Page 131 of Spark

“Stubborn Ruby,” Reed murmurs with a chuckle. “Okay, I’ll check back with you again in a year or so, after you’ve had a massive hit song for a huge artist—a writing gig you wouldn’t have gotten if not forSing Your Heart Out, which you wouldn’t have gotten if not for Cooper’s song—and we’ll try this again.”

“That sounds like a plan, Reed,” Ruby says, her tone sardonic. “Yes, let’s reconvene on this matter when that happens, so I can give you the exact same response as this time.”

Shaking his head at Ruby’s adorableness, Reed says to me, “Is she stubborn like this with you, too?”

“Even more so. It’s awesome.”

Reed winks. “Thanks for the cocktails, bartender. I seriously couldn’t be happier for you two kids.”

“Thanks, Reed.”

The Man with the Midas Touch, as he’s known in the industry, slides his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We’re going to mix and mingle now. Have fun, you two. I told Owen to start a group chat, letting us know all the numbers coming in on ‘Spark’ throughout the night.” With that, he heads off with his wife, while Ruby and I head off in the other direction into another corner of the packed party, at which point the birthday boy converges on me, looking like he’s having the time of his life.

“Hey, KC!” Savage shouts. “Are you two ready to be victimized by someBirthday Truth or Dare?”

The question sounds routine, but Savage is actuallyspeaking in code to me: asking if I’m ready to proceed with my plan to pop the question to Ruby now.

I inhale deeply to calm my suddenly jangly nerves. “Yeah, sure. I think so.”

“You think so, or you’re sure?”

I take another deep inhale. “I’m sure. Let’s do it.” I lean into Ruby’s ear, since the party is loud, and Savage is standing next to me. “Savage wants to playBirthday Truth or Dare. Will you help me gather the band?”

“I’m on it!” she chirps.

We divvy up the names and head off in opposite directions. And a few minutes later, all the members of Fugitive Summer, plus Laila, are standing at the ready in front of Savage the Birthday Boy, per tradition, waiting to perform whatever stupid and/or infantile and/or humiliating birthday dare he’s going to dole out. At least, that’s what Ruby thinks we’re doing. Titus and Kai, too. The rest of us are in on the plan.

“Okay, everyone,” Savage says to the group, his dark eyes gleaming. “There’s no Truth option tonight. Only Dare. I don’t give a shit about whatever secrets you might be keeping from me or each other.”

While everyone chuckles around me, I reflexively lay my palm over the ring box in my pocket. As Savage and I have discussed, he’s going to dole out my dare last, because that’s what I said I wanted. But now, suddenly, I’m wondering if I might pass out from anticipation while waiting through everyone else’s turns.

“Kai,” Savage says with confidence. “Your dare is to perform your choice of the following.” Savage counts off the options on his fingers. “An original poem, song, or interpretative dance for the entire party’s entertainment and/or amusement.”

Kai doesn’t hesitate. “Interpretative dance.” His pickwouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows him. My big brother can’t sing for shit, and he’s way too drunk to compose a coherent sentence, let alone an actual poem.

“Excellent.” After rubbing his palms together like Dr. Evil, Savage hops up onto Laila’s piano bench and waves his arms at the noisy, distracted crowd. “Attention, please!” he booms, and after a moment, everyone turns to face him. “Can someone turn off the music for me?” He pauses till the loud music vanishes. “Thanks. As some of you know, my bandmates and I have a long, rich tradition of playingBirthday Truth or Dareon all of our birthdays. As tonight’s birthday king/czar/god, I’ve selected Kai to kick things off, because he’s so drunk, he probably won’t be standing by the end of the game.”

Everyone laughs.

“With that said, please, enjoy Kai Cook performing an interpretative dance for your amusement.” As everyone cheers, Savage addresses his wife standing on the other side of her fancy piano. “Fitzy, would you do the honor of accompanying Kai’s dance?”

Laila snorts. “With pleasure, my love.”

Savage steps to the end of the piano bench so Laila can sit next to his feet and play her instrument, and everyone clears a large circle of space for the dance we’re about to witness from Kai.

“Now, what should Kaiinterpretin his dance?” Savage asks the crowd, beckoning to them to throw out ideas. “Come on now, don’t be shy. Shout out your ideas.”

Several people call out their suggestions, but it’s Reed’s idea—“woodland creatures”—that makes Savage light up and point exuberantly at him. “Yes! Woodland creatures, it is! Laila?”

After stretching out her fingers dramatically, Laila shakes out her hair like she’s starring in a shampoo commercial, andwith those two bits of preparation out of the way, the maestro lays her talented fingers on her keys and launches into a joyful, uplifting sonata that inspires Kai to flit around the makeshift dance floor like a woodland creature, much to everyone’s belly-laughing delight.

When Kai’s dancing is done and Savage has ruled his dare officially satisfied, the birthday boy turns to his next victim, Titus, and offers him the same three choices. And like Kai before him, Ruby’s brother chooses to entertain the party with another interpretative dance.

“What should Titus interpret for us?” Savage bellows to the crowd from his perch on Laila’s piano bench.

Suggestions pour in. But this time, it’s C-Bomb who offers the winning idea that gets Savage’s juices flowing: “A man with explosive diarrhea who’s desperately looking for a bathroom in a long hallway, but all the doors are locked.”

As everyone guffaws at the suggestion, Laila launches into a classical piece on her gorgeous piano—a frantic, foreboding tune that perfectly fits Titus’s over-the-top, frenzied dance movements. To put it mildly, Titus’s performance is a huge hit. Even bigger than Kai’s.

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