Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Read online

As if it’s not going to be awkward enough being the best man to the guy who’s marrying my ex’s twin sister… I have to pose as my ex’s fiancé too. But the way I see it, I don’t have a choice. There is no way I'm taking the forfeit. Jumping fully clothed into the Hudson this close to Thanksgiving is a death wish. And for the forfeit, you have to be naked.

  No thank you.

  Katia squirms in her seat again and splutters a few inaudible words before she takes a sip of her drink. Then I realize I’ve been brooding and my silence is torturing her.

  Good. I love to see her like this––cheeks flushed, chewing on her bottom lip. But I figure I should say something and put her out of her misery.

  “Relax. I’m joking.”

  Katia puffs air out of her cheeks and fakes a laugh. But her little display does nothing to hide the quick eye roll.

  I need to behave if she’s going to tolerate being around me during the wedding. The truth is things have been awkward between us since the “break up.”

  We were sat on the kissing couch, the one sitting just a few feet behind Katia. I glance at it now and my smile cracks at the memory of that day.

  I had put Katia and all of my memories of her in a box, mentally of course. Sometimes, the box would crack open by a hair's breadth and a flashback would sneak out. After a jab to the gut, I’d mentally shove it back inside and fasten thick leather straps around it.

  Now, the box is made of iron steel, there’s a combination lock on it and it’s guarded by the most terrifying person my imagination could conjure up. Her father.

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay with this.” Katia’s voice shatters my mental image of her father scowling at me, his black mustache twitching.

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I say. The words come out like a succession of squeaks. This time Katia looks at me like she’s not fooled.

  “Look. It’s Debbie and Mark’s day. Everyone is going to be so focused on them, we won’t need to do anything out of the ordinary,” I say. I lowered my voice, but now it’s too low to sound normal. For goodness sake, what’s wrong with me?

  I take another sip of my coffee as if a shot of caffeine is going to calm my already-racing heart.

  Katia flicks back her long hair. The sunshine pouring in through the windows kisses her right on her collarbone. My lips have brushed her there before. The thought does something funny to my stomach.

  No. Stop thinking about it. I force myself to look up and meet her stare in an attempt to clear my head. She nods as if I’ve just imparted wisdom. But in all honesty, I’m not even sure what’s coming out of my mouth. I could be speaking gibberish for all I know. Seeing Katia here, dressed in a silk blouse and pencil skirt, is distracting.

  Her hands are resting on the table. I cradle my cup in a bid to stop my hands from reaching for hers. I’ve heard of muscle memory before. Is that what this is? Sitting so far away from her feels weird and unnatural.

  “We need to decide on a story, you know––to tell people when they ask.”

  I blink several times, taking in her words. “Ask what?” I blurt, drawing a blank. Katia shakes her head with a laugh, a real one this time. It makes her nose wrinkle.

  “How we got back together, silly.”

  My heart simultaneously sinks and squeezes.

  Katia

  “Atlantic City, here we come!” Debbie shouts out of the open window as we drive away from my apartment. I grind my teeth and grip the steering wheel until the whites of my knuckles show, the memory of my conversation with Ryder on repeat in my head.

  Debbie's twin radar picks up on my lack of enthusiasm. “You’re quiet. What’s wrong?” She asks.

  “Nothing, you know I hate driving on the freeway.”

  “That’s not it. Have you spoken to Ryder, yet?”

  “I don’t get it, Deb. It’s your wedding. Why do you want Ryder and I to parade around like we’re in love when the day is all about you and Mark?”

  Debbie sighs with an overly exaggerated eye roll. “We’ve been over this already, Kat.”

  It’s true. Debbie wants as little attention on her as possible. The fact that they didn't book a fancy venue to invite hundreds of guests was all her doing. If she had it her way, they would have been married already––in secret––at a registry office.

  But our dad would never forgive her. Mom might be okay with it, though. If she was any more laid back, she’d be lying down.

  “I don’t get you two.”

  “What?” I side-glance my sister with a frown then focus back on the road.

  “Ryder and you,” Debbie says, as if those three words clear everything up. They don’t. I still have no idea what she’s talking about. Then Debbie huffs.

  “You two were so close during high school. Now… You’re both single, living in the same city, and the sexual tension between you is off the charts!”

  My cheeks burn as I wonder whether to argue or not. Is the tension between us so palpable that other people can sense it?

  But then I get hit by a flashback of the stone-cold expression on Ryder's face just before he left for college. No warning. No hugs. Not even a final kiss.

  The way he dropped me broke my heart into a million pieces. My first two semesters sucked because of him. In fact, looking back, it’s all just a haze of ice cream and crying into my pillow.

  “Be serious, do you really want me to get back with Ryder?”

  “Kat. Of all of us, you and Ryder were the obvious match. You two belong together.”

  I swallow against the lump of emotion collecting in my throat. If I think about Ryder much longer, my eyes will grow misty and it'll be a struggle to see the road. “Okay. So what time is the flight coming in?” I say, switching the subject.

  “Oh, please no,” Debbie whispers. There's a mass of people gathered outside the lobby. But in the darkness of the night, I can’t make out any faces.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask. Then the headlights illuminate the crowd and my stomach starts doing standing backflips.

  “When dad said he was bringing the family over from Italy… I didn’t know he meant the whole family.”

  Debbie pats my leg a little too hard and shouts “Just drive!” like we're in a heist movie and I’m the getaway driver. I do as I’m told and keep moving forward until we go around the corner. Debbie’s aura turns panicked and her nervous energy starts to give me jitters.

  I turn off the ignition and stare at her, stunned.

  “No, no, no. This isn’t happening,” she moans into her hands. “This was supposed to be a small wedding.” She looks behind us, peeping through her fingers. “Do you think anyone saw us?”

  I shrug, chewing my lip. “Deb. I can’t go through with this dare.”

  Debbie’s hands drop and she looks at me as if I’ve just given her a death sentence. “You have to.”

  “Are you kidding me? Nonna is here! All our aunts and cousins… I can’t lie to them all.”

  Debbie shakes her head furiously, her hair swishing from side to side. “Please Kat…”

  “Deb, it’s your wedding! If anyone thinks Ryder and I…”

  “They’ll be all over you. Exactly.”

  My eyes narrow as I study Debbie’s panic-stricken face. She’s hiding something. Whatever she’s up to, it’s not about diverting attention away from her.

  “Okay. What is this really about?”

  We stare at each other for a few minutes, then Debbie’s shoulders slump in defeat.

  “We’re leaving.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mark has contacts through the paper. I landed an interview with a small press about having my own column on philosophy... And I got it.”

  I sit up and beam at my sister, my chest bubbling up with pride. “Deb! That’s amazing news.” Debbie left college with a degree in Philosophy. Her brilliant brain has so far been wasted at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. My only confusion is what this has to do with my dare? And why she's staring at me with big, round eyes
.

  “Have you told dad? He’ll be so proud of you!”

  Debbie shakes her head. “Kat. The job is in Tokyo.”

  “Tokyo? The one in Japan?” I splutter. Debbie snorts and her face settles into a warm smile for the first time. “Do you know of another one?”

  I whistle as I process the news. “This is big.”

  “Please, Kat. I can’t face the whole family and their questions. You know how they get. They’ll wanna know about where we’re gonna settle down, if we're gonna have kids…”

  “How long are you gonna be in Tokyo?” I ask, my throat constricting. The two of us have never been apart for longer than a week. The thought of my twin sister being on the other side of the planet brings tears to my eyes.

  “It’s a twelve-month contract. After that... Who knows.”

  “Right,” I say, trying to make sense of my thoughts. There's a jumble of emotions swirling around in my chest, and some of them aren’t even mine. Debbie grabs my hands. “Please do this for me. If the family thinks you and Ryder have gotten engaged, I can steer the conversations off me and Mark.”

  “So, you haven’t told dad?”

  Debbie nips her bottom lip. “I promise I’ll tell mom and dad. As soon as the wedding is over,” she squeezes my hands. “Please, Kat. I need you to do this.”

  I suck in a breath and hold it for a moment. So I can't just pretend I’m engaged to Ryder, my twin sister wants me to make a big show of it. To be fair, when her news gets out, she’ll never hear the end of it from the family. Everyone already assumes we’ll both move back to Verona to settle down. And I can totally see why she doesn’t want the third degree from the whole family on her wedding day.

  “Fine,” I say through an exhale. Debbie throws her arms around me and pulls me in for a hug.

  “I owe you a million favors,” she says as we break apart.

  Suddenly, we both jump at a rat-a-tat-tat on the window. I open the door with an excessive amount of caution but breathe out in relief when I see Ryder looking in at me. “Just letting you two know that everyone saw you turn up and they’re wondering why you’re not coming inside,” he says. His deep voice rumbles against my eardrums. “You’re just the person I need to see!” I say brightly. Ryder’s thick brows shoot up. “Really?”

  I glance back at Deb and she gives me a grateful nod, then I take a deep breath.

  “Yes honey, we’ve got to make our big entrance.”

  Ryder

  I’ve never known Katia to take something as trivial as a dare so seriously. She slides her arm through mine, clutches my bicep, and puts on her best impression of a loving smile. Her act is good enough to almost fool me. Almost.

  I break eye contact with her briefly at the sound of a yelp just in time to see Mark swoop Debbie around in a circle before he pulls her in for a kiss. Then he looks up at me. “Your room key is at the desk. Go put on something sharp and meet us downstairs in an hour. We’ve booked the restaurant.”

  “You’ve booked the whole restaurant?”

  Mark howls with laughter. “Have you seen how many guests we have here? We’re gonna need the space.”

  He plants kisses on Debbie’s cheeks, but she turns serious, looking at him hard. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone about…”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.” He presses his index finger to his lips with a grin.

  “A word about what?” I blurt. Mark jabs his thumb in my direction as he settles Debbie to the ground again. “See? I haven’t even told my best man.”

  Neither of them seems inclined to clue me in though. They turn away, but Debbie shoots Katia a look over her shoulder. “Don’t take too long.”

  Then the two of them walk off, talking to each other at a hundred miles an hour, while Katia locks up the car. I take her bag and she clutches my arm again. “Do you know what that’s all about?” I ask her. Her brows knit together as she hums.

  “Well, we’re both lumped into this mess. So, I guess I can tell you,” she says, looking disgruntled. “Mark and Debbie are moving to Tokyo.”

  “Wow. As in... Japan?” I ask. Katia’s face breaks into a grin at my reaction, but I can’t work out what I just said that's so funny.

  “No one in the family knows… Yet.”

  “Ah,” I say, connecting the dots. “We’re the diversion.”

  “Bingo.”

  We hover on the spot, looking across the parking lot as Mark and Debbie make their grand appearance at the entrance to the hotel. A rise of chatter fills the air and slowly, the crowd files into the lobby. I turn to look at Katia.

  There's a strong sea air fanning her dark hair back like she’s in a shampoo commercial, and the streetlamps illuminate the shine of her lips. Feeling her body so close to mine, with her hand squeezing my arm, sends my brain into a spin. I shake myself out of my head.

  Like a pair of thieves in the night, Katia and I tiptoe to the front doors with our bags. We stop by the front and I peer round to look through the doors. I hold my breath, watching the last of the family walk toward the elevators, then clear my throat. “Come on.”

  I pick up the key from the front desk as Katia ambles over. Then we take the stairs to avoid bumping into anyone. We make it to the room without getting caught. Sneaking around like this with Katia's hand in mine reminds me of prom night.

  I take a bottle of water and gulp down several mouthfuls in a vain attempt to make my throat less dry. But my efforts are fruitless. Katia is pacing the room and mumbling to herself, paying no mind to the large bed with scattered rose petals on it.

  “How are we going to pull this off?”

  She stops and looks at me brazenly, her hazel eyes boring deep into my soul. I stagger back as if putting more distance between us will give me back my ability to breathe.

  It would be so easy to stride across the room, lift her in my arms and reclaim those pretty rosebud lips. Maybe our act won’t be so hard to do if I could just tell Katia how I really feel about her.

  How I never dated anyone through college. Never even looked at a girl. Because there’s only ever been one. Her.

  The words pile together in my mouth like a ball of cotton, but all I do is pick up another bottle of water from the table.

  In absence of a response, Katia huffs, shakes her head, and finally releases me from her stare. Then she opens her bag. A phone pings and she pulls it out from her jeans to stare at it.

  “Great. Just great,” she mutters to herself.

  I'm still just standing in the corner, wondering what to do with my hands. “Something wrong?”

  Katia pulls out a dress and sparkly pair of shoes. “Storm update. She’s coming in faster now.”

  I launch into action at the news, happy for a distraction. Watching Katia’s temper grow hotter was making my body tense up. I set up my laptop on the desk.

  “Huh. I should have known you’d bring that,” Katia says, with a roll of the eyes. “What are you gonna do? Write Storm Sally a complaint? Maybe ask her to hold off for another twenty-four hours?”

  She chuckles to herself, tickled by her own wit, and I force my expression to stay neutral, fighting back a smirk.

  “I’m tracking the storm,” I explain. Then I glance up at her. “You go ahead and get ready. Debbie needs us.”

  Katia crosses the room in a beeline for the bathroom but halts behind me. The heat of her body sets my back on fire. She plants a warm hand on my shoulder. I hold my breath, staring at the login screen, completely unable to recall my password. I can sense through her fingertips that Katia’s hot temper has fizzled away as nothing, but warmth still radiates from her. She's a mystery. How anyone can be furious one minute, then calm within a split second is beyond my comprehension.

  I hold still, waiting for one of us to break the silence. But then Katia gives me a final squeeze before she lets go, as if she's just changed her mind about something. I steal a glance just as she reaches the bathroom, and she looks back. Our eyes lock.

  �
�See you in a minute,” she says softly. I raise my hand, and she closes the door. Then I turn back to the laptop, but my stomach is still a jumbled mess of nerves. Even after all this time, she holds a power over me that I cannot understand. Pretending to be her fiancé is going to be nothing short of torture.

  But I made a promise. And I may be many things, but I am always a man of my word.

  Katia

  Getting Ryder to talk to me is like trying to draw blood from a stone. I re-enter the room, dressed up and ready for dinner. All I get from him is an intense stare, then he looks down and straightens his tie.

  I smirk. Our relationship didn’t involve much talking. Not from him anyway. He's always been a deep thinker. The tall, sexy, brooding male that was my whole world.

  “Let me help you,” I say, closing the space between us. I straighten the red tie and pat it. “Look. We’re matching.” I point to my rogue red dress. Ryder’s eyes don’t meet mine, they settle somewhere near my cleavage instead. Then he brushes his fingertips over my collarbone and I suck in a sharp breath.

  “I got you this,” he says in a whisper. I glance at our reflection in the mirror next to us to look at the silver heart necklace around my neck. “I thought it would be a nice touch. It’ll be easier to lie if we use the truth.”

  My words strike a chord. Ryder’s eyes flash and he jolts back. “I almost forgot,” he says.

  He buries a hand inside his jacket and retrieves a little black velvet box. “This is for you.”

  Before I can reach for the box though, he goes down on one knee and opens it up.

  At the same moment, a gust of air slams against the windows, and I jump. My heart picks up speed when I see the sparkling ring staring back at me.

  Conflicting emotions bubble up inside my chest and I bite my lip so hard it hurts. But nothing hurts more than the image of Ryder on bended knee, offering me an engagement ring. Like some cruel joke. He’s right here, yet totally off-limits.

  “You came prepared,” I say in a measured tone, trying to sound aloof. The seventeen-year-old me would have screeched “Yes!” and smothered his face in kisses.