Surprisingly Royal

👸Chapter 25: Truth or dare

As I head downstairs, my mind is still racing with thoughts of what Carlos could be planning. Sneaking into his room without permission didn't exactly go as planned instead of finding clues, I ended up in an awkward mess.

Maybe I'm overthinking all this. What if there's actually nothing going on, and I'm here stressing over nothing?

When I join the girls in the living room, I'm surprised they don't even question why I took so long. They're all too focused on some kind of puzzle spread out across the coffee table.

I grab a cookie and head into the kitchen for more drinks.

As I walk back, I spot Carlos coming down the stairs. Looks like he just took a quick shower ,his hair is still damp, and he smells fresh. Really fresh.

Nope. Nope. Not thinking about that. I shake the thought away quickly.

I rejoin the group and try to focus on what they're doing.

After a lot of back-and-forth arguments over what game to play, we finally settle on truth or dare. I'm clearly not a fan, but I'm outnumbered, so my complaints go ignored.

Bec gets up to grab an empty bottle from the kitchen, and the game begins.

Fynn goes first and spins the bottle — it lands on Emily. I notice her cheeks turn pink under Fynn's intense gaze.

Hmm... something's definitely going on between those two. And trust me, I will find out. It's not me being nosey ,Emily's my bestie, and it's my job to know these things.

Shoot. I just missed what Fynn asked her. Judging by her expression, though, it must've been a juicy one.

Before I can ask, she clears her throat and spins the bottle. It lands on Matilda.

"Truth or dare?" Emily asks.

"Dare," Matilda answers boldly.

"Ooooooooh," we all tease in unison.

"I dare you to act like your favorite comedian," Emily says with a grin.

Matilda totally nails her impression of James Parker — even exaggerates his dramatic stage walk. We all burst out laughing.

The game continues, and now it's Fynn's turn. He picks truth.

"What's your most embarrassing moment?" Matilda asks, already giggling.

He dives into a story about how, at age ten, fifteen middle-aged women were swooning over him because of his looks. He pulls the funniest faces as he recounts the story, clearly still horrified by the memory.

Apparently, he had to ice his cheeks afterward from all the pinching. Poor guy.

Then he spins the bottle again and it lands on Carlos.

Of course, he picks dare.

He's dared to act like an Indian mother whose daughter just got married into another family. I swear, I've never laughed so hard. There are actual tears rolling down my face.

Everyone pauses and stares at me, then we all burst out laughing again.

Looks like acting talent runs in the McCain family ,Carlos and Matilda both nailed their dares.

Before spinning the bottle, Carlos gives me a look and smirks.

I just know he rigged that spin somehow, because guess who it lands on? Yup — me.

I immediately start protesting, but no one listens.

"Truth or dare?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I roll my eyes. "Truth."

"Lame," he mutters, and I ignore him.

"When and where was your worst breakup? And how did it happen?" he asks, and just like that, all eyes are on me.

Seriously? He couldn't ask something less personal?

Fine. It's just a game... but still.

"Come on, answer," he presses.

"Well... I've never been in a relationship before," I admit, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"What?! Are you serious, Ciara? You've never dated anyone?" Matilda blurts out, shocked.

"Yeah, seriously," I say, laughing awkwardly.

Emily squeezes my hand, and I flash her a smile to let her know I'm okay. She knows how sensitive I get about topics like this, so she's always careful not to bring it up unless I do first.

Matilda and Bec start bombarding me with questions about how I've managed to stay single for so long.

"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm just not ready to be in a relationship yet," I tell them, and they just stare at me like I've grown two heads.

I laugh, but thankfully, Emily cuts in before they can say more and steers us back to the game.

I mouth a quick "thank you" to her and she smiles back.

After that awkward moment, the game continues filled with more dares, truths, and endless laughter. It's actually nice getting to know each other like this.

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