Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Read online

  “I’m so sorry about… about your shirt,” I stammer. Mark’s lips curve upward as he sweeps my hair away from my temple.

  “You think you’re the first girl to throw up on me?” he asks with a smirk. My face contorts as I consider it.

  “Gross.”

  The next thing I know, my face is planted on his chest and Mark’s arms are tightly enveloping my body. As he laughs, his hard pectorals seem to vibrate against my forehead. I can’t decide if it’s comforting or not. A bubble of laughter threatens to escape my lips again. I clamp my teeth against the growing smile and try to control myself. He kisses the top of my head and I back away, free from his hold but still breathless. My mouth is dry as I swallow and I blink at him, wondering what to do.

  “Didn’t you erm…” I begin slowly. I’m stalling. My brain has nothing to add to the question.

  “Right,” Mark says with a shake of the head. He seems to know what I’m going to say. Even though my mind is totally blank.

  “What I don’t like about you.”

  The words sting. Oh right. We’re supposed to be telling each other what we don’t like about each other. Worst game in human history. Especially now that all I want to do is make up for lost time and wrestle him to the couch.

  “Are you done?” Mark asks. I nip my lip and widen my eyes. Did he read my mind? Is my attraction to him that obvious? He lifts a brow at me with a wry smile. “There’s nothing else you don’t like about me?” A flush of heat rises to my face again as I realize he’s not reading my mind, after all. If he could, he would drop the stupid game and take me in his burly arms. I’m so hot, I want to fan myself.

  I shake my head at him, silent and taken aback. He grins. Delighted.

  “Okay, take a seat. It’s my turn.”

  Mark

  Debbie is so cute. She obeys and perches on the edge of the couch, as if worried a bomb will go off if she relaxes. I rest my hand on her knee and she flinches.

  “What I don’t like about you, number one,” I begin, enjoying every second of this. Debbie’s wide eyes are fixed on me and her face pales. She’s probably waiting for a tirade of insults to fly out of my mouth.

  “You jump to conclusions.”

  Her arched brows rise but she remains silent. I can’t decide if she’s letting me explain or in shock.

  “You’ve been avoiding me. And now I think I know why.”

  Debbie’s mouth hangs open to form the perfect O. Her eyes fly to the ceiling and she takes in a deep breath.

  “I didn’t know if––”

  “Right,” I finish for her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “You didn’t know, because you didn’t talk to me. I mean Debbie, this is the longest we’ve been in the same room since that night.”

  Debbie presses her lips together in a pout as her gaze falls to our hands. She squeezes back and it sends a rush of warmth all the way up my arm.

  “There’s another thing I don’t like,” I say softly. I tilt her head up to look at me with my knuckle and I graze her bottom lip with my thumb. “You gave me the wildest, most passionate kiss of my entire life. Then you left. And it’s been replaying in my mind every day, ever since.”

  Debbie doesn’t speak, but I can almost see in her eyes that she’s wrestling with her thoughts.

  “I’m sorry,” I blurt. My chest tightens, my stomach is doing flips. Maybe I’ll throw up and even the score. Who knows? At this point, I’m pretty sure anything can happen tonight. “I’m sorry I was a jerk. And I’m sorry I didn’t just ask you out. You make me nervous, and awkward… I just –”

  Debbie doesn’t allow me finish. Instead, she stops me mid-sentence with her lips. I moan as the knots in my stomach finally release and every inch of my body tingles. Her hands reach the back of my head, then my neck, and she squeezes. I grab her tiny waist and lift her onto my lap. Her mouth fits perfectly with mine. It’s like we are two broken pieces, and together we’re whole. Our noses nuzzle as we pivot side to side. She moans and deepens our kiss to the point where I become light-headed. She is passion. The embodiment of love. I grab her back, shoulders, and neck, and I squeeze her thighs. I want to press my hands all over her body to check she’s real and this isn’t a dream.

  Her lips leave my mouth, and I’m in agony. I don’t want to be apart from her ever again.

  All of this was just a huge misunderstanding. Now we’ve cleared that up, there’s no reason not to kiss until we die.

  “You drive me crazy,” she whispers in my ear before planting kisses along my jawline. I clutch her thighs and throw my head back with a grunt.

  “The feeling is mutual,” I manage to say in a breathy voice. Debbie sits back, her face flushed, and a massive beam takes over her face. She looks pleased with herself. I wonder why we’ve stopped making out, but she appears to be thinking.

  “There’s a bathroom down here. I’m going to take a quick shower,” Debbie says as she climbs off me and straightens her shirt.

  “Great idea, I’ll join you,” I say with a grin. Debbie’s hand flies to her mouth as she laughs.

  “No, you won’t.”

  I frown. Am I misreading signals here? That kiss. That flaming hot make out session. How can it not lead to a steamy make out session in the shower?

  “Not here. Everyone is right above us, and we should take things slow.”

  I’m nodding along, but on the inside, I’m shaking my head.

  “Sure. I understand.”

  It’s a lie. I do not understand at all. My stomach drops as I watch her disappear behind a door. Then I throw my head into my hands and sigh, willing my stiff muscles to calm down. I want to hold her and never let go for as long as I live. I need her.

  Maybe she worries that what we have is just physical. That things between us can never last? I need to convince her that I’m in this for the long haul. That I’m hers. If she’ll have me.

  Please, let her have me.

  Debbie

  “Michelle, you have to let us out,” I whisper into the phone. Michelle laughs.

  “What’s going on? You sound breathless.”

  I am breathless. My lips are numb and my mind is racing. Mark was kissing me. Grabbing me. Tasting me. It was all too much to handle. Then he wanted to shower with me? I can’t take it. The temptation is too strong. There’s no way we’ll make it to morning without taking things too far.

  “You two made out, didn’t you?” Michelle’s knowing voice cuts into my thoughts. My stomach clenches as the chatter in the background dies off.

  “What!” I hear Katia exclaim. She knew about the kiss. But I insisted it was a stupid mistake and made her promise not to breathe a word to anyone. As far as she is concerned, I hate Mark. And I’ve always hated Mark.

  Funny how fine the line is between hate and love.

  “Let me talk to her.” The line crackles then I hear Katia’s voice loud and clear. “Do you need us to get you out? Are you okay?”

  “I’m hiding in the bathroom,” I whisper back as I fumble with the faucet to turn the shower on.

  “What happened? It’s not true is it? You didn’t make out with Mark?” Katia does little to hide the repulsion in her voice. My silence seems to do all the talking, and she makes a noise of disgust.

  “Debbie!”

  “Hey, I’m a grown woman. I can do what I like,” I say defensively.

  “Why are you hiding in the bathroom?” Michelle’s back on the phone again.

  “I don’t know what to do. He wanted to join me in the shower.” The words sound so much more scandalous out loud than in my head. Michelle hums knowingly.

  “I’m so glad you two managed to smooth things out. And I’m impressed, it’s only been a few hours.”

  I swallow hard and grin to myself.

  “How did you know?”

  “I saw you two by the lake when I was getting drinks. Last summer. And the way you would react when he entered the room. The ridiculous over-the-top act about how much you hate him was j
ust such a giveaway.”

  “So, when you said this dare would change our lives…?” I ask, catching her train of thought.

  “What better way to get you two back on track than to lock you in a basement?” Michelle says simply.

  Well, it did work.

  “Thanks Michelle,” I say warmly.

  “So… do you want to forfeit the dare?”

  And go skinny dipping? Yeah, no thanks.

  “No, on second thought it’s okay. It’s going to be morning soon.”

  I hang up the phone and take a steadying breath. Then, I decide I might as well take a shower. Better make it a cold one.

  Mark

  The door clicks, and my neck cracks as I turn my head to look at Debbie as she re-enters the room. Her hair hangs below her shoulders, wetting her shirt. And her fresh face is slightly red, now free of make-up.

  “Hey you,” I say, patting on the bed. While Debbie was in the shower, I took the opportunity to convert the couch into a bed. She eyes it warily, chewing her lip in a way that has me hot under the collar again. “I promise I’ll be a gentleman. I just want to talk.”

  With amusement, I notice a slight look of disappointment wash over Debbie’s face as she lowers herself on to the mattress.

  “I want you to know, that I believe you can achieve whatever you want,” I plant my hand on her shoulder. “The problem is, I don’t think you’ve really thought about it.”

  Debbie shrugs my hand away and crosses her legs.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you took Philosophy. And during the many nights the gang have been talking about their dream jobs, you didn’t join in. Is it really a surprise that you’re not where you want to be? You don’t even know what you want.”

  Debbie tucks her hair behind her ear and looks down sheepishly.

  “I guess I never thought about it like that,” she says admittedly. “I just expected… something to happen after graduation.”

  “So, you know you don’t want to work at Bed, Bath and Beyond for the rest of your life. Do you know what your dream job looks like?”

  Debbie shrugs again with a chuckle.

  “It’s dumb.”

  “Tell me. I want to know,” I insist. I’m fighting against some very strong urges to throw her on her back and ravish her on the bed. I need her to know I can be there for her emotionally, more than physically.

  “Well, I guess I pictured myself doing seminars and traveling. I want to see the world. I want to understand different cultures.”

  “I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” I grasp her hands in mine and look deeply into her eyes. “I believe in you, and I promise to have your back.”

  Debbie’s eyes tear up as she looks back at me.

  “I think I misjudged you,” she says. Her voice is shaking. “You’re really just a care bear underneath that cocky, alpha-male act, aren’t you?”

  No one has called me a care bear before. I smirk at her.

  “Want to know something I love about you?”

  Her eyes widen at the sound of my words, and she gives a nod. I clear my throat. “I love how when I’m holding you, I feel like I’m home. So, we can travel. It doesn’t matter where. Because as long as you take my hand, I’ll be right where I’m supposed to be.”

  Debbie bites her lip with a grin.

  “So, you want to do this?” she asks coyly. “Be together?”

  I cradle her face in my hands and plant a chaste kiss on her swollen lips, then dip my head and rest against her forehead with a sigh.

  “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” I whisper with fervor.

  “Okay,” she whispers back. We break apart and lose ourselves in each other’s gaze. “We’d better seal it with a kiss.”

  A rush of excitement floods my entire body as I give her a broad smile and lean in one last time.

  THE END

  Epilogue

  Holly

  The basement door clicks, and wolf whistles and cheers erupt into the air as Mark and Debbie approach the rest of us hand in hand.

  “Nice dare, Michelle. Look what you’ve done to these two lovebirds,” Ryder says with approval. Cameron nudges Mark in the ribs and pats him on the shoulder. Michelle beams like a proud parent on graduation day.

  “Did you enjoy that?” she asks. Debbie’s face reddens and she remains unusually quiet as Mark pumps his fist in the air.

  “Best – dare – ever!”

  A twinge of jealousy nips at me as I clap and look on. If only Cameron and I were locked in a room together all night. There would be fireworks, for sure.

  I’ve fancied Cameron since the first moment I met him at drama club. He’s always the sweetest guy in the room. And even though he’s my best friend in the whole world, I wish we were more. If only he could just look at me like I’m a blonde-haired woman and not ‘one of the guys.’

  So what if I’m a tomboy? I like to kick a ball around, make funny faces at passing cars, and I have a loud laugh, but I can be a girl too. Being friend-zoned stinks.

  But hey, maybe Michelle has a grand plan. She seemed to see something between Mark and Debbie that no one else saw. Maybe she has something up her sleeve for me and Cameron? Here’s hoping.

  Michelle insisted that we wait until the next party to do another dare. It’s probably just given away the fact I’m super keen, but I volunteered to host the next one. If only I could host it tomorrow.

  But no. We all have work and lives to live.

  A fateful dare for me must wait, no matter how hard that is.

  “Well, everyone, thanks for a truly memorable birthday party. Have a great month and I’ll see you all again at Holly’s house next month,” Michelle announces as everyone cheers. Cameron pulls me in for a casual side hug before he moves on to Jonah. A plume of his cologne washes over me and I close my eyes for a moment, bathing in the scent. Oh, if only he would scoop me up in his arms and let me inhale his cologne all day long.

  “See you later. Take care. Bye,” I say as everyone takes turns to pull me in for a hug and we say our goodbyes. My mind is already racing. Just what will Michelle dare us to do next? I can hardly wait to find out.

  Dare Number One: Kiss Me Like You Mean It

  Holly and Cameron’s story.

  Holly

  I, Holly Chapman, solemnly swear to devote the rest of my twenties to embracing my authentic self.

  No more people-pleasing.

  No more hiding from adult responsibilities.

  I will schedule my own doctors’ appointments––not get my mom to do it for me.

  I will never slack on the laundry again.

  And most of all, I am going to get out of the friendzone with Cameron James.

  I've been into Cameron since the first day of high school.

  There he was, sitting across from me in drama class. His ruffled chocolate brown hair was sticking up in all directions, and he was wearing a pair of shredded jeans and a faded denim jacket. He looked so cool––for a drama kid, anyway. Our eyes locked for the first time, his eyes twinkled, and he smiled at me. That’s all it took. I’ve been besotted ever since.

  The problem is, acting like one of the guys is how I flirt.

  I punched him, ruffled his hair, laughed too loudly at his jokes, and before I knew it, I was in the friendzone.

  Being Cameron’s best friend has been great, don’t get me wrong.

  We spent most of our teen years playing computer games and eating pizza until the early hours.

  We tell each other everything. From the embarrassing dreams about our teeth falling out, to the darkest fears of our future.

  But now we’re supposed to be adults.

  Fresh out of college, we’ve left home, got jobs, and now we need to have everything figured out. Cameron got a job at a drama club at the local community center. He teaches troubled teens and gives his heart and soul to those kids. Just thinking about it makes my heart squeeze so tight I could pass out.

&nb
sp; I, on the other hand, have bigger ambitions. After landing an agent, I’ve been taking on whatever role I can get. Sure, it’s mostly TV commercials and voice-over work for phone apps. But my big break is coming, I can feel it.

  Since Debbie and Mark followed through with their dare––to spend the night locked in Michelle’s basement––they’ve been joined at the hip.

  It’s gross, actually. These days those two are either bickering over ridiculous things, like what brand of bacon is the saltiest, or making out. There is no in-between.

  I can’t blame them. They’re just making up for lost time. I like to imagine Cameron and I––when we finally break down the friendship barriers and confess our undying love for each other––will be just as annoying to the rest of the group.

  The doorbell rings and pulls me out of my head to notice that I’ve been folding and unfolding the same napkin for the last half hour.

  Michelle has this plan for four parties and four dares. She says it’s a psychological experiment for her masters. Who am I to argue with that? I’ll do anything to support a friend. Especially if it means Cameron and I might get locked in a basement. I pray it’s a good, juicy dare.

  I pull open the door and Michelle beams at me. “Ready?” she asks, throwing her slender arms around me in a hug.

  “As I’ll ever be,” I say, letting her in. Michelle pulls out a glass jar from her bag and sets it on the coffee table.

  “How does this work, exactly, don’t you already have the dares picked out for each couple?” I ask, eyeing the papers in the glass.

  Michelle leans in and taps her nose with a devilish grin.

  “Can you keep a secret?”

  No. I am the worst person on the planet at keeping secrets. She knows that. But despite myself, I nod like an over-enthusiastic puppy. Michelle shakes her head with a laugh.

  “You know what, I’ll tell you at the end.”