Page 69 of The Girlfriend Goal
"That's not how the game works," Jared said smugly. "Answer or take the penalty dare."
"What's the penalty dare?"
Jared's grin turned wicked. "Kiss Lance."
The table went silent. Matt looked between us with dawning realization. Rachel looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her. And I waited, heart hammering, to see what she'd choose.
"That's not fair," Rachel protested weakly.
"All's fair in truth or dare," Jared said. "So what's it gonna be? Answer the question or pucker up?"
Rachel met my eyes, and I tried to communicate that whatever she chose was okay, even though every part of me wanted her to pick the dare. The silence stretched until Matt shifted uncomfortably.
"Maybe we should—"
"Dare," Rachel said quietly.
Jared made a triumphant sound. "Excellent choice. And because I'm not completely evil, just a quick peck."
Rachel stood, and I did too, meeting her halfway around the table. Up close, I could see her pulse fluttering at her throat, could smell the hot chocolate on her breath.
She kissed me. Quick, soft, barely more than a brush of lips, but my entire body lit up like a goal light. When she pulled back, her eyes were wide and dark, and it took everything I had not to pull her back in.
The silence that followed was deafening. Then Matt slow-clapped.
"Well," he said dryly. "That was the least platonic 'quick peck' I've ever seen."
"Shut up," Rachel muttered, fleeing back to her seat.
"I knew it!" Jared crowed. "I knew you two were—"
"We're not," Rachel interrupted. "It's complicated."
"Complicated," Matt repeated. "Is that what we're calling it?"
I caught his eye, recognizing the deflection for what it was. He and Jared had their own complications happening, and glass houses and all that.
The game continued, but the dynamic had shifted. The truth was out there now, hanging between us all like a neon sign. Rachel avoided my eyes while Jared kept shooting us knowing looks and Matt pretended to be absorbed in his phone.
When we finally called it quits, Rachel practically sprinted outside. I followed, finding her standing by the ski racks, face tilted up to catch the falling snow.
"So that happened," I said.
"Jared happened," she corrected. "Like a natural disaster in neon."
"You could’ve answered the question instead."
She turned to look at me. "And said what? Yes, I'm hooking up with someone but it's totally casual and doesn't mean anything?"
The words stung more than they should have. "Doesn't it?"
"Lance..."
"I know, I know. No feelings. Just physical. I remember the rules." I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for her. "But that didn't feel like nothing in there."
"That's exactly why we had rules," she said quietly. "To avoid complications and expectations. People knowing and having opinions and—"
"And what? Being happy for us?"
