Disloyalty

- Too close -

After lunch and my glorious win over Andrew, we were all herded onto a bus and shipped off to an escape room. Still no sign of Andrew, and honestly, that was a relief. I couldn't help but smirk, imagining him somewhere sulking over his defeat. Served him right. The thought made me grin.

When we arrived, the escape room we were assigned was called Claustrophobia.

"Shit," Holly muttered, visibly tense. "I'm not scared of much, but small spaces? One of my biggest fears. I don't think I can do this, guys." Her voice was shaky, her eyes darting nervously at the small, looming door ahead of us.

"It's okay, Holly, we'll swap with someone else," I reassured her, already walking toward the same woman who had organized the earlier activities.

As I approached her, I noticed the familiar look of relief cross her face when she realized Andrew wasn't hovering around me. The poor woman seemed petrified of him.

"Hi, is there any way we can change rooms? My friend's claustrophobic," I explained.

She gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, everyone else has already started. It's too late to switch." And just like that, she walked away, leaving us stuck with Claustrophobia.

I turned back to Holly. "Looks like it's just me and James, then. I'm so sorry, Holly. But don't worry, we'll come back sometime and do a different one, all three of us."

Holly nodded, clearly relieved she didn't have to go through with it. "I'll wait here, no problem."

Just as I was about to lead James inside, a voice from behind sent a chill down my spine.

"I hope I'm included in this as well."

I knew that voice too well. I turned slowly to face Andrew, trying to hide my frustration. Of course, he showed up now.

"Absolutely not. How are you even here?" I crossed my arms, glaring at him.

"Drove," he said with that infuriating smirk, as if it was obvious. "And yes, I'm on the list. you already know I'm participating this year."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care about the list. Join someone else's group."

I glanced around, realizing all the other groups had already disappeared into their respective rooms. There was no escaping him now.

He didn't miss a beat. "Oh, come on. Wouldn't want to miss out on the fun. Besides," his eyes flicked to James, and his smirk deepened, "Claustrophobia... How romantic for your second date."

"We're not dating!" I shot back, but before I could say anything else, Andrew's eyes glinted with challenge.

"Let me join," he said, his voice low and smooth, "or I'll fire James."

I froze. My jaw clenched. "You wouldn't."

His seriousness was all the confirmation I needed. I groaned in defeat. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

I pushed through the door into the escape room, feeling Andrew's eyes on my back the whole time. The room was small, way too small. All white with a single bed crammed in the middle—it was the kind of space that made the air feel thick and suffocating. Great. This was going to be fun.

The door behind us clicked shut, and a timer on the wall began to count down.

"Well..." I said, glancing between Andrew and James. They stood in front of me, and the contrast between them was startling. Andrew towered over James, his presence practically swallowing the room. He was all sharp edges and commanding authority, while James seemed to shrink under his gaze, timid but endearing in his own quiet way.