When it was my husband's "sworn sister's" turn in the game of Truth or Dare, she winked at me.
"Kristoff has a scar on his butt. I'm the one who bit him."
The private room fell into dead silence.
My mind went blank. That scar near his tailbone—so it wasn't from a motorcycle accident like he had told me.
Seeing me freeze, she giggled and explained, "Oh, don't overthink it. It was just on your wedding night. Purely a ‘souvenir' of our brotherly love."
Then she smirked, "If there really was something between us, do you think I'd be bringing it up on your third wedding anniversary?"
——
The air turned heavy.
Kristoff lifted the banana in his hand and shoved the entire thing into Aileen's mouth.
"Shut up and eat. Maybe you'll choke on your nonsense."
Aileen rolled her eyes dramatically, then reached out to grope his pants with a laugh. "A banana is nothing compared to your lil junior, eh?"
The room erupted in laughter.
Someone tried to smooth things over with me.
"Don’t take it to heart, Elodie. We’re used to fooling around with that kind of talk. Come on, let’s get back to the game!"
It wasn't the first time.
My fingers dug so hard into my glass that my nails stung.
The beer bottle spun in front of me, clattering to a stop.
Everyone pointed at me, chanting, "Elodie, you lost! Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." I answered flatly.
I rose to my feet, strode straight to Aileen, yanked up her skirt, and snapped photo after photo in one swift motion.
By the time she screamed and tried to pull her skirt down, I had already taken over a dozen shots.
Kristoff was the first to react, shoving me hard.
"Elodie, are you out of your mind?"
I smiled coldly and held up my phone. "I just gave Aileen a proper graduation send-off. Tell me—how does this dare compare to biting someone’s ass?"
The room went silent. No one dared to laugh.
"What’s wrong? Why aren’t you laughing? Wasn’t it funny?" I asked, though my chest felt unbearably tight.
Kristoff's face was dark as he stripped off his jacket and tied it around Aileen's bare thighs.
Her eyes turned red as she clutched his arm, glaring at me.
"Elodie, why are you so serious? If you can't handle the game, don't play!"
I laughed sarcastically, mocking her words. "Isn’t this a dare? Why are you the one taking it so seriously?"
"Elodie!"
For the eighteenth time, Kristoff roared at me for her sake. "You've gone too far. Apologize to Aileen right now!"
I was the one insulted, yet somehow I was the one at fault.
Suddenly, everything felt pointless.
Grabbing my bag, I stood to leave.
But he yanked my wrist hard, his face pale with anger.
"Today is our anniversary! All my friends are here, and you have to make a scene like this?"
Friends. Always friends.
I jerked my hand free.
Smack!
The slap echoed as it landed across Kristoff's face. Everyone froze.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Aileen gave an awkward laugh, wrapping an arm around Kristoff's shoulder and covering his mouth with her hand.
"Alright, that's enough."
Her smile softened as she said, "Elodie, Kristoff and I are nothing but childhood buddies. We grew up butt-naked together. Even if I stripped right now in front of him, he wouldn't get hard."
Then, with a little push, she playfully shoved him toward me.
“Go on, apologize and go home with your wife. If you stay here any longer, every man in this room will be suspected of sleeping with you.”
She exchanged knowing looks with the others, giggling behind her hand.
Under Aileen's urging eyes, Kristoff muttered through clenched teeth, "...I'm sorry."
My heart twisted painfully.
If only he hadn't apologized, maybe there would still be room left between us.
I turned and strode out of the private room.
Of course, Kristoff chased after me.
Inside the car, the man who was usually so silent couldn't stop talking.
"Why do you always pick on Elodie? What has she ever done to you?"
