Page 30 of Dare Me

Arianna: Dare

Arianna: Don’t make me regret it

Letting out a long breath, he grinned again. “Never again, beautiful girl.”

Will: I dare you to go furniture shopping with me

Arianna: ???

Will: I literally have no furniture, no plates or pots and pans. When I move into the apartment next weekend, it will be me and my clothes. That’s it.

Arianna: I have so many questions

Will: And I will gladly answer them all while we’re shopping

Arianna: I never said I’d go

Will: Touché

Will: If there’s one thing I remember quite well, it’s that you never turn down a dare

Arianna: Grr…I never should have shared that

Will: Bragged. You bragged about it.

Arianna: That’s a slight exaggeration

Will: And that’s your opinion

Will: So what do you say? Ready to shop?

Arianna: Not right this minute! Lol

Will: How about Saturday then?

Arianna: I don’t know…

Will: If it helps, your family suggested it

Arianna: WHAT????

Will: Yup. They said I should call either you or your sister so…here I am

Arianna: Technically you're texting

Will: I thought you’d refuse to answer if I called. Plus…you know…no one can hear this conversation

She sent a sad face emoji and he knew immediately what he did wrong.

And rather than keep going like this, he hit the phone icon and called her.

“Wow, color me surprised,” she said softly when she answered. “I figured you’d stay in secret squirrel mode.”

He chuckled. “Secret squirrel mode? I’m not sure I enjoy being compared to a rodent, but I get what you’re saying.” He kept his tone soft like hers.

“So why don’t you have any stuff? How is that possible?”

“I’ve been in the military for a long time. Most of the time I lived in barracks or rented fully furnished places. It’s a drag tohaul a bunch of stuff all over the place. Now seemed like the time for a fresh start.”