Page 61 of Dared

“Someone didn’t peg the ropes down,” Connor ground out, and Niall huffed loudly.

“I told you, I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, and our tent collapsed.” Connor paused for a moment. “Fucking hell,” he wheezed, struggling against his laughter as it all sank in.

“Our tent collapsed,” Niall screeched, and they both doubled over, falling onto the grass. I was so glad that we’d pitched our tents away from the other campers, although I was well aware that sound travelled at night.

“Hey! There are other people here,” I reminded them, and eventually, they got their laughter under control. I glanced towards where their tent had once been, the moonlight illuminating a sagging mass of canvas. Okay. It was clear they couldn’t go back there.

“You’ll have to sleep in our tent,” I said eventually. It was the only option. The car was back in the tiny car park next to the farmhouse that belonged to the campsite owners, and there was no point in making them trek all the way there to have to sleepon uncomfortable car seats when I was sharing a four-person tent with Leo. Or at least, it had been advertised as a four-person tent when my parents had bought it. It was going to be a snug fit, but we’d make it work.

Connor pulled himself upright. “Your tent? Sleeping with you and your boyfriend?”

I sighed. “We’re best friends.”

“Best friends. Uh-huh.” Niall clambered to his feet and then patted my shoulder. “Looks like we’re all gonna become a lot more friendly in a few minutes.” Without waiting for a response, he ducked into Leo’s and my tent.

“Come on,” I told Connor. “None of your shit is going anywhere. Your tent’s a lost cause, but it’s not windy or anything, so it’ll all be there tomorrow.”

“It better be,” he muttered, but after grabbing his and Niall’s sleeping bags and pillows, he followed me into my tent, where the four of us arranged ourselves as best we could. “Four person” was a definite lie. This tent had not been designed with four grown men in mind.

A bright light lit up the inside of the tent when we’d just settled down, with Leo curled into my right side and Connor to my left. I shouted, scrubbing at my eyes, Leo burying his face in my chest and Connor swearing loudly next to me.

“What the fuck, Niall?”

“Sorry, sorry. I had to get a picture of this for my girlfriend. She’s not gonna believe it happened otherwise.”

“Fuck’s sake.” Climbing over me and Leo, Connor swatted at him, and they tussled for a minute before collapsing into laughter again. Eventually, though, they quietened down, moving back to their original places. My body relaxed, and I absentmindedly stroked through Leo’s hair while I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come.

Words echoed in my mind.

Your tent? Sleeping with you and your boyfriend?

We were best friends. Not boyfriends.

Weren’t we?

I fell asleep to the sound of Niall muttering that he hated camping, with the question still playing on my mind.

23

The email I’d received had taken me aback, and I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened. I knewsomeonewould have the answers, though, and so I pushed open the doors to the dance studio with more force than necessary, making both JJ and Alyssa flinch at the loud sound.

“Sorry,” I said immediately because I hadn’t meant to be aggressive. I just…needed answers.

Alyssa came up to me straight away, placing her hand on my arm. “Hey, Leo. Are you okay?” Her eyes were full of concern, and the guilt overtook me immediately. She wasn’t involved in any of this, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be worried about me.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just wanted to talk to JJ.”

Her concerned gaze darted between me and JJ, but eventually, she nodded. “Coffee break, JJ? Let’s all meet back here in fifteen minutes to rehearse.”

I shot her a grateful smile as she ducked out of the studio, leaving me alone with my friend. Now we were alone, I found my nerves returning, but I pushed through.

“JJ?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you say anything to Dr.—Killian about my presentation?”

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