Playing for KeepsChapter 1

My boyfriend, Julian, kissed his childhood best friend at my birthday party.

He turned to me, Chloe’s lipstick smeared at the corner of his mouth, his expression annoyed. "Can you not be like this?" "It's just a game. Why do you always have to be such a buzzkill?"

Everyone was staring. I was frozen, the humiliation washing over me. Julian always got weird whenever Chloe was around. But normally, he wouldn't even say a harsh word to me.

I tugged on his sleeve, trying to pull him aside. His friend, Chloe, just rolled her eyes. "This is so lame. I shouldn't have even come." She tossed her hair. "If she’s this upset over a little kiss, what would she do if she knew we used to sleep in the same bed?"

I went rigid. That familiar, icy feeling of being the outsider crept up my spine. I balled my fists, but instead of running off in tears like I usually did, I looked right at Julian. "Since it’s just a game, that means I can play, too... right?"

Julian stared at me, then shrugged dismissively. "Yeah. Go ahead. Play."

He was so confident. All the guys here were his friends. He knew none of them would dare make a move on me.

And he was right. "C'mon, Ava, don't be mad at Jules. It's just a game," one of his buddies said. "Yeah, we've all known each other forever. It's purely platonic."

Just like that, they brushed it off. I could feel my eyes burning with angry tears. Julian grabbed my wrist. "That's enough. Don't be childish and embarrass me. Sit down..."

Before he could finish, his twin brother, Liam—who had been silent in the corner all night—stood up. He walked over, sat right next to me, and held up the "Kiss" card that Chloe had drawn. "Are you game, Ava?"