“I told you these are some weird games,” Tina reminds me. “Oliver, answer the question.”
He looks down at the card like he’s thinking about his answer, then gives a firm “Yes.”
“You son of a bitch,” Ryan growls while the rest of us laugh.
Tina is the next person to land on a flag space. She also draws red.
She picks up a card and reads it. “What is the biggest secret you’ve ever kept from this person?” She looks up at Ryan, then glances at me before saying, “I’m going to choose to stare.”
“Oh, really?” Ryan taunts her. “You don’t think I’m going to just forget about this, do you?”
“Shut up and stare at me,” she says. They change position so that they’re sitting face to face. I turn the small hourglass over to time them. Both of them start out with serious expressions, but by the time it’s over, it’s clear that they’re both fighting hard to keep from smiling.
“Do you have to read the question out loud?” I ask. “Even if you decide to stare instead?”
Tina nods. “It’s in the rules.”
“It makes things more interesting because some things are harder to let go than others,” Ryan says. He shoots a pointed look at Tina.
We keep playing, and this time I land on a flag space. I’m excited to find out who my question will be about. I draw the next card in the stack and turn it over. It’s orange. Oliver. I smile at him, and then I pick up a blue card. I hesitate, looking it over.
“Read it out loud,” Tina says. “Not in your head.”
I look up at her, then back at the card. “Describe the wildest dream you’ve ever had about this person.” I look around the room. My face feels hot. “This is a family game?” I ask.
“Made by someoneinmy family, we think,” Ryan says with a smirk. “But definitely not a game for families to play together.”
“Well?” Tina says, wiggling her eyebrows. “Answer the question.”
I look at Oliver. I’m not ready to admit to any of the dreams I’ve definitely had about him. At least not in front of Tina and Ryan. “Let’s stare.”
“That’s not fair,” Tina says. “I want to hear the answer.”
“The answer to this question is for Oliver’s ears alone.” I turn toward Oliver to start the staring contest. He angles his body toward me.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he says with a smirk.
My face flushes. “A smirk counts as a smile. You’re going to lose.”
He straightens his face. Tina turns the hourglass over.
I look into his eyes. Even with all of the time I’ve been spending with him lately, I don’t think I’ve ever looked directly into his eyes like this before. At least not while there’s no conversation going on. It feels intimate and a little bit intimidating. His lip twitches. I can tell that he’s trying to keep from laughing, which makes it harder for me, too. I pinch my lips together. My eyes start to burn. I wonder how much time we have left. It feels like it’s already been ages.
“We can’t blink?” I ask.
“You can’t speak, either, so you just lost,” Tina tells me.
“What? But I didn’t know!”
“Rules are rules,” she says. “Time for your punishment. Pick a black card.”
She holds the black deck out to me. I reach for it, but I hesitate. “I’m nervous.”
“It’s not that bad,” Tina says. “Just pick one.”
I grab the first one and turn it over to read it. I start laughing before I can even get the words out. “Climb up onto the roof, get completely naked, and yodel.” Once I’ve finished laughing, I glare at Tina. “I thought you said it wouldn’t be that bad.”
“I’ve never drawn that one before,” she says.
