Chapter 2

A wave of confusion washed over the room.

Blake' s smirk vanished. He looked genuinely surprised.

Chloe' s eyes widened. This wasn't the reaction she wanted. She lived for my jealousy, my meltdowns. It was how she knew she had control.

She slid out of Blake' s arms, pulling the towel tighter.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Liam?" she snapped.

"It means I don't want our guests to be uncomfortable," I said, putting the beer in the kitchen fridge. "You guys do whatever you want."

I acted like nothing was wrong. I restarted the music on the Sonos. I offered someone a beer.

The party awkwardly came back to life, but the tension was thick.

Later, someone started a game of Spin the Bottle. Of course.

Blake made sure he was sitting right across from Chloe.

He spun the bottle. It landed on her, a little too perfectly.

He leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss. It wasn't a game kiss. It was a performance.

Everyone looked at me. Waiting.

I just took a sip of my beer.

The bottle spun again and again. Eventually, it pointed to Jessica.

Jessica was Chloe' s sorority sister, her supposed best friend. She was always there, backing Chloe up, making me feel like I was the crazy one.

I looked at her. She looked back, a flicker of something in her eyes.

I leaned across the circle.

I kissed her. It wasn't angry. It wasn't passionate. It was just a fact.

I pulled back and looked at Chloe.

"It's just a game, right?" I said calmly. "No big deal."