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

This feels like one of those private conversations and I’m the third wheel. But do I trust Tessa to be alone with Jonah? No way. He’s too vulnerable. I clamp my teeth together, convincing myself I’m here to protect him, and my own feelings are not at stake here.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you Jonah,” Tessa confesses. Her words hit me square between the eyes. Now, I’m definitely not leaving them alone. Tessa does want Jonah back. This is my worst nightmare.

Maybe I’m asleep. Yes. Let’s go with that. This is all a weird dream and soon I’ll wake up spooning Jonah in our room. Tessa is just a figment of my imagination. A personification of my fears and insecurities. I surreptitiously pinch my arm and wince at the pain. It’s a disappointing sensation, but it doesn’t mean I’m not asleep, scientific studies have discovered people can feel pain in their dreams. My brain scrambles to pull together all of the reasons why I cannot be awake. But before I can come to any clear conclusions, Tessa continues.

“I’ve been following you on social media. And remember you posted this a couple of days ago?” She holds up her phone to Jonah, and I lean over to catch a glimpse of the screen. It’s a picture of me and Jonah with the caption. “Hawaii baby!” The resort is tagged in it.

Stupid social media. It’s one thing that our friends booked in at the same resort without telling me, but Tessa? Who next? Jonah’s parents? Next time we go away, I’m going to keep it a secret until we get back. That is... If there is a next time. Assuming Tessa doesn’t succeed in getting Jonah back.

The thought makes me shudder. “But I don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head at the absurdity of the situation. “You’re engaged to Eddie,” Jonah says, looking confused.

“Oh, that,” Tessa says through a soft laugh. Dang it. Even her laugh sounds melodic. She might be a stalker with a seemingly bottomless wallet, but she’s a beautiful stalker. And that’s dangerous.

Tessa puffs air from her cheeks and looks at me resolved. “He’s just a friend. I’m paying him to pretend to be my fiancé.”

Jonah sits upright. “What!”

“I thought it would make you jealous, and that maybe I could win you back.”

Jonah rises to a stand and begins to pace the beach. “So... what? You stalked me, and paid someone to act as your fiancé to make me jealous, in the hope it would manipulate me into taking you back?”

Tessa rises to him, reaching out for his hand, but he pulls away. Meanwhile, I scramble to my feet, wondering how it was so easy for the two of them to get up. Man, I need to book an appointment with the doctor when I get home.

“They say people do crazy things when they’re in love,” Tessa says softly. I almost nod along but catch myself and hold still. Now is not the time to agree with Tessa.

Jonah laughs derisively then shakes his head. “No. I can’t believe you think it’s okay to manipulate someone like that. I mean, that’s not how you treat someone you love.”

“But baby, I just don’t know how to live without you in my life.”

“You can’t make someone fall in love,” Jonah shouts back. His words hit me like a dagger to the heart.

Tessa’s eyes shoot to me for a moment, then she looks back at Jonah. “Please, can we just talk about this... alone?”

“I’m just as bad as her,” I whisper to myself, falling to my knees again. Tessa and Jonah continue their fight, walking back up the beach, while I sit misty-eyed looking at the dark ocean.

How can I judge Tessa, when I’ve been doing the same thing? This Truth or Dare game is shrouded in deceit. Don’t fall in love, when that’s exactly what I want him to do.

Maybe Jonah does have a type after all. Women who play mind games.

I leave Jonah and Tessa and trudge back to the party with my head down, feeling like the world around me has turned to oblivion. Holly and Debbie take one look at me and leave the dance floor. “What’s wrong with you?” Holly asks. I shake my head, glancing up at Tessa and a troubled Jonah walking towards the pool.

“What’s going on?” Debbie says, following my line of sight. “What is Tessa doing with Jonah?”

“Not here,” I mutter, turning away and heading for the hotel. Holly and Debbie follow, linking arms with me.

 “Okay, let’s grab a coffee.”

We sit in the quiet bar with our drinks and I tell the girls everything about Tessa being here and her confession.

“Jonah is furious about her manipulating him. He feels betrayed and angry. When I left them, he was still ranting on about how you can’t just force people to be with you like that.”

Holly and Debbie gasp.

“I knew there was something off about them,” Holly says, her face scrunching up. “They’re too intense.” Debbie nods along.

“I agree. What Mark and I have got going on is intense, but their act was on a whole other level.”

“That’s saying a lot,” Holly adds with a smirk. Debbie’s cheeks flush and she grins at Holly, but then her face turns serious again and she turns to me.

“What are you gonna do?”

I swallow the last of my coffee and shut my eyes against the dull headache spreading across my forehead. “What would you do? Tessa wants him back. She’s willing to do crazy things to make it happen and now he hates her.”

“So? That’s great. He doesn’t want anything to do with her. Why are you upset?”

“Because…” I bite my lip until it stings. “I’m just as bad as her.”

Debbie snorts. “Yeah right,” she says, her voice dripping in sarcasm. “You’re amazing, kind, and the smartest person in our group.”

“Except for Ryder,” Holly cuts in. Debbie shoots her a look.

I laugh half-heartedly. Holly’s right. My intellect does not match Ryder’s. But I’d love to be able to study his brain someday, find out how it works