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

plants chaste kisses all over my face. Then he leaves a trail of feathery kisses down my neck and stops at my collarbone.

My stomach is a tangle of nerves. His cologne washes over me, and I can taste the salty sweat on my upper lip. My breath hitches at the pressure of his hips against mine. Maybe this isn’t a dream?

I look out the open window at the orange sunshine. A sweet floral scent mingled with the smell of seaweed floats in and I suddenly realize I have no idea what it smells like in Hawaii. But I could never have guessed the air would smell fruity. I grip Jonah’s biceps as he hovers over me, nuzzling my neck.

“Is this real? Am I awake?” I say. Jonah lifts his head and laughs, then he climbs off me and sits on the edge of the bed. “Come over here,” he pats the space beside him on the bed.

I crawl over and settle with my legs dangling over the edge.

“Look,” Jonah says, nodding to the sea. Birds chirp in the distance and the beach is a rainbow of colors as the rising sun lights up the sky. Jonah slides his arm around me and pulls me in to lean on him for a cuddle. “This is as real as it gets,” he says softly. Then he turns and presses his lips to my forehead. “And for the record. I love you too.”

THE END

Epilogue

Katia

I can’t believe it happened again. Another dare is over––and Michelle and Jonah totally failed. Now, our group of friends is split up into three couples, leaving just me and Ryder. The last two singletons.

I take a long swig of my drink as the girls get up and dance. The club is loud and not my type of scene, but Debbie wanted to do something wild for her bachelorette party.

The wedding is in just a few days. It’s been a crazy whirlwind of planning, shopping, organizing guest lists, and seating. Finding cheap flights for our family to fly over from Italy has been a mission in itself.

Now, everything is in place and Debbie is dancing with her friends, looking like the happiest woman on the planet.

No one has mentioned the dares for several weeks. A few months rolled by and for a while, I wondered if Ryder and I got off scot-free. Maybe Michelle will forget? Now that she’s all loved up with Jonah and has what she wants... There’s no need to put me through any misery, right?

If Michelle does give us a dare, I’m not sure what it would be. Ryder was my first kiss, my first love. He was the yin to my yang all through high school.

Then college took us to opposite ends of the country and Ryder, ever sensible Ryder, broke it off. It shattered my heart at the time, but he was right: long-distance relationships never work.

I knew girls in my dorm who tried to keep a relationship going long distance. None of them lasted.

And now we’re back. He’s got a tech job in the city, and I’m doing my dream job, working at Perrier Frances’ 5 Michelin star restaurant.

Does Michelle think that after all these years, we should give things another go?

Just as the thought crosses my mind, a man plops down at the table. I look at him with surprise, then recognize the small scar above his lip.

“Ryder? What are you doing here?” I say. Ryder looks different. His hair is greased to the side and he swapped a polo shirt for a black button-up. My gaze hovers over the top two buttons left undone, showing off his defined collar bone.

Ryder clears his throat, his Adam’s apple bobs, and I jolt out of my daze. “Michelle told us to meet you here for something.”

I lean to the side to look under the table. I'm surprised to only see a pair of legs in waxy denim jeans. “No laptop?” I ask, looking at him with a teasing smile.

Ryder keeps his face neutral, but I can tell he’s inwardly rolling his eyes. “Funny enough, no.”

Mark, Cameron, and Jonah turn up with drinks, shouting over the dance music.

“Hey, we’re over here!” Mark says, waving gallantly at the girls. Michelle sees him and her face lights up. As everyone grabs a seat in the circular booth, Ryder and I slide closer and closer to give them room. Finally, we end up sitting next to each other, and our thighs touch briefly. I try to ignore the way it sends my heart fluttering.

“Thanks for meeting us,” Michelle says, her eyes glinting.

My stomach drops. I know that look. It’s the look she makes when she’s plotting something awful. Like the time she threw me a surprise 16th birthday party and all our classmates trashed my parents’ house. Debbie and I were both grounded for weeks.

My eyes narrow at Debbie as she steals a quick kiss with Mark. She’s different. The Debbie I grew up with hated parties, and she would never be seen near Mark, her nemesis. But here she is in a club, having the time of her life just days before marrying the boy she hated at school.

Her gaze lands on me and the corners of her mouth twitch. Whatever Michelle has planned, she's in on it.

“Oh boy,” I mutter under my breath. Michelle slams a glass jar on the table. That catches everyone’s attention. My heart sinks at the sight of the folded pieces of paper. The other guys all go “Oooooh,” and Mark plays a drum roll on the table.

“Oh, no. Not here,” Ryder says with a groan. I sigh. Clearly his level of excitement about this dare is the same as mine. Michelle opens up the jar and offers it to Ryder. “It’s time.”

I hold my breath and watch as Ryder sticks his hand in the jar. Holly and Debbie practically squeal with excitement at each other across the table, while Michelle watches with beady eyes. After a drawn-out time of rummaging around, Ryder withdraws