Chapter – 10

Rosie caught up with me just as I exited the pond, throwing a towel at me. “I have something for them to mull over,” she said and winked.

“What did you do now?” I knew immediately she had posted something on I*******m.

Rosie giggled as she swiped her thumb across the screen. My breath hitched as soon as the post came into view. The sudden rush of blood to my brain drowned all the sounds around me. I recognized the moment she’d captured, and the memory warmed my heart.

Orlando had his hands around my waist as a pristine smile adorned his lips. My orange gown with gold embroidery contrasted well with his gray suit. It was his first real smile in a long time. My eyes were mesmerized as I looked at him, and the camera had captured it all.

“When did you take this?”

“Oh, I was passing by and saw two birds picking sticks to build their nest. Couldn’t help but capture what I thought would be one of the many best moments to come.”

Goose bumps erupted on my flesh as my eyes widened. “Rosie…” My voice was barely a whisper.

“It’s too early, I know. But I can’t deny it, Ari. I feel it when you two are together. I see it in your eyes—both of your eyes. I see the joy in yours and hope in his. I have this gut feeling that says you’re meant for each other.”

She sounded sincere, and I believed her. It sounded too good. When my eyes found Orlando, with Mike in a choke hold, sporting a huge grin on his face, hope bloomed in my heart. I didn’t know what to do about it.

“I see how much he’s changed, Ari. He just hasn’t realized it yet,” Rosie’s soft voice continued. “He’s laughing and talking a lot. He’s coming out of his shell.”

Rosie’s words kept replaying in my mind as I went to lie under the canopy of a tree. My eyes once again went to Orlando. I took the phone and recorded the guys laughing out loud and bickering with each other. It had been too long since I saw them together like this, almost ten years.

A beep distracted me, and a frown crept onto my face when I noticed a text.

Brian: What are you trying to prove? Do you realize how much stress this puts on your parents?

What was the matter with this guy? Why did he think he had the right to message me now? Fury bubbled within the cavity of my chest.

Brian: I’m ashamed of you, Arianna. I thought you’d be better, but you proved again how low you’d go to disgrace your family.

What was he talking about? Now I was really confused. His message didn’t make sense. If he meant my I*******m posts, I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong about it. I typed, “Who do you think you are?” Then I recalled what Mike and Rosie had told me. To move on, I had to forget and distract myself. No matter how hard it was, I forced myself to ignore the message and deleted it so I wouldn’t go back to check and respond. His words, however, kept replaying in the back of my mind. What was he implying? Why would he say he thought I’d be better, and I proved him wrong? What did I do?

***

“Truth or dare!”

I groaned at Mike’s announcement. His version of truth or dare had always been embarrassing. Mike took the game too seriously and always made sure the participants fulfilled the conditions. While I was thinking about an excuse, I noticed everyone gathering on the ground, forming a circle. There went my chance.

“Ari! Aren’t you coming?” Rosie hollered.

“Nope. I’m gonna lay down for a while.”

“Two minutes before I come and drag your ass here,” Mike, Satan in disguise, called.

“I’m coming.”

Orlando and Jeff, who were unaware of how Mike’s game usually ended, sat there, clueless.

“Should I be concerned?” Orlando asked when I went to sit beside him. “Your face tells me you don’t have a good experience with his games.”

“Too late.” I sighed. “Friendly advice: stick to the truth.”

Orlando nodded as Mike started with a mischievous grin. He had set a small stool in the middle with an empty beer bottle on it. I looked at the sky, praying Mike would let me walk out of this place with dignity.

“Enrique!”

The crowd cheered.

“Truth or dare?” Mike asked.

“Dare.” Enrique smirked.

Clever. I knew him enough to know he’d never choose the truth. Once he did, and that day, I learned how many women he’d slept with and how often he masturbated in a week. Yep, Mike is an asshole with all capitals with this game.

“I knew you’d choose a dare, pal,” Mike drawled. “Hence, I crafted something special for you. Wear this until the game ends.”

When Mike pulled a leafy thing from behind his back, everyone burst into laughter, including me.

Enrique held it in his hand, and his nose scrunched. “Is this a joke? How do I even wear it?” He unfolded the delicate looking skirt made of only leaves.

“Can we switch it for a kerchief instead?’

“Nope. You know the rules.” Mike shrugged. “And, no briefs, buddy.”

I felt Orlando stiffen beside me, and I threw him an I-told-you-so look.

We burst into laughter when Enrique came out wearing it, or more accurately, holding it in one hand and covering his crotch using the other.

“Mother Nature would be so proud of you.” Mike clapped and rotated the bottle for the next round.

After Enrique’s turn, everyone mostly chose the truth, fearing what Mike would make them do. Enrique knelt, resting his ass on his heels because sitting in any other position without flashing us was impossible.

“How many women have you had sex with?”

Jeff coughed and looked at Rosie with wide eyes. Rosie shrugged.

“I’ll choose dare.” Jeff shifted uncomfortably.

“You can’t change it, Jeff.” The devious grin on his face would look perfect with a pair of demon ears and a spiked tail.

“I don’t know,” Jeff answered with a resigned sigh.

“What’s your number, mate?” Enrique teased.

Jeff’s pleading eyes met Rosie’s, and I felt pity for the guy. “Twenty-something. I’m sorry, babe. But it was during my college days. I’m not the same person anymore.”

Twenty. Wow.

Suddenly, I was curious about Orlando’s turn. What would he say?

“It’s okay, Jeff. That was in the past.” Rosie shrugged and patted his shoulder. Jeff visibly relaxed and pulled her into his embrace before kissing the crown of her head.

My heart sped up when it was Orlando’s turn. “How many girls have you slept with?” Mike asked as if reading my mind.

Orlando stiffened but then relaxed. “One.”

I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. What did I expect?

“Arianna,” Mike pulled me out of my thoughts, “your turn. Who was your first crush?” I cursed, throwing a furious glare at him. His grin widened as he urged me to answer. “Remember, I already know the answer,” he warned.

Beside me, Orlando was looking at me, his expression unreadable.

I took a deep breath. I should’ve known this was coming. “Orlando.” My whisper was barely audible.

“We didn’t hear it. Louder, please…” Mike chuckled.

Asshole. He did this on purpose. “Orlando Gabriele Cortez,” I said through my gritted teeth as my cheeks heated. There was no way I could face Orlando now. Crap!

I was the first person to run to the tent when the game was over. I didn’t know which was more embarrassing, answering the question about my crush or when he asked me who I would’ve chosen to lose my V-card to, Brian or Orlando. “Somebody kill me now,” I groaned as I buried my face into the pillow. I was an idiot. I should’ve chosen a dare after the first question.

A soft chuckle made me sit up. Ah, here came my fourth embarrassment of the day. I didn’t dare meet Orlando’s gaze. My dignity clung to me by a thread, and I was sure by the end of the day, it would be dead and gone.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you know,” Orlando said calmly, and I covered my face again.

“I hate Mike.”

Orlando chuckled again. “Thanks for the friendly advice, by the way.” He was getting comfortable in the tent, and instead of leaving like I expected him to, he just lay there.

“And look where it got me. I should’ve known better.”

“Would you prefer masturbating underwater while sounding as if you’re in a porn movie?”

I grimaced. That was what Enrique got in his second round of dare. I had to close my ears and eyes during the session. The men were laughing, and Chiara was beet red when I opened my eyes again. Skyler, like me, had closed her eyes and ears while Jeff covered Rosie’s eyes.

“Nope.”

“You got nothing to worry about. It’s just me.”

I didn’t know what to think anymore. But I didn’t respond to Orlando.

When night came, everyone settled in their tents with their men. I lay there with Orlando, pretending to sleep. Being alone with him in the same tent after revealing I had a crush on him was the most awkward moment I’d ever had.

Fortunately, Orlando didn’t comment, and I was thankful. My peace didn’t last long as sounds began coming from a nearby tent. My ears heated up when I realized what it was. Moans and grunts threw stones at my peace, adding more to my embarrassment. If that wasn’t enough, more sounds started from the second tent and then the third.

My eyes widened as I sat straight. What the hell were they doing?

Beside me, Orlando cleared his throat. “That’s unwarranted.”

“They’re doing it on purpose, I swear,” I hissed as I covered my ears.

It now sounded as if they were competing with each other on who screamed louder. Again, I shouldn’t be surprised since everyone except Orlando and me was drunk.

“I’m going out for a walk.” Orlando stood.

“Wait, I’m coming with you.”

We almost ran out of the place like bats out of hell, and I relaxed when we were out of hearing range.

“Why don’t you drink?” I asked as Orlando sat on a rock beside the pond. Moonlight illuminated the surroundings, making it look like a place out of a fairy tale.

“I drink beer.”

“You know what I meant. Besides, you refused the beer today.” I sat beside him and threw the blanket around his shoulders before closing the distance between us and settling against him.

“That’s because I knew I’d be sharing the tent with you. Also, at least one person has to be sober at night when everyone else is wasted.”

I nodded. “And you don’t drink much otherwise because…?”

“Because there are things I don’t want to forget.” His answer was terse, body stiff.

“Sounds reasonable.” I looked away at the pond as I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Let’s talk about something else. What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple and blue. What’s yours?”

“Red and black. What movies do you prefer?”

“Comedy.”

“No way. Me too.”

Soon, I ran out of questions and asked him, “What was the most embarrassing thing you did when you were younger?”

Orlando chuckled. “I lost a bet and had to twerk in front of the class while wearing high heels. Worst of all, someone shot it and posted on F******k. It went viral, and they didn’t let me forget.”

I laughed, imagining how he’d have looked. “I want to see that someday.”

“No, you don’t.”

I just laughed in response.

“What about you?” he asked.

“Ah, you don’t want to know.”

“I told you mine.”

“Well, let’s say I still live it.”

“What did you do?” he asked.

“I told you about my wild birthday party, right?” Orlando nodded. “Well, we had hired a tattoo artist, a DJ, and a few strippers too.”

Orlando’s eyes widened, and he masked the laughter with a cough.

“We played truth or dare, and with my drunken courage, I chose dare.”

“What did he do?” Orlando sported an amused smile as his eyes bore into mine.

“I ended up getting a tattoo on my ass.”

Orlando boomed with laughter. “Do I even want to know what it is?”

“No.” I shook my head. You’ll find out soon enough. My sudden thought shocked me and made my cheeks burn.

“So, what’s on it?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself.” I bit the inside of my cheeks and averted my gaze when I realized I had said it out loud.

“Is that an invitation?” His brows quirked as a smile spread on his lips.

My mind was like a lost needle in a haystack as I gazed into his eyes. “Do you think they would be done by now?” I changed the topic, not trusting myself anymore. He is too hot for his own good.

Orlando shrugged. The moment of heat simmered as we gazed at the pond. “We should head back and check. Or you can stay here while I take a quick look,” he suggested.

“I’ll wait here.” My answer came without hesitation. I watched him go and turned my attention to the pond. I’d rather sit here in the dark wondering about the ghosts that roamed at night rather than hear their sounds of pleasure.

“It’s clear,” Orlando announced and helped me up. Together, we headed to our tent.