Ping.
Everyone looks around.
And Delilah, sitting two inches to my left, blinks at her phone screen like it just grew legs. I look straight ahead. She stares at her lap.
Nobody says anything for a full five seconds.
Then Ethan lets out a slow, wheezing, “Nofuckingway. Bold time to proclaim it buddy.”
Tara’s eyes go comically wide. Alex slaps a hand over her mouth. Alfie just raises one brow and sips his drink.
Delilah still hasn’t moved. She’s just... processing. Blinking. Breathing.
“You said dare,” I say, as casually as I can, taking a long sip of my drink.
Delilah finally glances over at me, her expression unreadable.
“So what’d you say in the text?” she asks, cool and controlled.
I shrug. “Open it if you wanna know.”
Delilah stares down at the screen, her expression unreadable.
I take a long sip of my drink like this is no big deal, even though I can feel my pulse in my ears.
“So,” Delilah says after a beat, lifting her gaze to me. “Is that supposed to be funny?”
The room, which had slowly started recovering, goes silent again.
“What?”
She holds her phone up slightly, not enough for anyone else to see the screen. “The text. Is it a joke?”
My stomach twists. “No.”
Her brow rises. “Seriously?”
“In the sacred realm of Truth or Dare,” I say, half-grinning, trying to lighten it, “you don’t lie. I did the dare. I have a crush on you. Big deal. Youknowthat.”
She lets out a dry, humorless laugh. “Wow.”
I don’t know what to say. Delilah stands up, brushing off her jeans. The room watches her.
“I’m going home,” she mutters. “Thank you all for having me.”
Tara’s eyes widen. “Wait—Delilah?—”
Alex opens her mouth, closes it. She’s already at the door.
Tara whispers, “Holy shit.”
I rise too, instinct kicking in. “Delilah, come on?—”
She spins back toward me. “You don’t get to make me feel like a punchline, then act like you’re confused that I’m pissed.”
“I wasn’t trying to?—”
But she’s already walking toward the door. Nobody says anything for a moment.
