“What happens if someone refuses to answer or do the dare?”
“They get a slap,” Steve said, laughing.
“Oh, come on.”
“No, for real. A solid one.”
Anna clapped once. “Fine. I’ll start.” She scanned the group. “Christina. Truth or dare?”
Christina groaned. “Ugh, I knew it. Dare.”
“Go ask the bartender for his number.”
“Hey, don’t push it now,” Antony protested, drawing laughter.
“You’re evil,” Christina muttered.
Steve grinned. “And the first slap... comes from Mano.”
Everyone turned to him.
“I don’t hit women,” Mano said in a tone that shut down the laughter. Christina let out an “Aww.”
Ranya coughed loudly. “Ahem!”
Antony and Steve cracked up. “Mano, you’re lying. You’re lying and you’ll be punished,” Antony teased.
Ody’s shoulders stiffened. Something in his mind flickered. A memory. Words he hadn’t meant to remember.“She loves being tied up and slapped.”His gaze dropped to the tiles, his ears burning.
“Come on, Mano, don’t lie,” Steve insisted.
“It’s different in bed. She asks for it. That’s not the same thing,” Mano said, crossing his arms.
Ranya lifted her hands in a small, exasperated shrug and let them drop again, giving Mano a pointed look. “Thanks.”
He turned his head and met her blue eyes, unimpressed. “Maybe you shouldn’t have coughed.”
“Great. Now we all know how Mano and Ranya do it,” Steve joked.
A few of them chuckled at Steve’s remark. Ody didn’t. His eyes drifted to Mano, drawn almost against his will. Mano looked right back, the corners of his stare sharp, unreadable, like he was daring Ody to react. He held the look for a second longer than necessary, just long enough for Ody to feel the heat creep up his neck before he finally glanced away.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” Anna said quickly to break the tension.
“Oh fantastic, so not only do you give me impossible dares, now you’re gonna hit me too?” Christina whined, making everyone laugh again.
Anna tapped her, and the game moved on.
“Hmm... Steve. Truth or dare?” Christina asked.
“Truth.”
“Oh, you wimp,” Antony teased.
“Truth takes balls,” Steve declared, puffing his chest out just enough to earn a couple of playful swats from the girls.
She leaned back, thinking. “Alright... when did you really start liking Danae?”
Steve turned to Danae with a soft smile. “Well... I liked her before we even went out, but on our first date something just clicked.”
