“Once I kissed someone so well, they fainted.” My gaze slid between both men, letting the moment hang. Jackson wore his usual smugness. Max’s jaw was stone.
“Two: I’ve faked an orgasm.” The words landed heavily. I watched Jackson, waiting for his reaction, but it was Max who flinched.
“Three: I’ve been head over heels in love.” The last statement came out softer and more unguarded.
“The second’s the lie,” Jackson said immediately. “I’d know.”
Max’s eyes narrowed. “It’s the third. You’ve never been in love. I’d know.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a declaration, and the way he saidit… like the thought of me loving someone else was a blade he wasn’t ready to take.
He was glaring at Jackson. Max had always been so competitive, and I was beginning to realize that the prize in this game was something I wasn’t ready to give up: myself.
“You’re wrong,” I said softly, looking at them. “The lie was the first.”
Jackson muttered something under his breath, clearly pissed. Max didn’t move, but I could feel his thoughts closing in on me.
“You’re serious?” He asked, his voice quiet. He had said it more for me, but everyone else could hear him.
I nodded once, not breaking eye contact. “I wouldn’t lie twice during two truths and a lie. That’s cheating.”
His gaze searched mine, eyes flicking from my mouth to my eyes and back again. I could practically feel the shift happening inside him.
“Likereallyin love?” He asked slowly.
“It’s obvious it’s me. Let’s move on,” Jackson said, sitting up straighter. “I dated her for a year.”
Max looked at Jackson with a fierce glare, full of anger. But as usual, Jackson was oblivious to the threat.
“I have to point out that, for the record, I have a huge dick, and Mackenzie would’ve never faked an orgasm with me. So not sure why she even made that an option,” Jackson added like an asshole.
Max’s jaw tightened the second Jackson mentioned us having sex.
“How would you even know if I faked it or not?” The words came out like a splinter.
Jackson’s eyes darkened, and he licked his lips as he looked at me.
“You came all over me, babe. I can still smell you, taste you.”
Max’s face twisted. He was about toblow up.
“Okay, Jesus. Max, you go next. I’m ready for my turn,” Heather said. “This is getting so boring.”
Max finally looked away from me, just enough to acknowledge Heather again. But his body was still angled toward me, as if I were a magnet he hadn’t decided to stop following.
He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Alright.” His voice was steady, but it carried the weight of a war he was battling. He was holding himself together, thinking about every word before speaking it. It was as if he was choosing the right sentence to keep the character of the golden boy he played so well. But underneath, I felt it, his desire to burn the mask away and be reckless, and uncharacteristically bad.
“First,” he said slowly. “I once broke my arm falling out of a tree trying to impress a girl.”
That got a laugh out of us. Even Jackson cracked a grin.
“Second,” Max continued, glancing at the ground now. “I’ve had the same best friend since I was twelve, and I’ve never once gotten tired of her.”
Max’s gaze slid to mine for half a second before moving on as if nothing had happened.
“Third,” he said, his voice barely above a murmur. “I think I’m in love with someone who makes me want to do insane things. Things I didn’t even know I’d like.”
No one laughed this time. A heavy silence settled over the group. I couldn’t sit still. My skin was buzzing, and my heart was hammering in my chest. Max’s words replayed in my head on a loop.I think I’m in love with someone who makes me want to do insane things. Things I didn’t even know I’d like.
