An Unlikely Reunion

Nine

I read over my dare again. The others seemed to grow impatient.

Kiss the person you find most attractive.

The person I found the most attractive... but of course! The person I found the most attractive!

"Well... this doesn't say I have to choose the person I most want to shag, does it?" I said, chuckling. "Just the person I find most attractive. Even if it's in a non-romantic, non-sexual way."

Everyone looked at me in confusion.

"I find a lot of actresses and models more attractive than a lot of guys. Doesn't mean I'd jump into bed with them," I explained as I walked towards Liza, who was undoubtedly one of the most attractive people I had ever seen in my life.

Sure, technically, Ian was much more attractive to me. So was Martin. But that was just me. Most people, if they had to choose who the most attractive person on the island was, would probably choose Liza.

She raised an eyebrow as I stood in front of her and shrugged. I took this as a sign of consent and gave her a quick kiss. Some of the guys hollered, and I rolled my eyes as I returned to my seat.

"Ah, still the same old Claire," Ian whispered. "When confronted with a difficult decision, just ignore it."

I didn't react to his comment. Partly because he wasn't wrong, but also because Martin prevented it.

"What was that just now?" he asked, clearly confused.

I remained quiet for a few seconds, trying to find an explanation that would make sense to him.

"Claire?" he pressed.

"I... I'm just not that easy, you know? You're not getting a kiss out of me that fast."

He was obviously not too happy with that answer, but at least he seemed to believe it.

Next up, it was Ian's turn again. This time, he chose to do a dare and ended up having to jump into the pool wearing his clothes.

The game continued as it had before, most of it relatively uneventful. A few sloppy kisses, embarrassing secrets, spoonfuls of Sriracha sauce, and awkward dances later, we were already on the last round.

Once again, Ian was standing by the table, a piece of paper from the truth basket in hand. It took him a little while until he finally read it aloud.

"If there was one thing you could change about your past, what would it be?" he said, looking straight at me. He didn't break eye contact for a few seconds -- until I ended up looking at the ground.

"That girl I mentioned earlier. The one I fell for while I was still in a relationship. I wish I'd told her how I felt. Maybe we -- I mean, I -- wouldn't be here, making a fool of myself on national television now," he eventually said, forcing a laugh. When I looked up, he was still looking at me.