Tangled Hearts

Chapter 5

I forced myself to tear my gaze away, reminding myself why I was here—to forget about Adam. But now, I had to add Finn to the list. Why does this always happen?

"Hey, Lily, come on!" Jennie called, snapping me out of my trance. She waved enthusiastically, gesturing for me to join them at the table where Kam was already seated.

I smiled, pushing Finn to the back of my mind, and made my way over to my friends.

"We're going to start with a round of Codenames," a girl announced, her voice carrying over the chatter of the room. "Girls versus guys!"

Across from us, Finn was engaged in conversation with a girl whose eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

Finn, for his part, looked relaxed, his easy grin captivating the girl's attention. I can't help but feel weird watching them interact.

I turned my attention back to the game as it progressed. Laughter filled the room as we exchanged witty clues and guesses, each team struggling.

"Hey, everyone! Let's liven things up a bit. How about we play a game of truth or dare?" a guy suggested.

As everyone gathered, Kam and Jennie sat on either side of me. I couldn't help but steal a glance towards Finn. Our eyes met briefly, his expression unreadable before he turned his attention back to the game.

The tension in the room seemed to intensify with each passing moment as the game of truth or dare continued.

After Kam's kiss with Shawn, which they both seemed to enjoy. The game had gone full circle and finally landed on me.

"Lily, truth or dare?" Shawn's voice rang out, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Dare," I replied, my voice steady despite the nervous flutter in my chest.

"I dare you to kiss someone you're attracted to here," he declared.

I felt Finn's gaze burning into me from across the room, but I refused to let it sway me. Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I scanned the crowd, my eyes landing on a guy sitting in the circle with sandy brown hair—cute, yes, but not in the same way as Finn.

Summoning every ounce of courage I had, I crossed the room and planted a kiss on his lips, the taste unfamiliar and unremarkable.

As I pulled away from the guy, he flashed me a cheesy grin. Well, that was... something.

The game continued, and I reached for my cup, only to find it empty. With a sigh, I realized I should have refilled it earlier.

Making my way to the kitchen, a red-haired girl approached me. "Hi, I'm Rachel," she introduced herself, her voice tinged with a hint of curiosity. "Are you Lily?"

I nodded, my brow furrowing in confusion. "Yes, that's me. Do I know you?"

Her smile widened, but there was something in her eyes that rubbed me the wrong way.

Her gaze flickered across the room towards Finn before returning to me.

"Listen, I'm a girl's girl, and I don't mean to pry, but I thought you should know... Finn and our friends usually have a bet on how many girls they can sleep with during the welcoming week, and it seems your name's been mentioned." She shrugged.

"Sorry, what?" I managed to choke out, my voice tight with disbelief. Rachel's words hit me like a slap in the face. I could feel my composure slipping as I struggled to process her casual tone. Is this some kind of sick joke?

"Are you trying to embarrass me or warn me?" I snap, my frustration evident.

Rachel raised her hands defensively, her eyes widening. "No, no, I'm not trying to embarrass you! I just thought you should know what kind of guy Finn is."