dancing routine as if they’ve actually had time to practice.

  “Just follow my lead,” Jonah mutters into my ear. He flashes a broad grin to the crowd and falls to his knees. Then he leans back like John Travolta at the end of Grease. I wobble on the spot, still struggling to get up, but Jonah grabs my hips, looks at me like I’m a goddess, and propels me upward.

  I’m back to a standing position, and it feels amazing. I reach up, arching my back as the crowd cheers again.

  Jonah and I take a second to look at each other, as if to share a thought. So, we’re Sandy and Danny now? Perfect. This is only my favorite musical ever. I take on the role, walking away from Jonah teasingly. He grins like a Cheshire cat and embraces our performance. The band seemingly knows what we’re doing. To my delight, they begin to play You’re the One That I Want.

  Jonah grabs the microphone and begins to sing the song, and the crowd goes utterly wild.

  Most of the couples have jumped to their feet and are now dancing on the spot. Spurred on by all the attention, I sashay my hips, standing to the side as Jonah parades around the stage, singing to me.

  Tessa and Eddie have stopped dancing altogether and are standing to the side, just watching, their hands hanging limply at their sides. Apparently, they're too stunned to move.

  Spurred on by the turn of events, I grab another microphone and join in the duet.

  We've done this routine before at Glee club.

  Singing with Jonah brings back so many sweet memories. Everything was simpler back in high school. It was before the mortifying punch incident at prom, and a lifetime before Jonah’s failed proposal went viral online.

  As we prance around the stage singing in perfect harmony, I catch sight of Holly and Debbie up on their feet waving at me and cheering us on. My blood is effervesced with adrenaline. I want this song to last forever, because right now, there is no Tessa. No humiliation. No worry and confusion.

  Jonah grins at me, his eyes sparkling, and for the first time in a very long time, he’s bursting with confidence.

  Well, this is certainly unexpected. As the song finishes, Jonah drapes an arm around my waist and leans in to kiss the top of my head. My foot pops in the air as I cling onto him and the song ends.

  “Wow, give it up for our participants,” Malcolm says, as he walks on stage. “But the trophy has to go to our singing and dancing duo, Jonah and Michelle.”

  I’m pretty sure Malcolm is showing favoritism, because he’s a friend. But the explosion of cheers makes me wonder if we might have won by popular vote.

  Everything blurs around me and I keep my eyes locked on Jonah’s. It's like a scene from a movie. Time stands still and a sweet symphony of music plays in my head as we just stand in each other’s arms, staring at each other. Neither one of us want to move or look away, because if we do, it might break the happy spell we’re both under.

  But then a pointy fingernail presses against my shoulder and it’s as if I’ve been struck by an icy arrow. I rip my gaze from Jonah and look at Tessa instead. “Can we talk… Somewhere quiet?”

  The noise of the music fades as we follow Tessa to the beach. The sound of the tide takes over. I focus on it, trying to match my breaths with its rolling in and out. My analytical brain is working overtime, and I'm gripping Jonah’s hand hard. Even after a whole night of dancing, her slick dark hair looks immaculately kept, and her make up untouched. She walks with a perfectly straight back and holds her strappy heels in her hands as she walks across the sand.

  I am no match for this woman. If she wants to fight for Jonah, I’m going to lose. She’s curvaceous and tall, while I’m narrow and short. In fact, if Jonah has a type, I haven’t got a chance.

  “I’m sorry,” Tessa blurts, stopping and turning to us as if this was something she had been wanting to say all day. My thoughts shatter and I stare at her dumbfounded. “Huh?” Jonah and I say in unison.

  A small smile crosses Tessa’s lips as she looks down. “To take you both away from the party,” she adds.

  “Oh, it’s fine.” I add a fake shrug to make it look like I’m totally cool with being led to the sea, away from other people, on an exciting night like this. When in fact, I haven’t decided if Tessa’s plan is to throw me in the water and watch me drown so she can have Jonah all to herself. As if following my paranoid train of thought, Jonah squeezes my hand.

  Right. He’d never let me drown. Tessa’s spell on him isn’t that strong... At least not anymore.

  “What’s up?” I ask, trying to sound chirpy. It appears that Jonah has lost his voice again. He's just staring at Tessa, blinking.

  Tessa looks out at the ocean, biting her lip, and for a horrible moment, I wonder if she’s actually contemplating the idea of feeding me to the sharks and running off with my man.

  Now I wish I spent less time studying and more time in the pool growing up. I’m a weak swimmer. If anything like that went down, I would be fish food.

  “I’ve made a horrible mistake and I don’t know what to do about it,” she says. Then she slumps down and draws circles in the sand with her finger. Her words bring Jonah to life, he settles on the sand and I join him. “What do you mean?” he asks her.

  There’s a long silence and if I strain my ears, I can just about hear Dancing Queen playing up at the resort over the roaring ocean. The air is heavy, prompting me to wonder if a storm is rolling in.

  “I followed you here.”

  I blink several times as the words hit me like a tsunami. “Sorry, what?” Jonah and I say at the same time. We’re so in sync tonight it's as if we’re two halves of a whole.

  Tessa offers a sheepish smile, keeping her gaze on Jonah and acting as if I’m not here again. Why am I here? This feels like one of those private conversations and I’m the third wheel. But do I trust Tessa to be alone with Jonah? No way. He’s too vulnerable. I clamp my teeth together, convincing myself I’m here to protect him, and my own feelings are not at stake here.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you Jonah,” Tessa confesses. Her words hit me square between the eyes. Now, I’m definitely not leaving them alone. Tessa does want Jonah back. This is my worst nightmare.

  Maybe I’m asleep. Yes. Let’s go with that. This is all a weird dream and soon I’ll wake up spooning Jonah in our room. Tessa is just a figment of my imagination. A personification of my fears and insecurities. I surreptitiously pinch my arm and winc
e at the pain. It’s a disappointing sensation, but it doesn’t mean I’m not asleep, scientific studies have discovered people can feel pain in their dreams. My brain scrambles to pull together all of the reasons why I cannot be awake. But before I can come to any clear conclusions, Tessa continues.

  “I’ve been following you on social media. And remember you posted this a couple of days ago?” She holds up her phone to Jonah, and I lean over to catch a glimpse of the screen. It’s a picture of me and Jonah with the caption. “Hawaii baby!” The resort is tagged in it.

  Stupid social media. It’s one thing that our friends booked in at the same resort without telling me, but Tessa? Who next? Jonah’s parents? Next time we go away, I’m going to keep it a secret until we get back. That is... If there is a next time. Assuming Tessa doesn’t succeed in getting Jonah back.

  The thought makes me shudder. “But I don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head at the absurdity of the situation. “You’re engaged to Eddie,” Jonah says, looking confused.

  “Oh, that,” Tessa says through a soft laugh. Dang it. Even her laugh sounds melodic. She might be a stalker with a seemingly bottomless wallet, but she’s a beautiful stalker. And that’s dangerous.

  Tessa puffs air from her cheeks and looks at me resolved. “He’s just a friend. I’m paying him to pretend to be my fiancé.”

  Jonah sits upright. “What!”

  “I thought it would make you jealous, and that maybe I could win you back.”

  Jonah rises to a stand and begins to pace the beach. “So... what? You stalked me, and paid someone to act as your fiancé to make me jealous, in the hope it would manipulate me into taking you back?”

  Tessa rises to him, reaching out for his hand, but he pulls away. Meanwhile, I scramble to my feet, wondering how it was so easy for the two of them to get up. Man, I need to book an appointment with the doctor when I get home.