“So, here’s the way it works.” Ashley Benson started. “Truth or dare. If you pick ‘truth’, you have to answer a question and swear to tell the truth. If you pick ‘dare’, you have to take a dare, but it could be something really embarrassing.”
“Yes, I’ve played truth or dare before, Ash,” Selena said, rolling her eyes. “You go first.”
She wasn’t sure how she’d ended up sitting on barstools with Ashley in Justin’s basement playing ‘truth or dare,’ but here she was. Ryan Good sulked in the corner with a beer, while Justin and Alfredo were harassing each other with awful jokes.
“All right. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
Ash grinned slyly. “If you had to choose between singing or acting, what would it be?”
“I don’t know. Acting maybe.” Selena shrugged casually. “It’s what I’m more comfortable with. Your go, Ash. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“What about you? If you had to chose between acting in movies or doing shows, what would it be?”
“That’s easy.” A slow, smile spread across Ashley’s face. “Movies.”
“Movies?” Selena raised one eyebrow in surprise.
“Mmhm.”
“Ash. Really?”
“Yep. It’s fun.”
“What about Pretty Little Liars? Wasn’t that fun?”
“‘Course! But doing movies gives me the chance to have new experiences and meet new people.”
“Oh.” Selena picked up her drink and sipped at it while she tried to think of something witty to say. “I didn’t know.”
Ash made a sputtering noise and burst out laughing. “No offence, Sel, but you are a bit thick, aren’t you?”
Selena had just opened her mouth to speak, to ask Ashley what on earth she was talking about, but a voice behind her stopped her words.
“You two are up to no good.”
Ryan leaned down with his elbows on the bar and signaled to the bartender for another drink. Ashley looked down and turned the same color as the cherry in her drink.
“We’re playing truth or dare, Ry. Wanna play?”
He snorted. “What is this, a freaking sleepover? You gonna pierce my ears and paint my toenails next?”
“C’mon, Ry. It’s just for a laugh.”
Ryan looked back and forth between the two women for a moment. “All right. Why not?” he snorted.
Ashley giggled and drummed her fingers against the bar. “My go. Baby. Is it boxers or y-fronts?”
Ryan licked his lips, rocked back on his heels once. “Boxers. Plain white ones.”
Justin walked over and wrapped his arms around Selena, pulling her close and whispering something in her ear. Alfredo sat himself down between Ashley and Selena and grabbed a drink for himself.
Ryan looked at Ashley sideways then glanced at the other couple quickly. He casually swallowed a mouthful of his beer.
“Well, look at the time! I’m going to my mom’s tomorrow morning. Best be off. G’night.” Ashley said quickly sliding off the barstool and walked towars the door with her boyfriend in tow.
“Yeah, I’d better go too.” Alfredo said awkwardly before heading for the door. He looked back at Justin over his shoulder and waggled his eyebrows before heading out the door.
There was an awkward silence. Then Justin hoisted himself onto the stool next to Selena’s.
“So, baby,” he said finally. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“C cup or D cup?”
“Just a C cup.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Disappointed?”
“Disappointed? Nah. You’re perfect.”
Selena smiled. “Truth or dare, Jay?”
He thought about it for a minute. “Truth.”
She fiddled with a coaster, trying to give the impression that she was searching for something to ask. “You’ve had two other girlfriends before me, right? Caitlin and Jasmine?”
Justin nodded. “Shay, Caitlin, and Jasmine.”
“Did you love them?” She asked casually and raised her shoulders as if it was just a random question that had popped into her head.
He leaned in towards her, his elbows still on the bar. “You wanna know if I was in love them?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why? No reason. It’s just a game.” She gave him a slight eyeroll.
“Did I love them?” He looked at her for a long moment and shrugged. “I might have, but I never loved them the way I love you.”
“Which one did you love more?”
“Sorry, that’s two questions. It’s my turn. Truth or dare, Sel,” he said quickly.
She chewed at her lip. “Truth.”
“That Nick Jonas.”
“Yes?”
“Did you love him?”
She leaned forward with her arms folded on the bar. “Yes,” she whispered softly. “Probably more than I should have.”
He looked at her in confusion before speaking again. “What do you mean?”
“Sorry, that’s two questions.”
“I don’t care, Sel. Answer me.”
She let him squirm while she took a sip of her drink. “I fell in love with him but he wasn’t in love with me. We hid our relationship and I was just sick of it. I had to beg him to come with me to important events just to support me.”
He breathed deeply before muttering, “Nick’s a douche bag.”
Selena chuckled to herself. “Yeah, I guess.” They let everything they’d said hang in the air for a moment.
“Truth or dare, Justin?”
He moved in closer. “Truth.”
“That night…” She mirrored him and moved in, too, their heads almost touching. Her voice had fallen low and sultry.
“Yeah?”
“That night. Here. I asked you what you would do with the last seconds of your life. Do you remember that?”
He reached his hand out. His fingers skimmed the back of her hand. “I remember, baby.”
“What would you do?” Her voice was just above a whisper, and her eyes dropped down to his mouth and back up again to his eyes.
He lifted his index finger and ran it down the back of her hand and over to her palm. “What would I do?”
“Say it.”
He waited a moment. “I’d take you upstairs….”
“Yes…”
“Undress you slowly.”
She swallowed hard. “And…?”
He moved his finger down to the inside of her wrist. “First your boots. Then your jeans…I’d kiss you…”
His voice trailed off. She could feel her pulse quicken underneath his touch.
“Mmmm.”
“Truth or dare?”
Her eyes were on his. “Dare.”
“Take me upstairs. Right now.”
