Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Read online

  Before I can argue my case, the doorbell rings again and there are suddenly butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I swallow and smooth out my pink knee-length dress as I hurry to the front door again.

  “Hey, you two,” I say through a fake grin as Debbie and Mark walk in. Once again, joined at the hip.

  Mark slinks his arm around Debbie, who strokes his chest like she can’t stop touching him.

  “Oh cute, you put up bunting,” Debbie says looking up at the pink and white decorations. Mark wastes no time helping himself to a drink as the doorbell rings again. This time, Jonah and Ryder file in. Katia follows, handing me a casserole dish wrapped in foil.

  “Just made a little something,” she says with a casual shrug. She’s the best cook in the group. I give it a sniff and my insides quiver with excitement. There is nothing better than Katia’s homemade lasagne.

  I hover near the door as everyone settles in the living room, lost in casual conversation. How is everyone else so calm, and blissfully unaware of my frayed nerves? Jonah turns on the HiFi and plays some awful rock music. The steady thump of the beat pounds my chest and I glance at the clock in the hall.

  He’s late.

  “Shall we get started?” Michelle asks, lifting the jar from the coffee table. Everyone gathers on the couch and make noises of intrigue as Jonah lowers the volume on the HiFi. I watch them from the hall, a trembling mess.

  “Cameron isn’t here yet,” I say, trying hard to keep my voice steady. Thank goodness for acting. I pretend that I’m just pointing out the fact, keeping my expression neutral and hoping no one sees past the act. Inside, I’m full of jitters.

  “He’s always late,” Ryder mutters, his dark brows furrowed. “Besides, he’s not gonna mind missing out on this,” he adds.

  Ryder is a nice guy. He’s introverted and a bit of a nerd. But he’s always been down-to-earth and never said anything to hurt me.

  Until now.

  Cameron won’t miss this. It’s supposed to be my turn. Sure, we started with spin the bottle, but Michelle promised me I could go next. And who am I gonna choose to do the dare with if Cameron isn’t here?

  Well, it sure isn’t going to be Ryder. His dark eyes move back to his laptop screen, the harsh glare illuminates his face and I can’t see even a hint of regret. He probably has no idea that he’s now earned himself a new title.

  Ryder Black, Crusher of Dreams.

  “We can wait,” Katia suggests, looking at me like I’m a lost puppy. I realize my nonchalant expression has slipped into a devastated frown. Katia is also the empath of the group, and judging by the fact that no one else is even looking my way, I think she’s the only one who catches my reaction.

  I fix my smile and march into the living area.

  “Should we tell them?” Mark says, looking at Debbie with a wicked grin.

  Debbie's hand flies to her chest. “Now?” she asks. A sparkle blinds me for a second and I rub my eyes like a cartoon character, then I gawp at her.

  “Is that…?” I blurt. But Katia interrupts me, grabbing her twin sister’s hand and staring at it open-mouthed.

  “You got engaged!”

  The words ring in my ears like the Bells of Notre Dame. A few weeks ago, Debbie and Mark were at each other’s throats. Now they’re getting married.

  I’m not sure whether I feel inspired or depressed by the revelation.

  “Congratulations,” I force out as everyone else rallies around them.

  I glance at the hall, wondering if anyone might notice if I creep out of the room and hide. Without Cameron here to flirt with, this party is going to be an incredible bore. Now the conversation moves on to the topic of wedding dresses and who will be a bridesmaid, and my night goes from dull to unbearable.

  The doorbell rings and I leap to my feet as if I’ve been zapped by an electric eel.

  Oh, the sweet shrill tones of my doorbell to the rescue!

  “That’ll be the pizza,” I exclaim, smiling genuinely now. The thought of a greasy stuffed crust pepperoni pizza to dip into a slice of Katia’s rich lasagna is enough to turn any frown upside down. Cameron thinks it’s gross to dip pizza in lasagna, but to me, it’s heaven. My stomach does a little excited dance as I swagger to the door with my wallet.

  “You’re my hero!” I boldly claim as I pull the door open, thumbing through the dollar bills. “How much do I owe you?” I look up from my wallet and my mouth falls open.

  It’s not the pizza guy.

  “Well, seeing as you brought it up, you still owe me twenty dollars for the movie last month.”

  Cameron James grins at me from my doorstep. I pause for a split second to take in his dark, ruffled hair and his casual shirt half-tucked into his black jeans. His stubbled jaw makes him look like a modern-day pirate, and despite the awkward encounter, all I want to do is grab him by the collar and pull him in for a long-overdue first kiss.

  I lick my lips instinctively as the thought crosses my mind, and I stand frozen, unable to form a sentence.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Cameron says, stepping in. I’m still blocking the doorway though and he stops, his chest hovering half an inch away from my pounding heart. As his body heat radiates over me, my frozen position melts, allowing me to slip backward.

  “No worries,” I say, finding my voice. A voice, rather. Not mine. Because the one I find is an octave higher than mine and it scratches my throat. Cameron’s almond-shaped eyes crease in the corners as he grins for a second. Then he turns to greet the rest of the gang.

  “Debbie and Mark are getting hitched!” Michelle cries out as Cameron enters the room. I shut the door, my heart throbbing. Now he’s got his back to me, I can’t make out his expression.

  Shock? Horror? Total indifference?

  “Cool,” he says with a shrug. He and I reach for a potato chip at the same time. When our hands touch, a rush of heat goes right to my head.

  “Sorry, you go ahead,” he says in his deep, sexy, voice. Katia’s dark eyes beam at me as I look up and I almost jump back at the severity of her gaze. Thank goodness looks can’t really kill. Otherwise, I’d be nothing but a puff of black smoke right now.

  Her lips move, but I can’t hear anything over the excited chatter. I know what she’s thinking, though.

  Get a grip. You’re beginning to swoon.

  Cameron takes a drink and settles on the arm of the couch, looking at Ryder’s laptop. As if whatever is on his screen is a million times more interesting than what is going on in the room.

  A tiny part of my brain points out the fact this party is pretty lame. The pizza is late, there’s no music and no one can decide on a movie to watch.

  I break away from Katia’s discerning stare to put on my hostess hat. I clear my throat.

  This will be the best party, ever.

  Am I a teeny, tiny bit concerned my parents will kill me if someone spills red wine on the white Persian rug? Yes.

  Am I worried that if we get too loud, Mr. and Mrs. Frank from next door will call the cops? 100%.

  But am I going to let any of it get in the way of having the most memorable party on this side of the century?

  No. Freaking. Way.

  I twirl my blonde curls and clear my throat, putting on a big smile and prompting the chatter to die down.

  All eyes settle on me and it becomes so quiet, I worry that they can hear my heart beating like a drum.

  “Welcome to the party, everyone. I’m super glad you could all make it,” I begin. My posture straightens and I roll my shoulders back, boosting my confidence by the minute. “Let’s start with Michelle’s experiment.”

  Michelle rolls her eyes. “Experiment, oh please. It’s just an innocent game…”

  “…that got us locked in a basement!” Debbie finishes, elbowing her best friend.

  Mark pats her knee. “Which reminds me, I owe you a drink.” He winks at Michelle as the others guffaw. My stomach wobbles like a tower of jelly sitting on a maximum spin dryer.

  �
�I’ll grab the bottle,” Michelle says, stooping down to root through her bag.

  “Wait,” I blurt. All eyes land on me again, even Ryder looks up from his laptop.

  I can’t let Michelle use the bottle tonight. What if it doesn’t land on Cameron? I fiddle with the buttons on my dress and chew my lip, trying to think of a way to look a little less desperate and more like I’ve come up with a genius idea.

  Then an idea does strike me.

  “How about we just forget the bottle? You told me it was my turn and I already know who I want to do the dare with.”

  The eyes staring at me grow wider. Michelle’s brows rise so far up her forehead, I imagine they’ll jump off her face and fly to the ceiling if she forces them any higher.

  “How do you know they are all dares for couples?” she asks. Someone snorts and Jonah shakes his head. “Oh, come on, drop the act. This truth or dare experiment––”

  “––for my thesis,” Michelle cuts in.

  “Is about couples. What is it, anyway? You think you have a theory that you can manipulate people into getting engaged? Well, it won’t happen to me.” Jonah crosses his arms with a determined frown. For a splinter of a moment, a look of hurt crosses Michelle’s face but it fades quickly and she breaks into an evil grin.

  “There’s no fun in telling you. Yet,” she says.

  Ryder raises his hand.

  “If I’m honest, the bottle is a tad juvenile, don’t you think?”

  Ryder is a man of few words, and yet when he does speak, it is always right to the point. And that’s the second time he’s said something offensive tonight.

  He’s on a roll.

  Michelle forces a smile; the kind she makes to people when she is secretly plotting their demise. Then she turns to me.

  “Fine. It’s your turn, Holly. Tell us. Who do you want to be your partner for the dare?”

  “Or truth,” Katia adds.

  “No, I’m choosing a dare,” I say before my brain can compute. I dig my fingernails into my palms until my eyes water at the pain. “I choose Cameron.”

  Cameron

  There’s something off about Holly tonight. But I can’t put my finger on what exactly. First, she's wearing a dress. I’m almost certain the last time she wore anything other than denim or black leggings was for prom.

  On top of that, it’s a pink figure-hugging dress. Her slender shoulders and narrow waist are on full show, rather than hidden under an oversized sweater.

  And her hair, usually scraped back into a messy bun and sitting like a bird's nest atop her head, is hanging free in loose curls.

  She looks… like a girl.

  I shake the thought out of my mind as my name escapes her lips.

  Am I surprised she chose me to do the dare with her? No. We’re best friends and everyone else in the room has history. Still though...

  “Okay, choose a paper,” Michelle instructs, holding out a glass jar to Holly. Jonah nudges me, but I keep my eyes fixed on Holly, holding my breath.

  “Your dare is––” Michelle stops and looks around as we all lean in, hanging onto every word. My stomach clenches as her grin turns devilish. “To make out on camera and upload the video to your social media profiles.”

  The room explodes. Not literally, of course. The girls squeal with excitement and the guys sound like a bunch of chimpanzees.

  “That’s a juicy one,” Jonah says, clapping me on the back. I imagine his eyes glinting as he grins at me, but I'm not paying any attention to him. Heck, the room could be full of chimpanzees and I wouldn’t know. I can’t keep my eyes off Holly. She won’t look at me. She has her eyes focused on the floor, but the corners of her mouth lift, and the flush of color to her cheeks does something weird to my stomach. It’s like I’ve swallowed a pill that is now effervescing like crazy inside of me.

  “What’s the forfeit?” Ryder asks. Holly’s head snaps up and her expression turns to horror, as if Ryder just dropped a stink bomb.

  “We’ll do it,” she says firmly. I feel my brows go up. Does she want to do this?

  I’m an actor. I’ve kissed more than my fair share of leading ladies. In fact, I’ve never been in a serious relationship. The problem with acting is you lose a part of yourself. It’s hard to know what feelings are real.

  Then there’s the fact I’ve spent most of my life pretending to be strong. But that brings me to a topic I’m not willing to think too much about.

  Holly and I have been best mates since… forever. We’ve been in plays together, but never in a romantic setting. So we’ve never kissed.

  But she’s an actress too. A professional one. I can’t see this being a hard dare. Not on that front.

  It’s the uploading to social media part that I feel nervous about. All of our friends and family will go nuts. My mom has been calling Holly 'the daughter she never had' since we were in high school. She’ll be on the phone in no time, planning our wedding.

  Then there’s my work. When you work with kids, there’s an expectation to be a good example. I can’t post anything sleazy online. A lot of the kids follow me.

  But maybe we can pull it off. We just have to make sure it looks like a romantic gesture, and less like a drunken kiss. I snap out of my thoughts, suddenly aware that everyone is looking at me and I’ve not said a word since the announcement. Holly’s expectant eyes burn right into my soul as she bites her lip. I’ve never thought about her lips before, now I can’t stop staring.

  “Shall I set up the camera, then?” I offer with a shrug. I'm trying to sound casual and hoping no one picks up on the fact that my voice is a bit too high. Holly’s expression turns to delight as she looks at Michelle.

  “Okay, we’re doing this.”

  Holly

  Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.

  A part of me wants to run around the condo, screaming at the top of my lungs.

  I’m finally going to makeout with Cameron James.

  I’m buzzing with so much intensity, I could burst at any moment. It’s the perfect dare. I want to grab Michelle by the shoulders and kiss her!

  What better way to leave the friendzone than to lock lips with the man you love? Surely as soon as our lips touch, Cameron will be consumed by the realization that the two of us are destined to be together.

  Why do I love Cameron? Let me count the ways.

  He smells good. Always. Even when he’s been out playing soccer with the guys. He has that masculine scent that drives a woman crazy. And don’t get me started on how hot he looks when he’s been working on his dad’s car for the day––covered in oil, and wearing a ripped shirt with his biceps shining with grease and sweat in the sunshine.

  Another reason why I love him; he makes me feel like I’m home. When we went on a school trip to Washington D.C. in senior year for a week, I got homesick. I hated being away from my creature comforts. Cameron knew just what I needed. He snuck into my room, put on my favorite rom-com, and let me curl up in his arms.

  Another reason I love him; he reads me like a book. If I’m in a sad mood, no matter how chipper I try to be, he sees right through it and is the first person to offer me a hug.

  That should make the list as well. His hugs are the best.

  “This party just got interesting,” Ryder says. His words pull me out of my daydreams, and I notice the others have evacuated the couch. Cameron, meanwhile, has propped his phone up on Michelle’s tripod.

  “Ready?” he asks, turning to me. His question hits me square between the eyes and my mouth turns dry.

  After all these years, after all this time. After all the sleepless nights I spent fantasizing about the day we finally kiss, the moment has arrived, and I do not feel prepared.

  “I’ll be right back,” I say edging out of the room. Then I bolt up the hall to the bathroom.

  With the door shut and the sound of everyone’s excited chatter muffled, I allow myself to take deep ragged breaths.

  “It’s fine,” I say aloud, l
ooking at myself in the mirror.

  “This is totally what I wanted.”

  A knock on the door has me jump with a yelp.

  “It’s me, let me in.”

  The soft voice of my bestie, Katia, settles my nerves a little and I open the door for her. She enters and closes it behind her.

  “Just checking to see if you’re okay,” she says. I shoot her a quizzical look. “I’m great,” I say. “This is the best dare, ever.”

  “Is it?” Katia asks. I frown back at her, wondering what the reason is behind her concern. “Why do you ask?”

  Katia is the most sensible person I know. Maybe it’s because she’s been heartbroken in the past, or maybe it's the fact that her parents went through an ugly divorce during the whole of freshman year. She might be the same age as me, but she has more life experience.

  “Have you thought about what will happen… after?” she asks, her voice lowered as if worried anyone else might hear.

  “After?” I repeat. I allow my mind to imagine the moment. Cameron leans in and takes fistfuls of my hair. I slide my hands over his broad shoulders and we play tonsil tennis. We break apart, and Cameron confesses his love and devotion to me. Then we run off to Vegas and get married before anyone can change our minds.

  The image of Elvis singing at our wedding fades away as Katia’s severe expression comes back into focus.

  “You two have the best friendship in the world,” she points out. “What if this changes things?”

  I shrug. “That’s kinda the point, you know how I feel about him.” Just saying it aloud makes my heart race.

  “We’ve been through this, Holly. If Cameron had feelings for you that way, surely he’d have said something by now?”

  My frown deepens. “Well, I feel that way about him and I still haven’t told him.”

  Katia sighs and crosses her arms. Her dark eyes avert from mine and she bites her lip. She knows she can’t argue. I have a point. And even though the odds might be slightly against me, it is still totally possible that Cameron secretly dreams of being with me and just hasn’t built up the courage to tell me yet.