Chapter 24

Truth Or Dare

"Do you think they're fucking?" I whisper, pointing to a random hotel door, flashing him a mischievous smirk.

Chris stares at me like I've grown two heads. "What are you talking about?"

Without answering, I shrug and press my ear to the door, trying to catch any sounds from the other side.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asks, letting out a sound that's a mix between a sigh and a laugh.

"Shhh." I flip my hair over my shoulder and press my ear closer. "I can't hear anything."

"Are you really…" He groans. "Gabi, get away from the door."

I pull back, letting out a sigh of my own. "Maybe I should just ask them?"

He pins me with a glare, wrapping his hand around my wrist. "You're not knocking on some random person's door to ask if they're fucking."

"C'mon, Chris," I plead. "Let me live vicariously through them."

He scoffs, shaking his head as he pulls me away. "You're such an idiot."

A horny idiot.

Abstaining from sex for the past year hasn't been completely terrible. In fact, it was surprisingly easy. I had used sex as a crutch for a long time, craving touch, love, and someone to just take care of me, but I eventually realized I'd never find that with anyone else. The only person who had ever made me feel like that was Chris, and he did it without ever crossing the line of our friendship.

But he wasn't here. He was thousands of miles away with who knows who, and I just wanted… someone.

But sex started to feel meaningless, and nothing ever compared to the feeling of being with Chris. So it became easy to go without it.

Until now.

Every time I look at Chris, my stomach flutters and my core throbs. Add in the fact that I can't use my vibrator because we're sharing a bed, and I'm about to burst. If I can't have an orgasm, then I can at least get drunk. Or drunker .

"Maybe they have some alcohol," I point out, ready to knock on their door, but Chris pulls me away once again.

"Trust me. You don't need any more alcohol," he says, right before he pulls me back into him, scoops up my legs, and throws me over his shoulder.

"What the hell?" I mutter, swinging my head back. "Let me go."

He laughs, shaking his head as he carries me down the hallway. "You're a menace. I need to protect everyone from you."

I stop struggling, pausing at his words. "Including yourself?"

He glances back over his shoulder, meeting my gaze. "No, it's too late for me."

I roll my eyes. "How tragic."

"I know," he replies with a chuckle. "It's a real tragedy."

My brows furrow as I twist to look at him. "Does that mean you regret meeting me?"

Chris stops abruptly, swinging me around so I'm facing him. His hands grip my thighs just below my ass, and I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck to steady myself. "No," he says firmly, his eyes locked on mine. "It was the best moment of my life."

My breath hitches, and I stare at him, my fingers itching to run through his curly hair. "Even when I almost got you arrested?"

He laughs. "Especially then. I have zero regrets."

"Zero?"

He nods. "If it wasn't for you, my life would be boring, Gabi."

Our eyes lock together. My life begins and ends with him. Every memory I treasure is with him. Every waking moment, and every time we fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms was with him. Even when my life nearly ended, he was there.

Chris is my life .

He's the one.

And I'm sick of telling myself I can't have him.

Earlier, I almost let slip all my thoughts, but I quickly realized it would be a mistake. Now, with alcohol flowing through my system, my head feeling lighter, and his eyes locked on mine, I can't fight it anymore.

"Chris?"

"Yeah?"

"Truth or dare?"

A sigh leaves his lips, and he shakes his head. "Gabi," he warns, lowering me to my feet.

As soon as my feet touch the ground, I look up at him, wanting to be back in his arms. "Come on," I say, tilting my head. "It's still early."

His brows dip. "It's two am."

"Exactly," I point out with a smile. "The morning."

He chuckles, but it fades as he looks at me, running a hand through his hair. "Dare."

I lift an eyebrow. He rarely ever picks dare. My eyes drop to his lips, and I think about it. I want it so bad. I want him so bad. But what if he doesn't want me? "There's a hot tub on the top floor," I start, licking my lips. "I dare you to jump in with me."

His brows dip. "That's it?"

I nod. "You accept?"

His lips curl into a smirk. "You know I never back down from a dare."

I nod knowingly.

He grabs my hand, and we race through the hallway, up the stairs, until Chris swings open the door to the hot tub.

The place is thankfully empty as I glance around. The room feels cozy and intimate, bathed in soft blue lights that glow in the dimness. The hot tub bubbles, filling the air with a soothing hum.

"I didn't bring a bathing suit," Chris says, glancing at me with a hint of concern.

I shrug with a smirk, reaching around to unzip my dress. "Neither did I."

"Jesus," Chris mutters, his cheeks flushing slightly as he averts his gaze, and I can't help but chuckle.

"Relax," I reassure him. "I'm wearing underwear."

His head turns slightly, glancing at me, and I let the dress pool at my feet. Chris' eyes drop, and they trace my body as if he's mapping it, remembering it.

I've never had his eyes on me before. Not like this.

His jaw tightens, the muscle ticking as his eyes slowly make their way back to my face.

My heart is racing out of my chest. I want to dive in head first. I want to know if there's any chance he feels what I feel, even slightly.

"Your turn," I say, my voice coming out husky.

His jacket is the first thing to go, dropping to the ground. His eyes remain locked on mine as he unbuttons the first button of his white shirt. He maintains eye contact throughout, but I can't help glancing down, mesmerized as each button comes undone until his shirt joins the jacket on the ground.

I suck in a breath, taking in the sight of him standing under the soft, dim lights without a shirt, his muscles defined and highlighted.

God, I want to touch him again.

Then he tugs at the button on his pants, and my breath hitches once again. He pulls the zipper down, and with a smooth motion, discards his pants, throwing them onto the ground.

My heart pounds so hard against my chest, I feel like I'm about to pass out.

Holy shit.

I walk slowly toward him, watching as his chest moves with every breath he takes, until I'm right in front of him.

We're standing in front of each other, in nothing but our underwear, one touch away. One inch, and I can feel his warmth. One inch, and I can press my lips to his.

"Now what?" he asks, his voice strained and husky, unlike anything I've heard from him before.

I take a step to his left and lower myself into the water, sliding into the hot bubbles. I quickly turn around, finding Chris staring at me.

"Jump in," I urge him, leaning against the back of the hot tub.

Chris squats down and slides into the water, his eyes fixed on me. The only sounds are the gentle bubbles and our heavy breaths filling the air.

The water swirls around us as I swim closer to him. "The water feels good."

He swallows, his gaze fixed on mine. "Yeah."

I nod, inching even nearer until our faces are just inches apart. I wrap my arms around his neck with a smile, but Chris freezes, his eyes widening a little.

"Gabi. You're drunk."

"Hardly," I reply, a playful smirk crossing my face. "I had one drink." He gives me a skeptical look, and I relent with a sigh. "Okay, fine. Two. But I'm not drunk, I promise."

His brows furrow as he searches my eyes. He must find what he's looking for because his shoulders relax, and he exhales. His hand grazes my stomach so softly, I doubt he realizes he did it, but my skin warms at the touch. We've never been this close before, not like this. My stomach flutters, and my clit throbs as I press closer to him, my pulse quickening when he firmly grasps my waist under the water.

"Truth or dare," I murmur, our faces mere inches apart.

"Gabi," he sighs.

"You don't want to play with me?" I tease, my eyes hooded with lust.

He releases a heavy breath, his hand tightening on my waist. "Truth."

I blow a raspberry, hoping he'd choose dare. He smirks slightly, and I sigh, meeting his gaze. My eyes drift down to his lips, and I ask the first question that comes to mind.

"Who was your first kiss?"

Chris stiffens, a frown appearing on his lips. "What?"

"Your first kiss," I repeat. "I've always wondered who it was."

He shakes his head, his brows knitting together. "Why?"

I frown, confused by his expression. "I don't know," I say, with a shrug. "I just… You never talk to me about any of that stuff, and I tell you everything," I point out, swallowing nervously. "I guess… I just want to know who it was."

His jaw ticks, and he glances away from me, stepping back until my arms drop from around his neck, and we're no longer chest to chest. "I don't know," he says, avoiding my eyes.

I blink. "You don't know? How could you not know?"

He shrugs, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't remember."

"You… don't remember?" I ask. What the hell is going on?

Chris blows out a breath, shaking his head. "Not really."

I frown, trying to look at him, but he's still looking everywhere but at me. "How?"

He shrugs. "Just don't," he says, glancing at me. "Can we move past this?"

My jaw drops. "Are you… lying to me right now?"

He sighs. "Gabi—"

"Why are you lying to me?" I ask, hurt building in my chest. He's never lied to me before, never hurt me like this. "Who the hell was it?"

He scoffs, his lips curling as he looks at me. "You don't want to know."

"Why?" He shakes his head, turning his head away from me again, but I swim closer to him, and lift my hand, moving his face back to look at me.

"Just drop it," he pleads, his eyebrows furrowing in a pained expression.

But I can't just drop it. There's a reason why he's hiding this from me, and I want to know what it is. I keep my eyes on him. "Tell me who it was," I demand, seeing him shake his head. "Why don't I want to know?"

"Because you don't fucking remember it!" he says, making me freeze, dropping my hand from his face. He squeezes his eyes closed, and sighs. "Fuck. Gabi, I'm sorry I shouldn't have—"

"What?" I interrupt, my mind reeling a million miles per hour. Chris presses his lips together, and my breathing speeds up, struggling to comprehend what he's telling me right now. "What did you just say?"

He swallows roughly, his eyes fluttering closed briefly as he lets out a deep breath, then locks eyes with me. "It was you. You were my first kiss."