Page 11 of My Accidental Valentine

Everyone’s still laughing as Tina leans forward with an eager grin. “I’m getting more details on that later,” she promises, and Chara nods smugly, clearly enjoying herself.

Now it’s my turn. Even though I’m itching to get back at my sister, I instinctively glance at Millie. She meets my gaze and gives me a subtle, pointed look—a reminder of the goal here: to get answers.

I let out a measured breath, trying to stay focused.

Picking up a cucumber slice from my plate, I bite into it as I stall, my mind racing for something clever—something that might nudge us closer to the truth about Adam without making it glaringly obvious that I’m fishing.

“Never have I ever,” I say, the pause stretching out as I search for the right phrasing. Then, before I can second-guess myself, the words tumble out: “had sex with anyone in this room.”

“That’s kind of obvious,” Peter says with a smirk, and the group chuckles in response. Then, casually, he, Millie, Amira, and Tina all take sips from their cups.

Adam doesn’t drink.

I try to act nonchalant, but a flicker of relief stirs somewhere deep inside me. I mean, I know I didn’t sleep with him—but the irrational, paranoid part of me just wanted to be absolutely sure.

“Never have I ever,” Adam begins next, and even though I’m not looking at him, I feel his attention on me as he finishes, “seen anyone in this room naked.”

The words hit like a slap. Startled, I suck in a breath—and the stringy cheese I’m chewing catches in my throat. Apiece wedges itself in my windpipe, and I break into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.

While Peter, Millie, Amira, and Tina take casual sips from their cups, seemingly unaware of my coughing struggle, Chara says, her voice soft with concern, “Do you need some water?”

I shake my head, still struggling to clear my throat. “I’m okay, thanks,” I manage, though my voice comes out rough. Reaching for my glass, I take a sip of cherry juice.

Adam casts me a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable. He knows that me drinking was basically confirming I’d seen him naked—which is kind of obvious, since he already knows that. But for some reason, he wanted me to admit it. I don’t know, maybe he’s playing some weird mind games. Thankfully, the rest of the group thinks I only took a sip because I was choking.

Amira speaks next, her tone teasing. “Never have I ever gone to a strip club.”

Only Peter raises his cup, earning an annoyed nudge from Millie.

“It was at Nick’s bachelor party,” Peter says, his grin wide and unapologetic. The mention of Nick, Millie’s older brother living in Italy, draws a few chuckles from the group.

Finally, it’s Emilia’s turn. She takes a bite of a stuffed mushroom, feigning deep thought, like she hasn’t been planning this all along. Then, with a sly smile, she says, “Never have I ever kissed anyone other than Peter in this room.”

The question makes everyone pause for a beat before Tina and Chara jump in, arguing that a kiss could mean on thecheek, and by that logic, they’d all be drinking. Millie waves them off with an exaggerated eye roll and tries again. “Fine—never have I ever kissed anyone other than Peteron the mouthin this room.”

Peter takes a sip, because, obviously, he’s kissed Millie. So do Amira and Tina. But then a wave of heat surges through me as Adam raises his glass and drinks. He does it so casually, as though he’s hoping no one will notice—but, of course, everyone does.

While I’m busy calming my pounding heart, Millie throws me a quick, meaningful look, and both Amira and Tina gasp in unison.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Tina says, blinking as she stares at Adam. “Who did you kiss?”

“It can only be Peter,” Amira says, her expression scandalized. “Because it wasn’t me, and hopefully not my girlfriend. And Peter is the only one who also drank.”

I turn to Adam and notice the blotchy redness spreading up his neck, but before anyone can focus on him, Peter speaks up. All eyes turn to him as he chuckles softly and says, “Yeah, we kissed on a dare back in tenth grade.”

I turn to Millie, curious to see her reaction, but she’s focused on Peter, her expression sharp, as though she’s deciding whether he’s telling the truth. Still, no one presses further, and the game moves on as the turn passes to Peter.

We play two more rounds, but none of the turns bring us any closer to uncovering Adam’s secret. Sensing the lack of progress, Millie claps her hands together and announces, “Alright, we’re switching toTruth or Dare.”

Honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to get through this game completely sober. Everyone else is already on their third glass of wine, but I’m stuck with cherry juice, which makes answering questions—or, worse, asking them—feel impossible. Especially if I want to direct anything at Adam. How am I supposed to ask him something without making it obvious in front of everyone? The thought alone is enough to make my stomach twist. But the game’s already underway, and there’s no escaping it now.

Emilia kicks off the game, immediately setting her sights on Peter.

“Truth or dare?” she asks, her tone playful, but with a challenge behind it.

Peter picks “dare,” and the way he and Emilia exchange a look makes it obvious that something’s up. There’s a silent conversation happening between them—like Emilia is debating whether to corner him with a question he can’t dodge, while Peter’s doing everything he can to avoid it. My gut tells me it’s about that kiss he mentioned during Never Have I Ever. If I were Emilia, I’d be asking if he said it to cover for Adam.

But since Peter picked dare, Emilia simply says, “Make me a gin and tonic.”

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