No.
Not like this.
I was going to make this count.
Back in the circle, the noise crept back.
But it sounded different now —
More electric, like everyone was waiting for lightning to strike again.
The bottle spun before I'd even settled again,
Its glassy neck glinting under dim light,
Whirling, whirling, like it had somewhere to be—
Then it clicked.
And pointed straight at me, again "was this a set-up?" I thought.
A few gasps. A few smirks.
Mina's cousin grinned like a cat who'd cornered a bird.
"Truth or dare?" she asked, her voice all sugar and trap.
I didn't answer at once.
My eyes slid to Vivian,
Half-expecting her to look away,
To free me with just a blink.
But she didn't.
Her gaze stayed steady like on the stairway,
Warm brown eyes glinting like a quiet dare.
My chest tightened.
"Truth," I said,
And prayed my voice didn't crack on the way out.
That's when Vivian leaned forward.
Not much — just enough.
Enough to tilt the whole room toward her
Like the world had been waiting for her to speak.
"Alright then," she said, smooth, almost playful.
Her words poured out soft and slow,
Like honey hiding a sting.
"Who was the last girl you wanted but couldn't have?"
The question hit like a match to dry grass.
Heat shot through the circle.
Someone chuckled nervously.
Someone else let out a low whistle.
But I only saw her.
Vivian didn't flinch, didn't smirk, didn't break.
She just sat there, waiting,
Her gaze pinning me in place.
The silence grew heavy,
Like the whole house was holding its breath.
I let out a short laugh,
Half to break the weight, half to save myself.
"That's a dangerous question," I said.
Her expression stayed still.
"So is dodging it."
And just like that, the room went graveyard quiet.
Even the music, faint from downstairs,
Seemed to pull back into the walls.
I thought about lying.
Thought about tossing out a safe name,
A schoolyard crush everyone could laugh at.
But her stare burned too deep for that.
A lie would sound loud tonight.
"Gloria," I said at last, voice high.
The reaction came quick —
Ripples through the circle, raised brows, probably Chosen since he understood.
Muffled laughter like sparks snapping off a fire.
But Vivian didn't move.
Didn't smile — not fully.
Her lips curved just a little,
Like someone who'd gotten exactly what they asked for.
The bottle spun again,
But the room felt sharper now.
The game had changed.
No — I had changed.
Because sitting there,
With her perfume still floating like smoke between us,
I realized something dangerous:
I wasn't just playing a game anymore.
I was playing hers.
As the bottle spun,
Slow, lazy, like it already knew the drama it was about to cause.
Then it stopped.
On her.
Mina's cousin's grin widened.
"Your turn," she said, voice thick with mischief.
Vivian didn't blink.
"Dare," she said simply.
The room stirred —
A quiet "Omo" floated through the air.
Even Chosen leaned in,
Eyes glinting like he'd just bought a front-row ticket.
Mina's cousin dragged out her words,
Drawing tension like a bowstring.
"I dare you…" she paused, savoring it,
"…to kiss anyone in this room. Your choice."
The room erupted —
Whistles, laughter, even claps.
Chosen slapped his knee like a man waiting for chaos.
But Vivian stayed calm.
Still as glass.
Her fingers rested lightly on her knee,
As though this was nothing.
Then she rose.
The chatter died instantly.
The air tightened,
Every breath waiting to see what she'd do.
Her gaze swept the circle slow,
Deliberate —
Like a queen deciding who deserved the crown.
When her eyes found me,
They stayed there.
My chest turned to stone.
She didn't smile.
Didn't tease.
Didn't ask for permission.
Vivian crossed the space,
Every step measured,
And crouched until we were eye-level.
Then —
The lightest kiss.
A ghost of a touch, soft as breath.
Gone before I could react.
And just like that, she turned,
Walked back to her seat,
Settling in like nothing had happened.
The circle went wild.
"Ahhh!" Chosen bellowed,
Slapping my back so hard my chest rattled.
"Omo, Big Ben don win jackpot!"
But I couldn't laugh.
Couldn't move.
Because in that moment,
Vivian hadn't just kissed me.
She had chosen me.
And made sure every single person there saw it.
The noise blurred,
The room fading until it was just me and the ghost of her lips,
Still burning faintly on my cheek.
It hadn't even been a real kiss —
No theatrics, no giggles to make the circle scream.
Just a touch, light as air,
And yet somehow heavier than anything I'd ever known.
Vivian Temphardy didn't strike me as a girl who acted without reason.
And tonight, she had marked me.
Deliberately.
But why?
To humiliate me later?
To turn me into the punchline of some private joke?
Or was this something else —
A test I hadn't known I was taking?
I glanced at her.
She was already leaning back in her chair,
Expression smooth, unreadable.
Her perfume drifted in the air,
Soft, taunting, pulling me in.
For the first time in a long while,
I felt unsteady.
Because if Vivian Temphardy had just pulled me into her game,
I had no idea what the rules were —
Or how much I stood to lose.