The bottle spun wildly across the table, bumping into a half-empty plate of fries before landing right between Nova and Thea.
"Ohhhhhh," Zim grinned, pointing between them. "Time for the girls to fight."
Nova groaned, instantly regretting everything. "Don't."
Thea smirked with wicked delight. "You know the rules, darling. Truth or dare?"
Nova hesitated. "Truth."
"Coward," Zim whispered.
Thea leaned in like a cat ready to pounce. "Is it true you once had a thing for Jace?"
Jace choked on his drink.
Nova went still.
I blinked.
Leo actually smiled.
Nova lifted her glass, took a long sip of water, and said coolly, "No."
"Not even a little?" Thea raised a brow.
Nova's voice didn't waver. "Not even once. Next."
The room went quiet for a beat—until Zim clapped. "Cold. Ice queen. We love it."
The bottle spun lazily, a glimmering blur under the restaurant's soft lights before it stopped—pointing right at Thea.
Nova didn't miss a beat. "Truth or dare?"
Thea rolled her eyes but leaned back with a smug smile. "Truth."
Nova's smirk was calm, dangerous. "Why did you really come back, Thea?"
The question hit like a slap.
The table went quiet—even Leo paused mid-sip.
We all knew she and Aven were engaged. She hadn't been quiet about it. But Nova's question wasn't about the engagement.
It was about the motive.
Thea's smirk faltered for half a second.
Then she took a slow breath, lifted her glass, and said evenly, "Because my parents told me to."
Everyone blinked. Even Zim went, "Wait, what?"
Thea shrugged. "They said it was time to settle down. That it'd 'help our family's image.' So here I am. Playing perfect fiancée."
Aven looked down, jaw tight. Jace gave Thea a look that was somewhere between pity and frustration.
Nova folded her arms. "So you're not here for Aven?"
"I didn't say that," Thea shot back. "But let's not pretend this wasn't a deal sealed behind our backs first."
Leo whistled low. "Rich people problems."
Jace snapped, "No one asked your opinion, Leo."
Leo didn't even flinch. "Still gave it."
I glanced at Nova, who was watching Thea with an unreadable expression. Thea, despite her attitude, looked… tired.
Leo leaned toward me. "This dinner's better than a drama series."
I whispered, "You cause half of it."
"Exactly why it's good," he grinned.
Zim broke the tension, eyes wide. "Wait—so your engagement's, like, political?"
"Sort of." Thea sighed, swirling her drink. "Aven's trying, and I don't hate him. But let's not pretend this is some fairytale."
Aven quietly added, "At least I look good in suits."
Thea cracked a tiny smile. "True."
Nova didn't say anything. Just kept watching. She knew more—probably guessed more too.
Jace looked like he wanted to murder Leo and .
Me?
I was too busy pretending not to notice Leo's knee brushing mine under the table.
Just as everyone was still processing Thea's whole "I'm-only-here-because-my-parents-made-me" truth bomb, I felt it again.
That damn pressure brushing against my leg under the table.
I tried to ignore it. Really did. I sipped my water. I looked at Nova. I focused on Zim stuffing fries into her mouth like world peace depended on it.
But no.
It was still there.
Leo's knee. Nudging mine. Again.
And this time?
It. Slid. Up.
Something in me snapped.
I slammed both palms flat on the table—SMACK—making half the glasses jump.
Everyone froze.
I turned to Leo, glared daggers, and said through gritted teeth, loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear,
"Would you PUT your damn leg somewhere ELSE?"
Zim choked on her fries.
Thea looked absolutely delighted.
Nova blinked, clearly trying not to smile.
Aven was confused.
Jace was straight-up ready to through his hands .
And Leo?
That smug bastard leaned back in his chair like he'd just been handed a trophy, one brow raised, a lazy smirk spreading across his lips.
"Oh?" he said, voice low and way too calm. "You sure it wasn't your leg trying to find mine, sweetheart?"
"Leo," I growled.
Jace stood up a little from his chair like he was about to throw something. "Do we need to separate them?"
"Please don't," Thea said, biting into a spring roll. "This is the best part."
Nova just covered her face and muttered, "This is not normal people dinner."
Leo leaned closer again, ignoring everyone else. "You're cute when you're mad."
I gritted my teeth. "I'm always mad when you're around."
"Exactly," he winked. "Consistency is sexy."
And somehow, the room fell into chaos again—with Zim laughing, Jace fuming, Thea fanning herself like she was watching her favorite drama live, and Jace already planning someone's murder.
The table was still recovering from Aven's half-joke, half-cry-for-help truth answer, when Zim, clearly possessed by the spirit of drama, pointed her bottle like a sword at the next victim.
"Jace. Your turn."
He raised a brow, sipping his water with the grace of someone ready to burn this entire place down. "Dare."
Nova whispered, "Bold."
Zim grinned like the little demon she was. "I dare you… to whisper something completely honest to someone at this table—just them—and they're not allowed to say what it is."
Aven blinked. "That's evil."
Thea nodded in awe. "She's learning from the best."
Jace didn't hesitate. He pushed back his chair, stood up slowly, and walked around the table.
Not to Thea.
Not to Aven.
Not even to Nova.
He walked—directly to Leo.
Leo looked up at him, amused, like he was waiting for a punchline.
Jace leaned in, whispering something only Leo could hear.
Leo's smirk dropped. Slightly. His brows knit together for half a second. His tongue clicked against his teeth like he was thinking something, but for once, he didn't speak.
Jace returned to his seat. Calm. Composed.
Nova stared. "What did you say?"
"Can't tell," Jace said, sipping again like a prince. "Rules."
Leo just sat there, eyes flicking to me, then back to Jace. Then me again.
"What the hell was that?" I asked.
Leo didn't answer.
Just smiled.
But it wasn't the smug, flirty grin from earlier.
It was darker. Quieter. Calculating.
The table fell into a tense silence, like we'd all felt something shift.
Even Zim, who never noticed anything, was like, "Uhhh… anyone else suddenly cold?"
Things were already a mess—Jace glaring at Leo, Leo acting like he was born to annoy me, Aven trying to keep everyone civil, Zim being Zim, and Thea?
Thea had that look on her face.
The one she wore when she was about to do something unholy.
She clapped her hands, flashing a grin. "Alright! Kael, truth or dare?"
I stared at her. "Thea—don't."
"Oh come on," she leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "Dare."
I didn't even answer. I already knew it wouldn't matter.
"I dare you," she said slowly, "to sit on Leo's lap for one full minute."
Silence.
Absolute, horrified, electric silence.
Jace straightened like someone had hit him with a taser. "What the hell—"
Leo just smirked, tapping his thigh like a smug prince. "Come on, baby girl. Seat's warm."
"I hate you," I hissed at Thea.
She winked. "Then hate me while sitting on your enemesis-slash-maybe-secret-crush's thighs."
Zim was already whispering, "I'm witnessing history," while pulling out her phone.
I looked at Leo. He looked ready. Too ready.
Reluctantly, I walked over and sat stiffly on his lap—like I was lowering myself onto a pile of knives. His hands immediately rested on my waist, light but firm.
"You're surprisingly light," he whispered in my ear.
"I swear to God—"
He leaned in, voice dipped in honey, "Are you afraid now, baby girl?"
"I'm going to punch you in the throat."
"You're blushing."
"Shut. Up."
Thea was giggling. "This is everything I needed today."
Jace muttered something like "disgusting," while Aven looked like he was buffering between fight, flight, and cry.
Zim whispered to Nova, "I think Kael's heart just exploded."
Sixty excruciating seconds passed.
Thea held up her phone like a timekeeper. "Time's up."
I leapt off Leo like I'd just sat on a frying pan. He looked up at me, still grinning, smug and unbothered.
As I slid back into my seat, avoiding eye contact with anyone, Leo called out,
"Next round. Dare me."
"Dare you to fall off a cliff," I muttered.
He just winked.