Nathan's face fell.
I leaned forward, bringing my face to his.
"I can do it in under thirty seconds," I whispered.
A familiar heat flashed in his eyes. "Now you've got to prove it to me."
"The game is calledTwo Truths and a Lie, notTruth or Dare," I countered. "If you wanted to see me naked, you should have chosen a different game."
"Remind me to suggest strip poker next time." He blew out a calming breath and tossed back a swig of rum before continuing. "I once had sex with a set of twins. I've never eaten a hot dog. I'm afraid of needles."
"There's no way you haven't eaten a hot dog," I said. "And I have no doubt you've had sex with twins before. But I can't imagine you being afraid of needles. That one's a lie."
"It's true. Now take your drink," he reminded me, and I did. It went down smoother the second time, but still burned my throat.
"Which one's the lie?" I asked, still grimacing.
"I didn't have sex with a set of twins." He waited a beat. "They were triplets."
"Of course they were," I said. "So the hot dog thing?"
"When I was young, one of the first porn clips I ever saw featured a hot dog—"
"Stop!" I clapped a hand over his mouth. "I don't need to know."
"It traumatized me," he said, his voice muffled under my palm. I removed it.
"So the needle thing is true? You don't seem like a scaredy-cat," I teased. I'd long since lost my fear of needles. I'd been stuck and pricked so many times it was a routine thing by now.
"Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell anyone else?" he said quietly.
"Of course," I said.
"I hate needles," he said. "I especially hate watching other people get them. It's just… too many bad memories." Nathan inhaled slowly and let it out through his nose, before continuing.
"My mom had cancer."
Oh no. I reached out to take his hand, my fingers squeezing against his.
"I'm so sorry," I said.
"That's why I had to take care of things when I was a kid. And now she's back in the hospital. She's been having some similar symptoms again. They're doing a bunch of tests, keeping her under their watch to manage the symptoms if they get worse, just in case. The doctors say it's probably nothing serious. But…" He flicked his gaze to mine, his deep blue eyes full of heartache. "I'm still scared."
I clasped his hand to my chest.
"It's okay to be scared," I said.
"She's already had to go through chemo twice," he said. "If she has to go through it a third time… fuck." He rubbed his face with a hand, exhaling deeply. "I don't know what'll happen if she has to go through it again. I don't even want to think about it."
"So that's why you've been at the hospital so much?"
"Yeah."
I suddenly had a thought.
"Does Gael know?"
Nathan went quiet for a moment.
