"Oh, you can trust me, Viola. I won't tell a soul. Neither will the girls."
Sure, she wouldn't.
"So, who's your boyfriend?" she said again.
I'd opened my mouth to respond, but someone else beat me to it.
"Ah, there she is."
Dare stepped up next to me, making me nearly jump out of my skin when he draped an arm across my shoulders. We were definitely not at the casual touching stage yet. The crazy part, though, was how good it felt. How…right. After the initial shock, the weight of him, his closeness, seemed to settle something deep inside me.
"Sorry about the wait," he said. Then he shot a wink at the four girls who were currently gawking at us. "I had to shower before coming out."
I looked down at his arm then back up to meet his eyes. "It's fine," I said.
"Wanted to make sure I was fresh and clean for you—and Buttercup, of course."
I couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that."
"I was pretty sweaty," he said.
"Really?" I asked. "I'm surprised. It looked like everyone else was trying to keep up with you."
The corner of Dare's lips turned up. "So you were watching, flower? I'm flattered."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't be. It's just the truth."
"Still," he said. Then glancing at the others, he added, "What were you guys talking about before I got here?"
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Are you ready to go?"
My escape attempt was thwarted when Whitney walked over and joined us.
"Ingrid, girls, what the hell? I told you to take five, not fifteen." Seeming to register Dare's presence for the first time, Whitney softened her voice. "Oh hi, Dare."
"Hey," he said.
"I've been watching you at practice. You're looking good," she said, and I knew by the way her eyes lingered over his body that she meant more than on the field. "Bet we take home a championship this year."
"Yeah, I hope so."
"It's been a while since we hung out." Whitney bit her lip. "You want to come over this weekend?"
"Not sure Penn would like that," Dare said.
She shook her head. "It's not like he owns me. We're not exclusive or anything."
"Thanks, but I'll pass."
"Oh that's fine."
By the tone of her voice, she was pissed at his rejection. Whitney looked from him to me, her eyes contracting a bit, before finally landing on the members of her squad.
"What's going on here?"
"Viola was just telling us about her new boyfriend," Ingrid said, and I couldn't contain my wince. "Apparently he's super-hot."
"Yeah right." Whitney laughed.
"No really," Estelle said in my defense, unintentionally digging the hole deeper. "He sounds amazing. She was just about to tell us who he is before you came over."
"Oh, this should be good."
Whitney crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face. She totally didn't believe it. And why would she? My boyfriend was about as real as the platinum blonde streaks running through her otherwise brown hair.
"Please don't let me stop you," she said a hint of mocking in her voice, though she tried her best to cover it up. "Who is this super-hot mystery guy, and why is it that none of us have ever heard of him before?"
"It's new," I said through clenched teeth. Like five minutes old because that's when I'd crafted the fake boyfriend lie. Maybe I really should stop watching so many romance movies. "And I didn't want to jinx it because he's shy."
"Oh, he's shy," Whitney said no longer trying to mask the sarcasm. "That makes perfect sense then."
The giggles her comment received made my chest tight.
And worse, Dare was witnessing the whole fiasco.
Turning my head, unable to meet his eyes, I said, "Are you ready to go now?"
"In a minute," he said.
Dare placed his fingers under my chin and tilted it up until I had no choice but to meet his gaze.
"Why won't you just tell her the name?" he said gently.
Because he doesn't exist, I thought. Because he never existed, and I can't bear the thought of admitting that to her and humiliating myself further.
"It's none of her business," I said instead. "Dare, can we please just go?"
He continued to study my face a minute then seemed to come to a decision.
"As you wish."
"Thank you," I said and meant it. I was so ready to be away from Whitney and her terrible friends.
But Dare's hand slid into my hair. The move was so unexpected that I stilled instantly.
"It's okay, flower," he said as he touched his forehead to mine. "You don't have to hide anymore. I'm here now."
And then he was kissing me.
One hand in my hair, the other wrapped around my waist, Dare's lips pressed against mine, and the world seemed to stop. I was suddenly breathless. Despite the sweetness of the kiss, I felt my entire body spark to his. Warmth spread from my lips outward until every part of me felt like it was on fire. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before, and everything I'd ever wanted to feel all at once. My hands went to his stomach, up his chest and then settled on his broad shoulders. I couldn't help but cling to them as the kiss deepened. The sound of approval he made thrilled me, and I sighed without meaning to. Almost in answer, I felt the hand Dare still had around my waist, his fingers clenching as if to pull me closer. I went willingly.
Who knew a stolen first kiss could be so soul-shattering?
It wasn't until someone coughed that I came back to myself. Even as we pulled apart though, I couldn't seem to resist going back for more, touching my lips to his one last time before letting him go.
It was only
