Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Page 7

“Okay, let’s get this over with, and then we need to talk,” Holly says. She lets go of my hands to look at my phone, and I feel like a vacuum has sucked all of the oxygen from my body. Suddenly it seems as though holding Holly’s hands is my only form of life support.

  “Right, there’s loads of battery power, I’m pressing record in 3…2…1.” Holly returns to the couch and I grasp her hands like I’m drowning and she’s a lifejacket.

  She stops smiling at the urgency of the move, or maybe it’s the intense look in my eyes that throws her off guard?

  She probably thinks I’m worried about finishing the dare in time. But I don’t care about what Michelle will try to make us do if we’re unsuccessful.

  I care about Holly. I want to show her that she’s my favorite person in the entire world.

  Holly’s cheeks dimple and grow pink as we edge closer. She sneaks a glance at my phone, but we could be live on TV with the whole world watching us and it wouldn't matter to me.

  I reach for the back of her neck and graze my thumb over her cheekbone to stop her from turning to the phone again.

  I lean in to her ear and whisper, “Stop thinking.”

  Holly nods a little. I weave my fingers through her hair and pull her in to me.

  It feels like I have wanted to kiss Holly, and I mean really kiss her, for so long, I can’t remember not wanting to.

  Flashbacks cross my mind. Some of them are fantasy. Some of them are real. Seeing her giggling with her friends on the field.

  Slow dancing with Ben Knowles at our prom; her hair swept up, the elegant curve of her neck visible.

  The summer she introduced me to Matt, her boyfriend from college. I wanted to send that guy off to the moon for just holding her hand.

  A moan brings me out of my thoughts. I’m not sure if it’s from me or Holly.

  But then she bites gently on my bottom lip, and we moan together. Her gorgeous floral scent washes over my soul, and I bask in it, caressing her shoulder.

  We break apart to catch our breath. I cradle her face and nuzzle her nose with mine, pecking her on the cheek.

  Recovered, Holly reclaims my lips with hers. We keep it sweet and tender, savoring this moment. Every brush of our lips, or tickle of her minty breath on my cheeks, makes my heart swell.

  Michelle designed this dare to be scandalous.

  But nothing about it feels wrong.

  At work, I’m Mr. James, the drama teacher. To my parents, I’m the two-year-old boy who was obsessed with The Hulk.

  But with Holly, I’m just me. All of me. I'm the good, the bad… and everything in-between.

  I wrap my arms around her waist, never wanting to let her go again. Right here, right now, she is mine. All mine.

  And I make a promise, that I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make sure I never lose her again.

  Holly

  I never want this to end. Who knows how long we’ve been kissing? But there’s no sign that either of us wants to slow down.

  Cameron lifts me up onto his lap and we can’t decide whether to just hold each other, softly pecking each other’s lips, or lose ourselves in a deeper kiss. We keep alternating between the two.

  Finally, our lungs scream for air, so we slow down and keep our clammy foreheads together, eyes closed.

  We’ve both forgotten about the dare. And the camera is still precariously balanced atop Great Expectations - the perfect book for this moment.

  I did come into this with great expectations, but Cameron’s response has blown them out of the water.

  We’ve definitely crossed the friendship zone and are now treading on entirely new territory.

  The problem is, it’s totally a one-way trip. If I mess this up, or if he changes his mind, there is no going back to being just friends.

  We can’t.

  Cameron’s light stubble grazes delightfully across my skin. And the press of his lips leaves a trail of heat as he kisses me from cheek to cheek, stopping briefly on the way to kiss my lips.

  I expected a steamy kiss with all of my senses on fire. I expected Cameron to profess his undying love and devotion to me. Okay, maybe my fantasies also involved a marriage proposal too.

  But this is so much more than love or lust. It’s something else entirely. I feel like I’ve finally come home, that the world was off-kilter and has now been put back on its proper axis.

  With my eyes still closed, I drag my hands over his firm biceps, squeezing his shoulders before tracing lines up his neck. A vein pulses underneath my fingertip just below his jaw and Cameron moans in a way that makes me weak at the knees. Literally.

  I wobble side to side, struggling to stay balanced on his lap, so Cameron picks me up and settles me back on the couch.

  The room is now a furnace. My cheeks feel flaming hot as Cameron tries to smooth my frizzing hair.

  It’s a doomed mission though. Drops of sweat are clinging to my temples and sizzling on the heat of my skin. Pretty soon, I’m gonna look like Albert Einstein.

  But who cares? Cameron is still kissing me in a way I could never have imagined.

  It’s as if our minds have connected, and I am feeling all of his emotions. Tenderness. Trust. Vulnerability. True devotion.

  We press our heads together again, eyes still closed, panting. And for a few moments, we just stay like that, holding each other.

  To anyone watching this, it must look like we’re saying a prayer. It's probably not the hot and sizzling makeout session, Michelle is expecting, but this tender moment is so intimate, it surpasses any makeout.

  “I think that’s enough,” Cameron whispers. His words shatter my happy meditation. I blink at him as he leans back, breaking our connection.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, watching him pick up his phone. He glances up at me and I see that his face is red and blotchy.

  “We’ve only got fifteen minutes to upload this,” he says, waving the phone at me.

  “Right,” I say, remembering the reason why we’re doing this.

  Cameron joins me on the couch again, tapping on his phone. “Do you want to watch it back first?” he asks. The idea has my stomach doing flips.

  All I can do is nod and Cameron presses play.

  While we were kissing, I imagined the most beautiful, Hollywood scene in my head. Two gorgeous lovers kissing as the camera pans around them to the sound of a symphony of heart-stirring music.

  In reality, the camera is too low and angled up. The result is a view of us in the most unflattering position, ever. After I move on to Cameron’s lap, the rest of the video is a view of my back with the sound of us moaning and what can only be described as lips smacking. It’s gross.

  I look away from the video to glance at Cameron with horror. He matches my expression for a moment. Then we both burst out laughing.

  “We can’t upload that,” I say, tears rolling down my cheeks. Cameron shakes his head. “You’re right. We can’t.”

  Our phones buzz at the same time. That’ll be Michelle again. Cameron angles his phone to me to confirm my suspicion.

  Ten minutes!! – M

  We look at each other. “What do you wanna do?” I ask. The corner of Cameron’s mouth rises, dimpling his left cheek as he looks at me with a twinkle in his eye.

  “We can try again, or…”

  “Or what?” I ask, wondering what plan he’s concocting. Cameron laughs to himself then throws his phone onto the chair across the room and reclines on the couch.

  “Come here,” he says, lifting my legs to rest over his.

  I lean back and Cameron rubs my foot with his strong hands. If I have any tension left in my body, it melts away under his touch.

  “Forget about it,” he says softly.

  I prop my head up on a cushion and take a deep breath, then exhale. Cameron starts rubbing my other foot.

  “What about Michelle?” I ask. But I’m not sure I even care about Michelle and her dare right now.

  “She’ll get over it.”

  The two
of us sit in silence as Cameron rubs my feet. I feel so light and relaxed, I might start floating any minute now.

  “Holly?”

  “Mmm,” is all I can say. I'm in seventh heaven.

  “Truth or dare?”

  I smile at the question, keeping my eyes closed. “Truth. From now on, it’s always truth.”

  Cameron chuckles and squeezes my calf. “Do you want to be with me?”

  I open my eyes and sit up, staring at Cameron. I'm surprised at the uncertainty in his voice. What does he think this is? A fling? A no-strings-attached date? Just what will it take to convince him that my feelings are not superficial?

  “You want the truth?” I put my legs down and scoot over to him. “Well, here it is.” I suck in the air between my teeth and hold my breath for a second, building the courage I need to do this.

  “Cameron James, I’ve had a crush on you since high school. I’ve loved our friendship, but I’ve always wanted more. Seeing you with other girls, kissing other girls, I hated it. You were mine. At least… in my head.” I avert my eyes and blush. But Cameron rests a finger under my chin and lifts my head to meet his gaze again.

  “You’re right,” he says in a voice so low; it rumbles against my eardrums. “I am yours. I always have been.”

  My breath hitches and it takes all of my resolve not to squeal with excitement. This can’t be real. How have we made it all these years without having this kind of talk?

  I dated guys to make Cameron jealous. I wanted to make a move on him, but I was always worried that he didn’t see me that way. Was he doing the same this whole time?

  Cameron picks up my hands and plants feathery kisses over my knuckles.

  “I know your parents want you to be with a lawyer…”

  I clench my jaw. My parents. He’s worried about what my parents will think.

  “All they’ve ever wanted is for me to be happy,” I say, squeezing his hands. “And I’m happiest when I’m with you. They know that.”

  My parents love Cameron almost as much as I do. Once they know I’m in love with him, I’m sure…

  “And I don’t want to hold you back from your dreams,” Cameron continues, breaking into my thoughts. I frown at him.

  “Why would you be holding me back?”

  So, this is why Cameron hasn’t made a move all these years.

  “I want you to achieve everything you've ever dreamed of, but I’m happy here in New York,” Cameron says, rubbing the back of his neck. My frown deepens. “So am I,” I say, but Cameron gives me a wry look. As if he doesn’t believe me.

  “I’m serious,” I say, starting to get annoyed. How can he just decide he’s not good enough? Don’t I get a say in this?

  “Cameron, I want to be with you. I want to make a life with you,” I say. I hold his face between my hands and look him firmly in the eye, just in case he thinks I’m not being honest. I refuse to blink, daring him to argue with me. But his troubled expression vanishes into a grin.

  “Okay. Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” he says, propping me up on his lap again.

  “What?”

  “Seal it with a kiss?” Cameron asks. Just like that, we're both laughing and all of my irritation has faded away. Then I move in for the sweetest kiss of all.

  “I love you, Holly,” he whispers against my lips.

  Even though we failed to complete the dare, and now we’ve got to go skinny dipping in the freezing Hudson river, it was worth it. I succeeded in the most important challenge of all.

  I got out of the friendzone with Cameron.

  And that’s all I need for my happy ending.

  THE END

  Epilogue

  Michelle

  The plan is coming together perfectly. Debbie and Mark are together, blissfully in love. Holly and Cameron have faced their true feelings for each other and embraced whatever obstacles they might have to face in their relationship.

  It would have been great if they actually carried out the dare. But the result is just as I expected.

  So, I’m calling it a win.

  Now, it’s my turn. I was going to go last, but an opportunity has presented itself that is simply too good to pass up.

  At the next party, I stand in front of everyone, grinning like a fool as I dip my hand into the jar of papers.

  I shuffle them around to add suspense. But in reality, it doesn’t matter which one I choose. The challenge is set, and all of the papers are the same.

  “Okay, Jonah. This one is for you and me,” I announce. The rest of the gang lean in, keeping quiet. But Jonah blinks at me blankly as if he’s watching paint dry.

  Or maybe he sees right through my act and knows that I’ve planned all of this to a tee.

  Probably the latter.

  “Our dare is…. don’t fall in love.”

  “What?” Debbie screams, almost spitting her drink down her silk blouse. Holly and Katia look at me quizzically, and the guys in the room look at me like I’ve announced the Earth is flat. Well, all guys except one.

  I know Jonah. Getting him to fall for me is going to take more than a kiss or getting locked in a room together.

  Since he got his heart broken last summer, he’s put iron-clad walls up around his heart. And he’s determined to never get hurt like that again.

  So a chance with this guy is gonna take some reverse psychology. His broad smile widens.

  “What do we have to do?” he asks, sitting up straight. I grin back, happy he’s taken the bait.

  “We’re going to a couples’ retreat in Hawaii this weekend. We’ll have to pretend to be in a relationship, but here’s the kicker: we can’t fall in love for real,” I say.

  “Oooh,” Katia and Debbie say in unison. Ryder shakes his head with a laugh, then looks at his laptop again. Meanwhile, Jonah shrugs nonchalantly.

  “Piece of cake,” he says. “A weekend in Hawaii? I could get on board with that.”

  “Trust Michelle to give herself the best dare,” Holly mutters to Katia, who nods. I ignore them and turn back to Jonah.

  “Are you serious? You think you can stand pretending to be my boyfriend for a weekend?”

  “Michelle, I’ll be whoever you want me to be in Hawaii,” Jonah says, raising his eyebrows at me. We laugh.

  “Alright then. Bring on the challenge. We’re not going to fall in love in Hawaii!

  Dare Number Two: Don’t Fall in Love

  Michelle and Jonah’s story.

  Michelle

  Mom says I’m an over thinker. Dad prefers to use the word worrier. In truth, I’m probably a bit of both.

  I thought that studying behavioral psychology would help me figure out how to calm my overactive brain and take more risks. All it's done so far is fuel me with justifications for my obsession with being prepared for every worst-case scenario.

  However, I am taking more risks.

  This weekend, for example, will change everything. Jonah and I will be thrown together and bond in a way that can only end in three little words. The words that make me swoon when the hero says them at the end of a movie.

  The words that tell me someone out there who does not share my blood, wants to be with me forever and ever.

  Or at least until I gain twenty pounds or a pretty young woman starts working in their office.

  Be quiet, right brain. Nobody needs your skepticism today.

  I buckle my lap belt and pull it tight as the engines begin to rumble.

  “Good evening passengers onboard flight 626 Newark to Hawaii,” a voice announces through the PA system. “We at Tropical Airlines would like to thank you for choosing to fly with us tonight...”

  The cabin crew line the aisles to carry out their safety demonstration and I kick back my water like it’s a shot of vodka. As if chugging a bottle of water will fool my brain into thinking I'm drinking alcohol. Right now, I need a courage boost.

  But here’s the truth about placebos––you need to be ignorant to the fact you’re taking
them for them to work.

  So the drink does nothing to help and only adds to my anxiety because now I have to pee, and the seatbelt sign is still on.

  “Calm down,” Jonah mutters to me, placing his hand over mine.

  “What are you talking about? I’m fine,” I say. But my voice comes out so high; I can’t blame Jonah for looking at me like I'm the biggest liar on the planet.

  “You’re making my seat shake with all the trembling,” he whispers before pressing his lips to my temple. The chaste kiss is purely platonic, and so is the squeeze of his hand over mine. But his actions only remind me of the very reason we are on this plane in the first place.

  The dare.

  We agreed to pose as a couple and spend the weekend at a resort in Hawaii. There we will take classes and participate in activities just for couples, designed to teach people what it takes to make a relationship work. The dare; don’t fall in love.

  My plan, of course, is for him to fail miserably so that we can return to New York as two crazy lovebirds.

  I’ve successfully paired two couples. Now it’s my turn to find Mr. Right. I look over to the fine specimen of a man sitting next to me.

  Jonah White.

  We met at Glee club, and I loved the way he sang––so much energy and passion. We went on one date in our senior year––prom.

  I don’t like thinking back to prom night though, because that was a total disaster.

  College took us to opposite sides of the country, but I never stopped thinking about Jonah.

  Now that we're back together––living in the same city and reconnecting with our group of misfit friends––it's our time.

  Another reason I want to go to this couples’ retreat is I want to see if Jonah and I have what it takes to make a relationship last. Call me paranoid, but my parents do not make the best example. My dad left my mom for his secretary, who is the same age as me. Understandably, my mom has sworn off dating for the rest of her life.

  Jonah’s heart has been through the wringer as well. Last summer, he proposed to his college girlfriend, Tessa. Jonah being Jonah, he took Tessa to their favorite restaurant and sang out his proposal like he was Zac Efron in High School Musical. From what I heard, people were staring, and Tessa didn’t like the attention. Besides, only Zac Efron can get away with bursting out into song in public. People recorded the whole thing and put it up online. Now, the video is out there for everyone to see. Just search “Proposal FAIL: loser sings to his girlfriend and gets DUMPED." It went viral.