Chapter 61
His fingers flex against my waist, a touch so small, so subtle, but I feel it everywhere.
Before I can snap back, someone whistles loudly, snapping the moment in two.
“Damn, Liam, you trying to take the whole ship down with you?” Tonia calls out, laughing. A few others join in, and just like that, the spell breaks.
I blink, the room rushing back in all at once. The music, the laughter, the weight of too many eyes on me.
On us.
Liam leans back against the bar, finally letting go, but his smirk lingers. Like he’s still got me trapped in the moment.
Maybe he does.
“Rule change!” Becca calls out, whatever it is she sees between me and Liam brightens her mood. She has the largest, shit eating grin on her face. “Everyone gets on the ground to spin the bottle. The last person it lands on spins. Whoever it lands on is your body shots partner. No exceptions.”
Some tech bro with an overpriced watch frowns. “What if we don’t want to? Can we back out?”
Becca’s all sweetness and kindness smile is back. “Of course you can. Then you’ll just have to jump off the cruise and we’ll
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have the captain fish you back up.”
No one argues after that. Everyone silently finds a spot on the ground – Zane and his friends included.
“You’re up next, sweetheart,” Becca says, handing me the bottle. “Make it good.”
I exhale slowly, forcing my heartbeat to calm.
I can do this. It’s just a game. Just a game.
! spin the bottle.
It turns once.
Twice.
My heart slams against my ribs as it slows, ticking past faces, each second stretching unbearably long.
Then it stops.
And my stomach drops.
Zane.
The teasing atmosphere shifts, the tension snapping sharp and immediate.
I don’t dare look at Liam, but I can feel the change in him. His posture stiffens, his smirk fading.
I swallow hard.
This is fine.
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This is completely fine.
It’s just a game.
Even as Zane’s gaze settles on me – intense, unreadable – I don’t quite believe that anymore.
The room feels smaller. Or maybe that’s just my chest tightening.
I knew this could happen, but somehow, I didn’t think it would.
For a second, no one moves. The music is still playing, but no one’s laughing anymore, it all feels distant.
Like the real noise is in my head.
Then Becca claps her hands, from the look on her faces I think she got exactly what she wanted. Must be nice. “Unfortunately ! was serious about the no exceptions rule. But it’s okay since you’ve both moved on, right?”
So this is what she’s playing at.
Liam still hasn’t said a word. I don’t look at him. I can’t.
Zane flexes his fingers. “Of course, babe. It’s just a game. Right, Em?”
My cheeks hurt from my smile. “Right.”
Zane pushes up from where he’s sitting, rolling his shoulders like he’s getting ready for a fight. His eyes flick to me, sharp and unreadable.
“That’s settled then!” For once, Tonia doesn’t look so excited
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anymore. I can only imagine how awkward she and everyone else who knows Zane and I feel right now. “It’s Zane and Emilia!”
I force a breath.
It’s just a game.
Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll eventually believe it.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I say, voice steady.
Zane smirks. “Didn’t think you’d back down.”
I don’t respond. I don’t trust myself to.
Someone hands me the salt. The tequila. The lime. My hands don’t shake. That’s a win, right?
–
“Where?” Zane asks, and I realise – too late that he’s mimicking Liam.
Of course, he saw.
I don’t know why that annoys me. I don’t care what Zane sees, what he thinks. Not anymore.
I place my hand against his chest, ignoring the way his smirk deepens like he thinks this still means something. Like I haven’t already erased him from my life.
I almost want to laugh.
If Becca was hoping for drama, she picked the wrong girl.
I sprinkle the salt onto his skin, quick and smooth. Efficient. It
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means nothing.
Because it really doesn’t.
I lean in, my lips brushing his chest as I lick the salt away. Too slow? Too fast? I don’t know. I don’t care.
The tequila burns as I take the shot, but I barely feel it.
Maybe it’s the alcohol.
Maybe it’s just that Zane no longer has the power to make me feel anything at all.
The lime is the last step.
I grab it, press it between my teeth, and bite down. The sour tang spreads across my tongue, but my face doesn’t so much as twitch.
Zane watches me like he’s waiting for something. A reaction. A slip.
