CHAPTER TWENTY #2
Tessa grimaced. “Hard pass.”
Jo shook her head. “They always make you kiss someone.”
Harper muttered, “And I don’t like being bossed around.”
The girl’s eyes landed on me. “What about you? Riley’s already over there.”
My stomach dropped.
Before she could misinterpret the expression on my face, I shook my head quickly. “No thanks.”
“Yeah, no,” Malia added, waving her off. “We’re good here.”
“Fine,” the girl huffed, rolling her eyes. “Your loss.”
She spun on her heel and jogged back toward the fire.
Tessa snorted. “If Riley’s involved, I’d lose on purpose.”
Jo nudged her. “He doesn’t do truth or dare.”
“Yeah,” Harper agreed without looking up. “He does silent psychological warfare instead.”
Malia turned to me, smirking. “He’s probably wondering why you didn’t go over.”
I lifted my chin. “Let him wonder.”
Her smile widened. “Good.”
And for the first time all night, I felt like I wasn’t reacting to Riley.
I was choosing.
I was holding my own.
And when I dared a brief glance back toward the fire, Riley’s expression confirmed it—just a flicker, a twitch at the edge of his mouth, the hint of a smile he didn’t allow to form completely.
He wasn’t annoyed.
He was intrigued.
Which only made me more determined.
I took another sip of water and turned back to the girls.
Let him wonder.
Let him chase.
Let him try.
I wasn’t going to make this easy for him.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
A single vibration.
I frowned and pulled it out.
Are you too scared to play truth or dare?
A wave of heat rolled through my chest.
Not fear.
Not embarrassment.
Recognition.
I typed back quickly, thumbs steady.
Why do you care?
The reply came before I even dropped my hand back onto my lap.
Because I wanted to see if you’re still that confident when you’re playing against me.
My eyes lifted, almost on instinct.
Across the bonfire, the flames flickering against his jawline…
Riley stood slightly apart from the group, a drink in one hand, his phone in the other.
And he was looking directly at me.
Not subtle.
Not accidental.
Not even pretending.
A slow, knowing curve formed at the corner of his mouth when he saw I’d spotted him.
Something sharp and reckless unfurled inside me. The warmth of the girls at my side, the confidence Malia kept feeding into my bloodstream, the stubborn pride I’d earned tonight brick by brick.
Before I could second-guess it, I typed.
You just really want to kiss me, don’t you?
Tessa gasped when she saw the look on my face.
Jo leaned closer. “What did you do?”
Harper didn’t look up, but she smirked.
Malia nudged me knowingly. “Troublemaker.”
My phone buzzed again.
Why don’t you come over and find out?
I laughed. Actually laughed. And the girls’ heads snapped toward me like I’d dropped a bomb in the middle of the circle.
Malia grinned. “Okay. What’s going on? Spill.”
I stared at my phone, still smiling. “He’s asking for trouble.”
Malia scoffed. “He is trouble.”
Tessa snorted. “He deserves whatever you’re about to do.”
Harper added, still sketching, “End him.”
Jo lifted her water bottle in a toast. “For the sisterhood.”
Their confidence soaked into me like fire into dry wood.
It felt good.
It felt powerful.
It felt like I was finally stepping into the version of myself I kept promising I’d become.
I stood, brushing sand off my shorts.
“So...” Malia asked, eyes sparkling, “you going over there?”
I capped my water bottle, heart thudding in a steady, intentional rhythm.
“Yeah,” I said.
And it felt nothing like defeat.
“I’m going.”
Behind me, the bonfire popped loudly, sending sparks swirling into the dark. Riley watched me start to walk, lips curving slowly. Not like a victory…
But like the beginning of a war he was excited to fight.
And so was I.
Malia, Tessa, Jo, and Harper rose behind me, forming a small, determined wall of girl energy at my back.
“We’re coming,” Malia said. “No way we’re missing this.”
“Front-row seats,” Tessa added.
“Spectator sport,” Jo agreed.
Harper snapped her sketchbook shut. “Documenting the chaos.”
We walked toward the bonfire, the heat and the laughter and the music swelling around us like we were stepping back onto a stage.
As soon as we reached the circle, a guy near the firelit center stood and grinned. “Finally decided to join?”
“Yes,” I said simply.
Behind me, the girls chimed together:
“We’re just watching.”
People laughed, shifting to make room. Riley stepped closer, phone tucked away, something sharp and knowing glinting in his eyes when I met them.
Before I could take a seat, he spoke.
“I’m playing, too.”
The chatter around the circle froze.
Then exploded.
“What—“
“No way—“
“He never—“
“Riley? Playing?”
Malia murmured behind me, “Oh, this is about to get messy.”
More people scrambled closer, squeezing into the circle. Two of the girls who’d practically melted at Riley earlier dropped into spots like they’d been waiting their whole lives for this moment.
The bottle was set in the middle. An old glass bottle of Coke, sand dusting its sides.
Someone spun it.
It spun fast, catching firelight, scattering off reflections, the crowd leaning in breathlessly.
Then it slowed.
Slowed.
And stopped on…
One of the girls who’d greeted Riley like he personally wrote her love letters. The one who’d touched his arm earlier. The one who looked like she’d been waiting to pounce on him since birth.
Her squeal nearly shook the sand.
She picked dare instantly.
Someone from across the circle, some guy with a beer and a death wish, shouted:
“Since Riley’s playing for the first time ever, he deserves a welcome! She should kiss him!”
The crowd roared in agreement.
The girl practically levitated. “Gladly.”
Riley looked at the guy who’d shouted like he wanted to drag him into the ocean and drown him, but at the same time, a slow, dangerous grin spread across his mouth.
Of course he didn’t care. Of course he wasn’t flustered. Of course he wasn’t bothered that half the crowd wanted to watch.
He sat there like a king on driftwood, elbows on his knees, eyes bright with challenge.
The girl stood, smoothing her hair, heart in her smile, and walked toward him. Every step was a victory to her.
She stopped in front of him.
Riley didn’t move.
He just tipped his chin up slightly, dominant, effortless, infuriatingly sure of himself.
She cupped his face and leaned down.
And then she kissed him.
Gasps. Cheers. Waves crashing behind the noise.
She kissed him like she wanted to swallow the air between them, hungry, eager, worshipful.
And Riley?
Riley kissed her back.
Slow at first, controlled… then deeper, with a sudden intensity that made the crowd erupt.
The bonfire crackled like it wanted to climb into the sky.
People laughed, shouted, clapped. Someone yelled, “GET IT, RILEY!” Another shouted, “Daaamn!”
The girl made a small, breathy sound that sounded a little too triumphant.
He didn’t stop her.
He didn’t pause.
He didn’t even open his eyes.
And I…
I stood there in the circle’s glow with the girls around me, heart stuttering painfully in my chest, stomach curling, tight, hot, uncomfortable.
This wasn’t jealousy.
This wasn’t attraction.
This was…
He was doing it on purpose.
To show me.
To rattle me.
To test me.
Because Riley didn’t kiss like that for fun.
He kissed like that to destroy.
And the crowd went absolutely wild.
Malia leaned close, whispering, “Luna… are you okay?”
But I didn’t answer.
Because Riley had just opened his eyes Mid-kiss.
And he was looking at me.
Directly at me.
Watching.
Measuring.
Daring.
The kiss finally broke.
She pulled away slowly, like she wanted to savor every last second of his mouth on hers, then practically floated back to her spot in the circle. People hooted and cheered as she sat down, breathless, smug, glowing like she’d just won something precious.
Riley didn’t even wipe his mouth. He just leaned back, eyes fixed on the fire… except every few seconds, they flicked to me.
Like I was the real show.
The bottle spun again. Laughter rose with the sparks. This time it landed on a guy in a backwards cap. He picked dare without hesitation.
Someone shouted, “SKINNY DIP, DEREK!”
The group erupted, screaming, clapping, stamping their feet in the sand. Derek grinned, shrugged, and immediately pulled off his shirt. The crowd screamed even louder.
I tried to focus on anything but Riley.
Derek dropped his shorts. The girls around me shrieked like they’d just been given front-row seats at a concert. He sprinted across the sand, completely naked, straight toward the freezing waves.
The ocean swallowed him in a crash of white foam.
Everyone erupted with laughter.
And then…
My phone vibrated.
A new message.
But I already knew who it was.
Admit it. You would’ve liked to be her.
My heart jumped. My face burned.
I typed without thinking.
No.
Three seconds passed.
Then…
Liar.
My pulse raced, anger spiking through me, sharper than the heat of the fire.
I would never kiss you like that.
A slow, cruel reply came almost instantly.
True. Once you kiss me you’d never be able to stop.
My stomach flipped, and I hated the flutter of it.
I typed back, fingers tight around my phone.
You wish.
His answer was a blade sliding between my ribs.
We’ll see.
I swallowed hard, shoving my phone into my pocket like that would help stop the way my body reacted.
Across the fire, Derek was trudging back up the beach, dripping, shivering, wrapped in someone’s sweatshirt while the crowd cheered like he’d returned from war.
Everyone laughed.
Everyone celebrated.
But all I could feel was Riley’s gaze, cool, dark, and maddeningly entertained, burning into my skin.
Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.
Like he enjoyed every second of it.
The bottle spun again.
Fast. Wild. Sparks reflecting in the dark glass as the whole circle leaned in, breath held, waiting.
I told myself I didn’t care where it landed.
I lied.