29.

Vera’s POV

The living room hummed with laughter, Cecily’s bottle game in full swing. The dares had gotten bolder, the truths more revealing, and everyone was a little more comfortable—or in my case, more on edge. My focus flickered between Cecily's exaggerated dares and Daniel’s unrelenting gaze from across the circle.

The bottle spun again, glinting under the warm light. It twirled lazily before slowing to a stop—pointing directly at me.

“Vera!” Cecily sang, her grin nothing short of devious. “Truth or dare?”

I hesitated, feeling Daniel’s eyes boring into me. “Uh… truth.”

Cecily groaned. “You’re no fun. Alright, fine. Let’s make this interesting—what’s something you’ve never told Daniel?”

The room fell quiet, all eyes darting between me and Daniel. His expression remained unreadable, but his posture stiffened slightly, and I could feel the tension radiating from him.

I swallowed hard. “Uh… I—”

“Pick dare,” Daniel interrupted, his voice smooth but commanding. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his gaze locked on mine. “I think it’ll be more interesting.”

I stared at him, caught off guard by the sudden challenge. A dare felt like a trap, especially with Cecily steering the ship, but my pride wouldn’t let me back down.

“Fine,” I said, squaring my shoulders. “Dare.”

Cecily’s eyes sparkled like she’d just won the lottery. “I dare you to sit on Daniel’s lap until the next spin.”

My stomach dropped, and I felt heat rush to my face. “What? No way!”

“Rules are rules,” Cecily said, shrugging innocently but clearly enjoying this. “Unless you want to forfeit.”

Daniel, to my surprise, didn’t protest. Instead, he leaned back against the couch, his arms casually crossing over his chest, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “Your choice, Vera.”

I shot him a glare, feeling cornered. The room waited in hushed anticipation, every eye on me. With a resigned sigh, I stood up and moved toward him, ignoring the amused murmurs around us.

As I awkwardly perched on his lap, his hands instinctively rested on my waist, steadying me. My pulse raced as his scent—warm, woodsy, and intoxicating—filled my senses.

“Comfortable?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

“Not in the slightest,” I muttered, avoiding his gaze.

The bottle spun again, but I barely noticed. My entire focus was on the heat radiating between us, the firmness of his chest against my back, and the way his fingers brushed against my waist every time I shifted.

“You’re tense,” he murmured, his voice just loud enough for me to hear.

“Gee, I wonder why,” I shot back, my voice laced with sarcasm.

His chuckle vibrated against me, sending shivers down my spine. “Relax, Vera. It’s just a game.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one sitting on someone else’s lap with an audience watching their every move.

When the bottle finally landed on Joshua, Cecily announced the next dare with dramatic flair, pulling everyone’s attention away from me and Daniel. But even as the focus shifted, I couldn’t shake the awareness of his touch or the quiet intensity of his gaze.

As soon as my turn was over, I practically leapt off his lap, returning to my spot in the circle. Cecily’s knowing smirk didn’t go unnoticed, but I ignored her, focusing instead on calming my erratic heartbeat.

Daniel, of course, looked entirely unbothered, his cool composure intact. But when his eyes met mine, there was a flicker of something there—something that made my stomach twist in ways I couldn’t explain.

This game was going to be the death of me.

The house fell eerily quiet once everyone had left. Cecily and Nicholas had made their dramatic goodbyes, promising to drag me out for coffee soon, while Joshua and the others left with quick waves and casual thanks. By noon, it was just me and Daniel in the big, empty house.

I busied myself cleaning up the living room, refusing to look at him. My cheeks were still burning from the ridiculous lap dare Cecily had forced on me earlier, and every time I thought about it, a fresh wave of embarrassment washed over me.

“Leave it,” Daniel said from behind me, his voice calm but firm. “I’ll handle the mess later.”

“I’m fine,” I replied curtly, not even turning around.

“Vera.”

The way he said my name made me freeze, but I quickly shook it off and grabbed another empty glass from the table. I wasn’t in the mood to argue—or talk—so I did what I always did when I felt overwhelmed. I ran.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and headed straight for my room.

I slammed the door shut behind me and leaned against it, letting out a frustrated sigh. My heart was still pounding, but whether it was from anger, embarrassment, or something else entirely, I couldn’t tell.

Why did he have to look so calm, so unaffected? How could he sit there with that faint smirk while I practically melted into a puddle of awkwardness? And why… why did his touch linger in my mind, refusing to leave me alone?

I paced back and forth, running my hands through my hair. This was ridiculous. I was ridiculous.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I ignored it, crossing my arms and staring at the floor.

“Vera,” Daniel called from the other side, his voice even. “Open the door.”

“No.”

There was a pause. “Are you going to stay in there all day?”

“Maybe.”

Another pause. “We need to talk.”

I let out a humorless laugh, though it sounded more like a scoff. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Fine,” he said, and I could hear the faint irritation in his tone. “Then I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

I rolled my eyes and flopped onto the bed, grabbing a pillow to hug against my chest. Why was he always like this? So calm, so composed, so… frustrating?

Minutes turned into what felt like hours, and I was sure he’d given up and left. But when I finally cracked open the door to peek out, there he was, leaning against the wall just outside my room, arms crossed and an unreadable expression on his face.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

“Waiting,” he said simply, his eyes locking onto mine.

“For what?”

“For you to come out,” he replied, pushing off the wall and taking a step closer. “You can’t hide in there forever.”

“I’m not hiding,” I snapped, stepping fully into the hallway. “I just needed space.”

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze steady and unyielding. “Space from what? Me?”

“Yes!” I blurted out, before quickly correcting myself. “No—I mean… I don’t know!”

He took another step closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. “Why are you so worked up, Vera?”

“I’m not worked up,” I said, though my voice betrayed me, trembling slightly.

He leaned in, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “Is this about earlier? The game?”

I looked away, heat rushing to my face again. “Of course not.”

“Liar,” he said softly, his tone maddeningly calm.

I glared at him, my frustration bubbling over. “You think you know everything, don’t you? Always so calm, always in control. Do you even feel anything, Daniel?”

The words were out before I could stop them, and the moment they left my mouth, I regretted them.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he was going to walk away. But instead, he took another step closer, leaving barely any space between us.

“Do I feel anything?” he repeated, his voice low and steady, though there was an edge to it now. “You really think I don’t?”

I swallowed hard, suddenly unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t know what you feel. You’re impossible to read.”

He let out a quiet, humorless laugh, shaking his head. “You’re impossible, Vera. Do you know how hard it is to—”

He stopped himself, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“To what?” I pressed, my voice barely above a whisper.

“To hold back,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach flip.

The air between us felt charged, like something unspoken was hanging in the balance. But before I could say anything, before I could process what was happening, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, my heart racing and my mind spinning.

What the hell just happened?