Sarah threw her head back, laughing sweetly. “Careful, I might call your bluff,” she said, swatting my arm.
I laughed, shaking my head. “You’d like to see that, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh yeah,” she giggled. “Start with the pinky toe, and work your way all the way to the big boy.”
I cringed, scrunching up my nose. “Disgusting. Okay, you win. Tell Tony to come here,” I said sarcastically, which made her laugh even harder. The sound warmed my chest.
“Nathaniel—” Caleb’s voice cut through our chatter. We both turned to look at him, squinting at us.
My eyes dropped to the bottle. My breath caught in my throat the moment I saw who it landed on.
It was pointing at me.
“W-who spun?” I asked, swallowing hard.
Caleb’s brow raised. “I did,” he said matter-of-factly.
I licked my lips, feeling sweat gather under my arms.
“Should you spin again or something?” I asked quietly.
“That’s not how this works. Haven’t you ever played Spin the Bottle before?” Tony laughed.
No. I hadn’t.
My cheeks burned.
“Hey, knock it off,” Caleb said, swatting the back of his hand at Tony’s chest. Then he looked back at me. “You want me to spin again? I can if that’s what you want—”
“Wow, Nathan. Can’t handle a little smooch?” Tony cut in. “What type of best bro are you?”
My mouth fell open. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth. “N-no. I just thought…since we’re both boys—”
Caleb’s lip quirked up on one side as I stammered. “I don’t care about that. Doyou?” His eyes narrowed, as if trying to figure me out.
I didn’t want him to figure me out. I didn’t wantanyoneto. I looked around the circle and felt my heart race. Everyone was staring at me, shifting awkwardly, watching me flounder like a fish out of water.
“I just... I—”
Suddenly, a hand rested on my shoulder. Warm, soft, comforting.
I turned to see Sarah looking at me with kind, gentle eyes. Then she looked at Caleb.
“Why don’t I take this one?” she asked.
Had I heard that right?
I glanced at Caleb. His eyes widened. “But it’s my spin,” he said quickly.
Sarah shrugged. “I know, but...I’m thinking Nathan wouldn’t mind.” She returned her attention to me. “What do you say, Nathan? Would you be comfortable with that? Can I take Caleb’s turn?”
Well... I hadn’t expected it to go this way. But honestly, it made me feel way less anxious—and stirred up fewer... confusing emotions.
I licked my lips and slowly nodded.
“Good.” She smiled sweetly and gently took my glasses off, placing them to the side. I wasn’t sure why—but maybe she liked it better that way.
Sarah turned toward me fully, our knees touching as she settled in.
