“To us,” I reply, warmth rushing to my cheeks. We clink shot glasses, tap them down on the table and then shoot them back. The burn of the rum slides down my throat and warms my insides, makes me feel alive, and I’m ready to play the game. Austin leans across the table, catching my lips in his, and gives me a deep kiss that pulls me in. The taste of liquor on his mouth has me wanting to taste more of him.
“Okay, love birds. Who’s going first?” Leah asks. Webreak apart, and I blush, suddenly aware that there are too many eyes on us.
“I’ll go first,” Kash insists. None of us is surprised.
“Okay, Kash, truth or dare?” Leah uses one of her empty shot glasses as a microphone.
“Dare, of course,” he says, like it’s the obvious answer.
“I dare you… to get that cougar’s number by the bar. The one wearing the snakeskin body suit. She looks like a good time.” She winks, and Kash swipes another shot from the table, downing it in one large gulp.
“Opting out of the first dare? Really?” Austin remarks. Kash smirks.
“Not a chance! You’ll have to try a lot harder than that to make me cower. That shot was just liquid courage. The ladies love me.” He palms his chest. “Especially the ones who are more mature and experienced,” he emphasizes. Kash strides towards the bar with a newfound confidence, and a fit of laughter breaks out at our table as we watch him approach the women and begin flirting shamelessly.
They look like they’re having a girls’ night out, on the prowl for someone exactly like Kash. He’s gone for five minutes and returns with a red lipstick stain on his cheek and the top button of his shirt undone. With a smug grin, he places two white cocktail napkins in the middle of the table, both with phone numbers scrawled on them.
“Got both of them.” He flaunts. “Guess that means I nailed it, huh?” He slouches back in his seat.
“Yeah, yeah,” Leah mutters.
“Gremlin.” Kash sets his sights on me. “Truth or dare?” he asks, his tone trying to intimidate me into picking the former.
“Dare,” I smirk.
“Oh, boy,” Leah huffs. His eyes narrow, and he looksfrom me to Austin. Clearly scheming something up that we both won’t like.
“I dare you to kiss me.” I nearly choke on my Long Island iced tea, spewing it across the table in shock. Austin’s foot shoots out, giving Kash’s shin a sharp kick. “Fuck! I’m kidding! Jeeze, don’t flip your shit,” he quickly recovers. “I mean, if you want to kiss me, I’m not going to say no.” He shrugs, running his tongue over his bottom lip.
I reach over and grab a shot of tequila off the tray, my eyes never leaving Kash’s. I throw the shot back straight-faced and slam the glass down on the table. I reach for Austin and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deep, sensual kiss that would have anyone who’s watching hot and bothered.
“Okay, okay.” Kash waves one of his cougar cocktail napkins as a white flag. “Message received,” he says, sitting back, a slight pout on his lips.
“Well, I guess it’s my turn then,” I state, sitting up a little taller and eyeing everyone around the table. “Leah,” I point a finger in her direction, “truth or dare?” I narrow my eyes.
“Truth,” she replies, and she almost looks fearful of what I might ask.
“Do you really hate how I dress?” I smirk at her. She bursts out laughing.
“Of all the things in the world you could ask me, that’s what you really want to know?” She continues to giggle. “No, Vixy, I don’t hate how you dress. But it wouldn’t kill you to add a pop of colour sometimes! Everything is always dark and depressing,” she says, and it amuses me.
“Maybe I like dark and depressing,” I answer.
“Oh, it shows.” She digs, and I stick out my tongue at her. She laughs and then sets her sights on Austin. “Lover boy, truth or dare?” she asks.
“Truth,” he blurts out way too quickly. “I don’t trust you fuckers at all,” he says, taking a shot off the tray.
“Tell us the moment you caught feelings for Vix.” Aussy stiffens but then takes his shot and visibly relaxes.
“It was a really long time ago.” He looks nervous and catches my gaze.
My heart picks up pace.
“Tell me… Please?” I ask, and he nods his head. He takes a moment before speaking, grabbing another shot and downing it, needing his own encouragement to speak so openly.
“Do you remember when we were seven, and I had the chicken pox? You climbed through my bedroom window, even though your mom told you we couldn’t see each other until I wasn’t contagious anymore?” He chuckles.
“You told your mom you wanted to talk to me through my window, but she didn’t know you packed your backpack with your favourite movies and your stuffed cat you used to carry around all the time, and you snuck in to see me anyway. We watched Harriet the Spy while pigging out on popsicles, and your mom went ballistic when she caught us cozying up in our pillow fort.” He pauses, as if remembering that day like it was yesterday. His expression grows serious.
