Page 26 of Pinky Promises

I throw my head back in laughter and quickly snatch the bottle from his hands.

“Okay, killer, that’s enough out of you. Keep up comments like that, and I’ll just take this bottle back to my room and enjoy it alone.”

I desert the box of centerpieces and begin to walk toward the exit. When I don’t feel him beside me, I look back over my shoulder with a playful smile on my lips. “You coming or what?

Callum hurries to catch up, stealing the bottle back and wrapping his free hand around my shoulders. “I knew you would make the right decision. Plus, drinks are best when shared with friends.”

Hidden off the path between trees lined with dangling twinkling lights, Cal lays his suit coat down on the grass so that I can lean on it. We pass the bottle of champagne back and forth, and somehow, I let him convince me to play a game of truth or dare.

The champagne has my veins buzzing and my guard down as I try to come up with a question to go along with Callum’s choice of truth. I could easily pick something simple to ask, but instead, I allow the alcohol to give me the courage to broach the elephant in the room.

“Are you honestly happy that Spencer and I broke up?”

“Really? That’s your question? I thought we covered it the other night. But okay, straight answer—yes. He wasn’t right for you and a total asshole. So yes, I am honestly happy that he’s gone. Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

He takes a swig from the bottle and twists his lips in concentration to think of something. “I got it. Same question. Areyouhappy that you and Spencer broke up?”

Well played—he’s turning my own words against me. “At first, I don’t know, but now I can look back and see that it wasn’t right. Someone who can’t accept all of me”—which includes my best friend—“isn’t right for me.”

Callum picks truth again. Damn, maybe we should just rename this game truth or truth since we have yet to choose dare. “What’s going on with you and Zoe? Are you two an item?” A part of me is dying to know the answer, yet the other half of me is also terrified. Why couldn’t he have just picked dare, and I dared him to hug a tree or something?

“It’s not like that with us. We’re just friends. I can talk to her about things that I can’t talk to you about.”What the hell does that mean?

“Like what? You can talk to me about anything, Cal—”

He wags his pointer finger back and forth. “Uh-uh, not your turn, Macallister. You get one question each, and you already asked yours.”

I lean back and cross my arms, pouting. Fine, I will save that for the next truth.

Callum reaches over, pulls one of my hands free, and grips it in his hand gently. “B, I can tell that your mind is racing a million miles a minute. But just relax—we’rejustfriends. You know men and women can be friends and nothing more.”

He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it and taking a swig from the bottle. His words hit my brain, and I can’t help the snort that leaves my body.

“Not according to Spencer,” I mumble.

Callum freezes. “What was that?”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”Good job, Brynn. Way to bring up Spencer.In my defense, he brought him up first. Wait, no, that’s not right; I brought him up first, and he just went with it.

He opens his mouth to speak but stops short, bringing his fist to his mouth for a moment, focusing on the ground. When his gaze lifts again, he looks at me as though he’s looking right through me.

“Truth or dare?”

Something in my gut is telling me to pick dare instead of truth, that my choice has us walking on treacherous waters and crossing uncharted territory. Yet I can’t stop the wordtruthfrom leaving my lips. Can three little words change your life?

“What’s the real reason why you and Spencer broke up, and don’t give me some bullshit answer. You know I have the superpower of telling when you’re lying.”

I grab the champagne bottle and take a large gulp. Oh fuck, heartburn, but I need the extra boost of liquid courage. This is it—the moment all of this past week has been leading up to.

“You.”

“The fuck,” he asks in shock. “I’m sorry, did you say me?” He holds his hand dramatically to his chest, and I nod.

“What the hell did I do to him? Okay, so maybe I didn’t like the guy and was sometimes a dick, but that doesn’t mean he has the right to break up with you over it.” The darkness in his eyes tells me that he is thinking of lots of things to do to Spencer right now, and I don’t think he cares if he ends up in an orange jumpsuit or not.

I stand up. “No, it was nothing like that.” I take a deep breath. “He said men and women can’t bejustfriends.”

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