—I'd better change my choice —said Semiel, his voice steady but with a slight tremble in his throat.
Everyone looked at him. Mia tilted her head.
—Yeah?
Semiel nodded, and without another word, leaned in and gave her a quick kiss — a fleeting brush of lips, like the boldness had stolen all the oxygen from his lungs. When he pulled back, Mia stared at him, wide-eyed, then let out a short, soft laugh, as if she understood everything.
George clapped enthusiastically. Dana let out a playful —Ooooh!— and even Saval smiled, though the smile never reached his eyes.
Semiel settled back into his spot, rattled by his own impulse. He took a deep breath, like he needed to ground himself, then spun the bottle.
It twirled fast, reflecting the fire and the dark forest. It stopped in front of Dana, who raised her eyebrows dramatically.
—Truth or dare? —asked Semiel, more relaxed now, almost smiling.
—Dare, obviously. Who are you trying to fool? —she replied, crossing her legs.
—Then… tell us something embarrassing. Really humiliating. No edits.
Dana leaned back, thinking. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, like she was scanning her entire memory bank.
—Okay —she finally said—. When I was seventeen, I had a crush on this guy who used to come to the library. I'd show up at the same time just to see him. One day I decided to leave an anonymous note in his book. But I gave it to the wrong person. The guy who got it was the substitute librarian. Thirty years old. He returned the note the next day — corrected in red ink. He'd written 'Perfect grammar.' I never went back to that library.
Laughter erupted. George was doubled over, Mia clapped like a seal, and Semiel covered his face.
—No way! —George shouted between fits of laughter— 'Perfect grammar'!?
Dana nodded solemnly, basking in the reaction.
When they finally calmed down, Mia leaned forward and spun the bottle with a smooth flick. The fire-lit spinner twirled again and landed on Saval. She looked him straight in the eyes.
—Truth or dare? —asked Mia, her voice more confident than before.
—Dare. Always dare —Saval said with a faint smile.
—Then… go to the sea with your eyes covered. Stand there for exactly one minute. No peeking.
The group fell silent for a second. Then George beat a drumroll on his thighs.
—You're about to commune with the cosmos, Saval! —he said dramatically.
—Who's covering my eyes? —Saval asked, standing up.
—I'm going with you —said Semiel, already rising to his feet.
Saval let George tie a scarf over his eyes. Semiel gently took his arm to guide him. The sound of the ocean grew louder with each step. When they reached the shore, the water barely touched their feet. Saval planted himself there, taking a deep breath.
He stood still, thinking. In his mind, he kept seeing Semiel leaning in to kiss Mia. He kept hearing that brief laugh of hers. And then, inevitably, he thought of Antonella.
Their first kiss had been just as unexpected. He'd kissed her with all the courage he had.
Like he had nothing to lose. Like he was choosing her above everything else.
And now? Here he was. Surrounded by new faces. New laughter. But the void
Antonella had left still burned.
The sea foam brushed his feet, and he shivered. He took a wrong step, slipping on a rock. His body lurched forward. His heart shot up to his throat. But before he could fall into the water, a steady hand grabbed his arm.
—Careful —said Semiel, tensing his muscles to hold him up.
Saval stood still for a second, processing what had just happened.
—Thanks...
Semiel looked at him, serious. Then let out a small laugh, barely a breath.
—Don't go drowning on me. There's still one last round.
They walked back to the bonfire together, Saval's eyes now uncovered.
—You almost fell! —George said, laughing—. I swear, for a second I thought you were gonna dive in like Moses in reverse.
Saval smiled, brushing the sand off his hands.
—Almost. But Semiel saved me.
—Our tragic hero —said Dana, bowing in an exaggerated gesture.
The fire had died down. The flames curled around each other, like they too were ready to sleep.
—One last round —Mia proposed, sitting back down—. Saval spins.
He nodded and took the bottle. He spun it slowly, as if he already knew whatever came next couldn't be avoided. The glass turned and turned, casting flickers of orange light. Finally, it stopped, pointing straight at Semiel.
The group went quiet.
Semiel looked at him. Saval looked back.
And for a moment, just a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Semiel didn't know if he wanted him to say dare or kiss. Didn't know if he wanted everything to explode or to stay exactly the same. All he knew was that Saval was staring at him with an intensity impossible to ignore. And that his heart wouldn't stop pounding.
—Kiss or dare? —asked Semiel, his voice calm, though anticipation roared in his mind.
Semiel swallowed hard. The bottle gleamed like it knew more than all of them.