I tried not to look at Logan. He was sitting directly across from me, leaning back on his hands with that lazy grin that made him look like he didn’t have a care in the world. Vanessa was tucked neatly beside him, her perfectly manicured nails tracing small circles on his arm.
“Alright, next spin!” Vanessa called out. “Emma?”.
I stared at the bottle in the center, wishing I could disappear. The circle felt smaller than it was, the walls started closing in around me.
The bottle spun.
My heart pounded as I tracked its path, each rotation feeling slower and slower. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion, except the car was heading straight for me.
When it finally stopped, the air seemed to vanish from the room.
It was pointing at Logan.
I froze. My hands clenched around my knees as the room erupted into cheers, catcalls, and laughter.
“No way!” someone shouted.
“Spin it again,” Vanessa said sharply, her smile cracking just enough to show the strain beneath.
“No take-backs,” one of the guys teased. “Rules are rules.”
All eyes turned to Logan, who was grinning like he’d just won a prize. He leaned forward, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my skin tingle.
“Well, well,” he said, his voice low and teasing. “Guess it’s you and me, Em.”
The circle buzzed with anticipation, but all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears.
“Let’s get it over with,” Vanessa snapped, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “We don’t have all night.”
Logan ignored her, his attention solely on me. He leaned in slowly, the grin softening into something gentler, something that made my heart ache in ways I didn’t fully understand.
“You okay?” he whispered, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I was okay or on the verge of passing out.
And then he kissed me.
It started soft, tentative, like he was giving me a chance to pull away. His lips brushed mine, warm and featherlight, sending a shiver down my spine. I didn’t move, couldn’t move, as his hand came up to cradle my jaw, his thumb brushing against my cheek in the gentlest way.
The noise of the room faded away, the world narrowing to just him—his touch, his warmth, the faint scent of his cologne. My heart hammered against my ribs as the kiss deepened, his lips moving against mine with a confidence that left me breathless.
Someone whistled, and the circle erupted into cheers and gasps, but I barely noticed. Logan tilted his head, his fingers tightening slightly on my jaw as his lips coaxed a response from me that I didn’t even know I was capable of.
My hands moved on their own, one clutching the hem of my shirt, the other bracing against the floor to keep me steady. Every nerve in my body was on fire, and when he finally pulled back, I wasn’t sure if I was breathing.
“What the hell was that?” Vanessa looked like she’d swallowed a lemon, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared at me.
Logan leaned back on his hands again, his grin returning as if nothing had happened. “That,” he said casually, “was a kiss.”
“Ten out of ten, Reyes!” someone shouted.
My body felt like it wasn’t mine. My lips tingled, my cheeks burned, and my heart felt like it might actually beat its way out of my chest.
“Seriously, Logan? That’s how you’re going to play this?” Vanessa said.
“Relax, Van. It’s just a game, remember?”
Her nostrils flared, but she didn’t respond, turning her attention to the bottle instead.
Meanwhile, Logan turned back to me, his smirk fading into something quieter, more serious. He leaned in again, close enough that only I could hear him.
“Emma,” he murmured, his voice so soft it sent shivers down my spine. “We need to talk.”
