Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection by Laura Burton (i read a book TXT) 📕

everyone at the resort is walking around looking casual. Michelle looks like a Broadway star. I catch her eye from the mirror, and she grins at me. It’s the kind of grin a child makes when they get caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

“Distracting you from she-who-must-not-be-named,” she explains, lifting her dark wavy hair into a high ponytail. “Is it working?”

I watch her fasten her hair in place with bobby pins, the back of her neck on show, and I get a flashback of running my hand down her spine.

“Maybe,” I admit, clearing my throat. My stomach knots uncomfortably as I wrestle with the idea of walking over and pressing my lips on the base of her neck. How can I sit in self-pity right now, when Michelle is sitting just across the room, looking like a million dollars?

Evening dinner is set up outside. Round tables are scattered across the sand, facing a stage, and tall, lit torches cast a golden glow across the couples. A group of women dance in grass skirts as Michelle and I walk arm in arm, approaching our friends’ table.

“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