After the.. you know, 'incident', Dom has been distancing himself from us—even from me. It's not like we haven't tried to comfort him. Liam did.. I did—you see—I tried, bro! But what happened was he went all rampage to me like—

"What the fuck is his problem these days, seriously?!"

Exhausted and drained from the intense encounter, you closed your eyes—letting out a deep sigh. Gathering your resolve, you finally opened them and summoned all the patience you could muster to explain the situation. "I'm sorry, Dommy.. It's just—it has always been his nickname for me since we were babies—just like I'm the only one who calls him Tyty—"

"The fact that I can't even complain about this when he's very welcomed to complain whenever I—"

"It's not like that! Dom—"

"And the fact that you guys know each other so fucking well puts me off every time!"

"Dommy.. What do you expect? We've known each other since we were babies.." you consoled, frustration still evident in your tone as Hunt, still fuming, let out a groan of annoyance.

"I just—I need to clear my head. I'll catch up to you in a sec, W—"

He caught himself mid-sentence. At his almost slip up, you couldn't help but let out a slight cringe. After a brief pause—he raised his eyebrows and lit his cigarette to say,

"Emily."

He turned away, muttering under his breath a nickname he thought was best for now. Your stomach sank at his disappointment, and you couldn't help but plead, "Baby.. sorry.. I wanted to avoid this but I didn't know how—"

"It's ok babe, just after this one's finished, okay?" he interrupted with a forced smile, his words tinged with urgency as if he wanted to dismiss you as quickly as possible—and he continued his smoke.

But even after a few more smokes, he still hasn't decided to join us, fellas.

Damn it, was Tyler too hard on him earlier? Ok just—let him be for a while, Em. Let's just—focus on these games. If you're asking, yes—as usual, Wyatt's been keeping us busy with his never-ending list of games. But what I've been wondering is..

Why does.. Tyler.. keep staring at me?

Ok I don't know! But hear me out—ok—I'm sitting here, alright? Drinking what everyone called a Radler. I have Evie beside me, Scott and Tara on my left.. I just—I know he's sitting there—just a few feet away, right beside Wyatt and the gang. But—you can feel it when someone's watching you, right? Because when I glance in his direction.. See?! He is looking back at me—oh hell what's with that smirk—

But then your phone dings.

As you're about to reach for it, from the corner of your eyes—you catch him bouncing his eyebrows at you. Tilting your head, you squint your eyes in suspicion—and it all makes sense when you finally look at your phone and see the notification..

'Stop looking at me won't ya?'

You scoff at his text—rolling your eyes playfully before glancing at him with a slight smirk. Still looking at you, he chuckles mischievously, tongue licking on his lower lip—clearly enjoying your reaction. You try to hold back a grin, but it's a losing battle as you feel the corners of your mouth twitching upwards.

Deciding to play it cool, you look away from him—pretending to ignore his antics. However, just as you try to focus on something else, you feel another vibration from your phone. A big smirk forms on your face as you reluctantly take a another check on your screen, just to see—

'Arrogant.'

Letting out another amused scoff, you finally decided to reply—when someone grabs you from your seat and throws you to another random spot, leaving you sitting on the ground! Throwing your head back in irritation at your new seat, you groan, "Ohmygod what game are we even playing now?"

"Hello, Winters."

You immediately snap your head to the side—finding Cavill, already leaning on the sofa's cushion with his arm supporting his head as he stares at you.

Oh man, it's tough having an attractive bestie, isn't it? Everything he does could almost make me.. enchanted?

Sighing, you cover up your underlying amusement and act annoyed, saying, "Ugh, you again."

"What's wrong with me?" he asks with a smirk, raising an eyebrow as he snatches the phone from your hand before you could even argue—just to check what you typed for him. Disappointed with what he found, he tosses your phone back to you. "That's it? My bad—thought you were writing something important,"

"Sure, make fun of me all you want since you're so relevant—"

But before you could finish your sentence, he cuts you off by stealing your Radler and finishes it in one go—flashing you a cheeky grin afterward. Watching him with tired annoyance, you slump back into your slouched position and complain, "Can I just step out of this game, please?!"

"No. You're not allowed."

Wyatt's voice is firm—leaving no room for argument. He's positioned far across from you, sitting beside Eve—who's already showcasing her signature smile.

Oh, so he's the one throwing me here.

Reluctantly glancing to your right, you catch Tyler's mischievous gaze still fixed on you. His eyebrows bouncing with a big smirk plastered on his face. Despite your unimpressed expression, he seems to be even more delighted before without warning—he reaches out to mess up your hair, earning a slap from you—

When he swiftly stops you, grabbing your hands and turning you to face the front—locking your own hands in front of you. Hugging you from behind. Annoyance courses through you as you feel his chuckle reverberating against his chest behind you, intensifying your irritation.

Rude.

"Allllright, Queen of Truth—!"

"Oh not this one I'm so not in the mood for this one—!"

You act like you're having a seizure in Cavill's embrace—eliciting laughter from everyone, including him.

I don't care! You see—I'm just. not. in the mood for this game. God help me.

"This one will be different though!" Wyatt assures, his arm now circling around Reed's shoulders.

Oh fuck, different? Different?! As if his 'different' would make me feel better—see that cheeky grin he has on his face? Never a good sign.

"Babe, everybody learned from their past experience how your 'different' usually translates for 'more chaotic'," Eve laughs in his embrace.

Chuckling at his girlfriend's remark, he announces, "It's only gonna be a dare, and the person before you will have to say the dare first before spinning the bottle," he pauses, his eyes scanning the room to ensure everyone understands the rules. Once he catches everyone's nodding, he continues,

"Ready to hit some logs, Rivers?!"

The crowd erupts into cheers and excited chatter. Evie shakes his body in excitement, showing how supportive she is towards her boyfriend's wickedness. Groaning, you helplessly drop your head to Cavill's shoulder behind you, silently pleading, 'Can you control this wild loco, bestie?' Nonchalantly, Tyler simply shrugs his shoulders—a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes.

With a dramatic hand gesture, Wyatt urges Cavill to place your now empty Radler in the middle. Then, he turns to you with a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

"So! Queen of Truth—I'm giving you the honor.. to be the Queen of Dare!"

As the chant of 'Spin! Spin! Spin!' grows louder from the crowd, you realize you have no other choice but to embrace what's to come. Taking a deep breath, you steel yourself—knowing that with this group, chaos is always just around the corner. So eventually, you have no other choice other than..

To spin.

As the bottle spins, each dare seems to outdo the last—and you can't help but chuckle at the antics of your friends. Here and there, you and Tyler share stolen glances and secret smiles, enjoying the brief respite from the chaos around you.

"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"

Meanwhile, Scott and Luke engage in a spirited debate over who can chug their drink the fastest. Tyler leans in closer to you, a playful smirk on his lips as he comments, "I can't believe they're actually doing these things. Wyatt is definitely out of his mind,"

"Yeah, but—no, you saw when Scott was dared to prank call his crush, right? That was way too crazy!"

The corner of his lips tweak upwards at your excitement as he asks, "Oh really?"

"Wait, weren't you there when it happened, though—? Oh, right! You were watching Morbius with your ex, right?!"

"Oh sheesh don't remind me—ok back to Scott, please,"

"LOL, he was—"

The two of you are engrossed in your own little world. Every now and then, when Tyler thinks no one's watching—he always finds an opportunity to play with a lock of your hair from beside you. Trying to keep your cool, you keep explaining Scott's situation to him—and when you're done, you meet his gaze with a big grin and chuckle, "Right?!"

Only to burst into laughter when you see the weird.. surprised and amused expression on his face—as if he's been caught off guard. Unable to resist his cute expression, your laughter mingling with his—you lean in closer.. and playfully pinch his nose, teasing between giggles, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Hm?" he responds with a playful smile, flinching a little as you playfully shuffle his hair.

"What did I say earlier?"

"Uhhh, Scott?"

"Ohmygod you're so hopeless, Ty!" you giggle, shaking your head in a mocking exasperation. As you both share a moment of laughter, his eyes soften. Even after your giggles subside, he continues to look at you with a gentle smile, expression filled with warmth.

You meet his gaze.. and you can't help but return his smile. The two of you exchange sweet glances, until you finally raise an eyebrow in a playful manner, as if silently asking a 'what?'

Suddenly, his expression turns serious. Causing you to slightly knit your eyebrows in worry. Until with his low voice—barely audible above the chatter of the room, he whispers,

"I miss you."

As his unexpected confession sinks in, warmth spreads through your chest. Your round eyes meet his gaze—heart skipping a beat, overwhelmed by the sincerity in his voice.. and his eyes.. those hazel eyes..

Gulping, you fix your composure—and with a soft smile that graces your lips, you mutter, "You're the one too busy with Your Majesty Queen Taylor Hill—"

"Says you."

All his sweet demeanor turns sour as he stops staring at you and changes his position to face forward—no longer facing you. It's as if a switch has been flipped, and you're left wondering—

Oh man, no more babies sulking on me please. One kid going out for a smoke—and not coming back is enough—

You rack your brain upside down, recalling your recent interactions to understand what he meant. "Tyty.. What's wrong..?"

"Your time, is almost entirely spent with your boyfriend."

Perplexed by his sudden complaint, you laugh, finding his reaction somewhat amusing. "What's wrong with—Ty he's my boyfriend. Nothing's wrong with spending time with—" you pause, noticing his sus raised eyebrow.

Oh. What is wrong, is me, dating his bestfriend in the first place. Bravo I get it now.

"Ty.."

"I know him and he's not—ugh, how the hell did this happen?! Just look at how he's stealing my nickname for you!"

"Ty, you did it, okay? You made it clear—" sighing in exhaustion, you hushingly plead, "Seriously, Ty? We gonna do this now?"

"You never have time for me anymore!"

There it was. All his pent-up feelings, finally enunciated in one sentence. He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. Tyler's expression shifts from frustration to resignation as he lets out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping slightly. His eyes now reflect a tinge of sadness as he gazes at you.

With a wide eye, realization dawns on you—eyebrows furrowing in concern as you register the weight of his words. You reach out for his hand tentatively—but you draw your hand back, unsure of how to respond.

"Ty—"

"OH. MY. GOD!!!"

Eve squeals along with the others—causing you to jump, pausing in the middle of your serious conversation. Reed covers a hand over her own mouth, her expression replaced by a sudden look of weird realization that washes over her face.

You and Tyler turn your heads to the whole room.. only to find wide-eyed shock, excited expressions—some squealing in giddiness.. some jaw dropped in fascination.. As you try to make sense of the situation, you find Wyatt's burning excitement as he ponders at the two of you—his hand covering his never-ending grinning mouth.

Oh man what again.

"Ty.. What.. is going on..? Why is everybody looking at us like we're on Knives Out—"

Feeling a hand nudging you from your side, you snap your head to Tyler, noticing his tired eyes already fixed on something—the green transparent bottle, with its head resting between the two of you.

"Tyler.. Emilia.." Liam speaks before choking in an excited squeal. Seemingly still in a bad mood from your earlier conversation, Tyler impatiently raises an eyebrow—indicating a taunting 'what?' with his face.

Pursing his lips while closing his eyes, Liam nods in a victorious embrace before finally shooting his eyes to both of you, "You know when the bottle rests between the two of you, the both of you have to do it, right?"

"Spit it out already, Wyatt. It's just a game," he demands impatiently, curious about everyone's reaction. Glancing at you for encouragement, he adds, "Not like we never did everything together anyway, right, Winny?" and winks, causing you to roll your eyes.

Weirdly, his words seem to excite everyone even more. Having enough of these weird expressions, you shout, "Oh my God what's gotten into all of you? Listen—whatever. We'll do it anyway, okay?!" circling your arms around Tyler to reassure everyone, you boast, "Y'all know our integrity when it comes to Truth or Dare!" Letting out another loud shriek of amusement, Eve sandwiches her own face while giddily jumping up and down in her seat—further fueling your impatience. "Hurry up! What is it—?"

"Don't let everyone mistake you for someone else's girlfriend, baby."

Your head snaps to the voice you know so well, sending a jolt of panic through your body. Your heart races in your chest and without a moment's hesitation—you release your arms from Tyler's shoulders. Swiftly rising from your seat, you immediately wrap your arms around his neck—all while ignoring Tyler's rolling eyes.

"Domdom~ I just—w—we're just playing spin the bottle, baby~"

But then you hear another set of gasps and held-back screams—as if the crowd just realizes something forgotten. Wyatt goes into a panic as his head darts to the two of you—to Tyler—and to Eve. Given his tendency to act before thinking.. this reaction is pretty understandable.

Sensing the shift in the room's atmosphere, Dom reluctantly brings his head around and asks, "Uh.. what did I miss?"

Glancing at the now nervous Eve, Liam stammers, "The.. the bottle—Dom—" before looking down while closing his eyes to mumble, "Fuck, rest in peace bros before hoes—"

Finally noticing the bottle's position and recalling your earlier position before running off to him, Dominic—ever the picture of nonchalance, shrugged off with a careless grin. "So what?"

Noticing everyone's flipped reaction, Tyler's curiosity is piqued even further. His forehead creases, his body leaning closer to the middle, waiting for Wyatt's verdict. You nervously shift your stance, fidgeting with your legs as you release the hand that had been circling around Dom. You fold your arms in front of you, hiding the tightened fists out of nervousness.

"Uh.. Dom, sorry to break it to you bud, but uh—"

Everybody starts to squirm in their seats, tension palpable in the air. Dominic listens intently, his eyes squinting as he inclined his head forward..

"The dare.."

With round, curious eyes, you and Tyler lean forward eagerly, anticipation building as you await the upcoming reveal. The room seems to hold its breath, every eye fixed on Wyatt—until after what feels like an eternity, he opens his mouth..

"The dare is to be boyfriend girlfriend for 24 hours."

"WHAT?!"

Everybody cheers, finally releasing the pent-up excitement that had been held up. Your eyes widen in disbelief—eyebrows shooting up to your hairline as you process the unexpected dare. Dom's expression mirrors yours, his mouth agape in astonishment.

While Tyler.. initially wearing a shocked expression.. now wears a bemused smirk—clearly delighted by the audacity of the challenge. Taking advantage of the moment of surprise, he shouts,

"We're gonna do it!"

"W—wait—w—we do?!"

His lips twitch slightly upwards as he glances at you with a devilish, lopsided grin. You gape at him with panic in your eyes—when Tyler shifts his eyes to the person standing beside you.. smirking at fuming Dom before adding,

"Oh we're so gonna do it."

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

Why does.. Tyler.. keep staring at me?

https://youtu.be/1DRuoNjr_ZE