Page 85 of Through You
“Never have I ever watched porn,” Raquel declares.
Uh-oh. This game is not as innocent as I thought it was going to be.
We all share a look, feeling slightly awkward, and we each take one drink. Ares has a wide smile plastered on his face. He drinks and raises an eyebrow, waiting for Raquel to have a drink.
She blushes the moment she takes a sip. This makes me laugh.
And now it’s Dani’s turn. She looks slightly unsure, then her eyes fix on me. I’m not getting a good feeling here.
“Never have I ever kissed someone standing in this circle.”
Dani takes a drink. So do Ares, Apolo, and Raquel. I hesitate and play with my glass. I look over at Artemis but he avoids my gaze and takes a drink, so I do the same. It’s sheer torture thinking of his kisses. For the first time in my life, it felt so good and so right—our lips fit perfectly, as if they were made for each other. I need to stop my mind from wandering back to that night. It was a fleeting moment. He had some fun before getting back with the girl he wants to be with.
And now it’s Apolo’s turn.
“Never have I ever lied by claiming I’m not interested in someone, when truth be told, I’m dying to be with that person.”
Ares smiles and shakes his head. “That’s deep, bro.”
Apolo, Artemis, and Raquel don’t drink but Dani does.
Shortly after, everyone is staring at me while I play with my glass, again.
“Claudia?”
I can feel Artemis’s stare on me. I give him a tortured smile and proceed to take a drink.
It’s my turn, at last. I shoot Ares a playful look, and he seems worried. “What?”
I clear my throat. “Never have I ever stalked the person I know is stalking me, and smile like a fool every time I see them.”
Everyone turns their heads to look at Ares, who grins.
“Showing no mercy, huh?” He drinks. I’m amused by the look of surprise on everyone’s face.
It’s Artemis’s turn, and I stop breathing for a second. I know him. He was drinking before he came here. His eyes are bloodshot and have a slight twitch. This means trouble. That volatile, unfiltered part of Artemis only comes out to play when he’s had too much to drink.
His tone is cold. “Never have I ever kissed two guys presently sitting in this circle, and caused a fight between brothers.”
Silence.
I knew it. My chest tightens in reaction to his words, aware of how deliberately he’s trying to make me uncomfortable. Everyone looks around, wondering who will take a drink.
Artemis raises his glass at me. “Aren’t you going to drink?”
Every cell in my body vibrates with rage. I grip my glass and throw its contents in Artemis’s face.
“You’re a goddamn jerk.”
I get up and make my way through the middle of the circle.
I don’t want to create a scene at Raquel’s birthday party. It would be too mortifying.
“Claudia, wait.” I hear Apolo’s voice behind me, but I keep walking.
The night breeze brushes my skin, and the wind blows my hair back. My eyes are burning. I don’t want to give Artemis the pleasure of seeing me hurt like this, shedding tears because of his stupidity. He’s not worth it. To be frank, what bothers me most is that I was just starting to form a friendship with Raquel and Daniela, and given the fact that it’s hard for me to make friends, he just ruined my chances. It’s likely that Daniela might hate me.
As for Raquel, I’ll become the girl who fools around with two brothers. I want to hit him so badly, and hurt him emotionally in so many ways. But I know that won’t solve anything. Although it would be extremely gratifying to kick him in the balls—maybe he would learn not to be such a jerk.
