CHAPTER TWO
There are certain universal truths in life.
Truth #1: Gravity keeps you grounded.
Truth #2: Coffee is mandatory for surviving 8 AM lectures.
Truth #3: Chris Rodrigo doesn't just sit next to you without a reason.
I could practically hear my brother's voice in my head. Stay away from him, Alex. He's not worth the heartbreak.
But here Chris was anyway, defying logic and personal boundaries, settling into the booth like he'd been invited—which, for the record, he hadn't.
He leaned back, arm still stretched behind me, fingers drumming an absentminded rhythm against the vinyl seat. The scent of cedarwood and something darker—smoke and rain, maybe—clung to him. I swallowed hard and tried to focus on the condensation sliding down my glass of lemonade.
"So," Danielle began, her tone edged with suspicion and curiosity in equal measure. "What brings you to our corner of campus, Rodrigo? Finally tired of terrorizing the soccer field and breaking hearts?"
Chris's smile curved wickedly. "Maybe I was just looking for better company."
His eyes flicked to me again, and even though every rational part of my brain screamed danger, my heartbeat betrayed me—fluttering faster, like it knew something I didn't.
"Or maybe," he added after a beat, "I heard there was a game starting tonight, and I hate missing out on the fun."
Danielle's eyes narrowed. "What game?"
Chris slid a glance over his shoulder. At a nearby table, Tyler Knight—his co-conspirator in charm and chaos—was shuffling a deck of playing cards with an easy grin. Jessica sat beside him, camera slung around her neck as always, her laugh floating across the room. A few other familiar faces from campus drifted in, pulling chairs together and dragging tables closer.
"Truth or Dare," Chris said, his voice laced with mischief. "Old school. No rules, no limits."
My stomach flipped. Danielle's lips twisted into something between interest and warning. Before she could say anything else, Chris turned back to me.
"You should come."
I blinked. "Me?"
He shrugged one shoulder, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Why not? You don't strike me as someone afraid of a little fun."
That was laughable. I was terrified of fun. Fun meant unpredictability, and unpredictability meant chaos—and chaos meant I'd end up exactly where I didn't want to be: heartbroken, humiliated, or both.
Still, there was something about the way he said it. Like he'd already decided I'd say yes. Like saying no wasn't even an option.
Before I could respond, Danielle slid her gaze to mine, her expression softening. "We don't have to go," she said quietly. "We can just head back to the dorm, binge bad rom-coms, and brainstorm ways for you to cross 'kiss in the rain' off that list without involving potential heartbreakers."
But her words only made Chris's smirk deepen.
"List?" he echoed, interest sharpening.
Danielle's eyes went wide. My face burned. In my panic, I kicked her under the table.
"Ow," she hissed.
"Nothing," I blurted out. "It's nothing. Just—just a dumb joke."
Chris didn't look convinced. If anything, he looked intrigued, like he'd just stumbled on a puzzle he really wanted to solve.
"Even more reason to come play," he said, standing smoothly. His fingers brushed my shoulder as he rose, sending another shiver down my spine. "Who knows? You might surprise yourself tonight, Alexandria Perry."
And just like that, he was gone—striding back to his table with the kind of effortless swagger that made other guys look like they were trying too hard.
Danielle stared after him, brows arched. "Well. That's new."
"I'm not going," I muttered, fumbling for my tote bag. "No way. Absolutely not."
Her grin was wicked. "Sure you're not."
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on a mismatched couch in Jessica's dorm lounge, a circle of students around me, and a deck of cards in Tyler's hands.
Danielle shot me a smug look from across the room.
"I hate you," I mouthed at her.
She blew me a kiss.
Chris sat directly across from me, legs stretched out, his gaze steady and unflinching. His hoodie had disappeared somewhere along the way, leaving him in a black T-shirt that did unfair things to his shoulders and arms. The longer I avoided looking at him, the more I felt the weight of his attention.
I didn't belong here. I should have been back in my dorm, tucked under a blanket with a Jane Austen novel and a cup of tea. Instead, I was one bad card flip away from disaster.
Tyler clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Alright, rookies and rebels, here's how it works. Pick a card, truth or dare, and no backing out. We good?"
A chorus of yeses rose up. Tyler grinned.
"Ladies first."
My stomach dropped as the deck slid to me.
I hesitated. Every instinct screamed to bolt—but Chris tilted his head, eyes locking on mine, challenging and coaxing all at once.
Maybe Danielle was right. Maybe I'd spent too long waiting for a love story that lived on paper and not in real life. Maybe one game wouldn't hurt.
Maybe.
With a shaky breath, I drew a card.
"Dare," Tyler said instantly, before I could even think about choosing truth. His grin was shark-like. "And your dare is…"
He paused, clearly savoring the suspense, before flashing a glance at Chris.
"Let Chris help you complete one thing from your secret list."
The room erupted in laughter and gasps. Danielle's jaw dropped. My heart plummeted straight into my shoes.
Chris's smile? Slow, confident, and lethal.
"I'm game," he murmured.
And just like that, my simple, carefully plotted plan wasn't just off-script.
It was completely, utterly wrecked.
END OF CHAPTER TWO