"That's bullshit,” Arnie exclaims. “You're cheating. You meant breasts, right Matt?" Arnie makes air quotes when he says the word breasts. I think it’s probably the first time he’s used the term to describe a girl’s anatomy.

Matt squirms uncomfortably beside Nick. I know he’s trying to choose between the lesser of two evils: humiliate me, or piss off Arnie.

I don’t care how messed up my brain is right now. I draw the line at nudity.

"I said chest, but technically, that means breast,” Matt reiterates. He also air quotes the word breasts.

"No, it isn't the same thing," Heather argues.

"K, we need a ruling," Nick finally calls over the fire.

"Chest is not breast," K declares. We all giggle when K makes over-exaggerated air quotes.

"Yes!" I cheer, lifting my hand to Heather, flaunting the high five in Arnie's face.

"Ok, just do it," Arnie hisses.

Nick lifts the front of my t-shirt. I feel his warm breath on my skin as his lips move over my bra. Although the fire is scorching my back, cold chills run through my body. I look up from the top of Nick's head at Matt. He isn’t even watching. His eyes are focused on the beer bottle in his hand.

"Enough," I say, pushing Nick away.

Arnie's hands are already up in the air for a high five when Nick returns to his spot.

I hand Nick the coin and lower my shirt. Nick flips it so high I lose sight of it. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to focus. Nick announces he has truth and spins the bottle. It lands between me and Heather. After some deliberation on whether it means he should run through the fire, K decides he should spin again. Nick’s second spin makes one perfect rotation and stops in front of me. I know exactly what I’m going to say, but I can barely contain my laughter long enough to get the words out. "Nick, have you peed the bed in the last year?"

He looks at me, stunned that I would reveal his secret. "Yes—but let me explain," he yells. It’s too late, the guys are already rolling in the sand, calling him piss-head.

I laugh until my stomach hurts.

“I can’t believe you told my secret!” Nick grabs me in a bear hug. “That reminds me, you still owe me a secret.”

I can’t tell him my secret, not now. Not when I feel this good. This truthful.

“I know.” I kiss him. It’s a long, deep kiss. The kind of kiss that makes you forget what you were talking about.

“Alright, guys. Let’s play.” Heather brings everyone’s attention back to the game.

Thank you, Heather.

Matt flips the coin next. “Truth.” His bottle spins at least four times before finally landing on Heather.

She claps her hands and sits up. "Matt, who do you think is prettier, me or Dani?”

Matt doesn’t hesitate, he just blurts out my name. Heather smiles, seeming satisfied with his response. Her reaction is odd to me, even with my flawed senses. Why would she want Matt to choose me over her? Heather isn’t the type of girl that likes to lose.

Arnie snatches the coin from Matt and flips it high in the air. It seems to be lost in the stars until Arnie yells, "Tails baby!” He jumps to his feet and dances in the sand.

"Come and spin, dumbass." Matt rolls the bottle to Arnie.

Arnie squats down and focuses on his spin. He lines up the neck of the bottle so it points directly into the fire and gives it a hard, firm spin. We wait breathlessly for it to stop. There is a collective sigh of relief when the mouth of the bottle lands in front of Arnie.

“I get to choose my own dare,” he declares. As if any of us could come up with something outrageous enough for his standards. "Let's see.” He taps a finger to his chin while surveying the group. I notice I’m not the only one trying to avoid eye contact, fearing he will take it as a request to join him on whatever he is scheming. "I dare myself to jump in the ocean—naked!" he says, then takes off running towards the water line.

"You're a fucking idiot!" Matt screams as he jumps up and follows him.

Arnie stops a few feet from where the surf cuts through the sand, takes off his shirt, and drops his pants and boxers in one quick motion. Even from where we stand, we hear his muffled scream over the roar of the ocean when his naked body comes into contact with the freezing cold water. He splashes frantically, fighting to get back on his feet as the waves crash around him. I almost feel sorry for the idiot.

The guys finally make their way back to the circle, and Arnie regales us with the details of his swim. If I didn’t see it for myself, I might have actually believed his distorted version, which included spotting a shark fin.

Matt leaves the guys standing at the fire and sits down next to me. “How you feeling?”

“I’m great!” I get a nice surge of adrenaline as I suck down half a bottle of water.

“Are you mad at me?” Matt looks at me with his crystal-blue eyes and I swear I see dolphins swimming in them. His eyes. Those eyes. Those secretive, curious eyes.

I shake my head, because I’m at a loss for words.

“Good.” He smiles, and my heart kicks back into motion.

“Why would I be mad at you?” I clear my throat and try to gain some composure. It’s really difficult to pretend that the look on Matt’s face doesn’t knock the air out of my lungs. That the touch of his hand on my leg doesn’t send my pulse into hyper drive.

“Because of the dare.”

“No, it’s just a game.” I lean into his shoulder. “Just wait until you see what I have planned for you.” Matt gives me a curious smile and bites his lip.

Oh my God.

All conversation stops when we hear Nick’s cell phone ring. He answers it and walks away from the fire. Matt leans over and turns the music louder, which seems weird to me.

“Who is Nick always talking to on the phone?” I’ve asked Matt this question before, but maybe one day he’ll tell me the truth.

“It’s just family business.” He shrugs.

I look at my watch. “What kind of family business does he need to take care of at midnight?”

Matt fidgets with a bottle cap before tossing it in the fire. “He has a lot of family obligations, you know what I mean?”

“No, not really.” Nick told me he wants nothing to do with his family’s business. Was that bullshit?

“His grandmother depends on him a lot to help with tenants and stuff.” He places his hand on my leg. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Matt’s wrong. The tingles shooting up my thigh are definitely something to worry about.

Nick hangs up and walks back to the fire. Matt removes his hand and nudges me with his shoulder. “Hey, don’t mention the calls to him. He hates talking about his family, you know.”

“I know,” I assure him. I won’t say a word.

Arnie stumbles in front of us and I lean towards Matt to avoid being trampled. Matt slides his arm behind me, cradling the small of my back with his hand. I want to blame the drugs, but I wasn’t this tingly when Arnie held me.

Arnie grabs Heather and starts dancing with her in a way that could be considered sexual harassment. “Dude, get a room!” Matt yells at them, which only makes it worse. Matt’s face, lit by the fire, is beautiful. I don’t want to look away, but I have to. I have to be stronger than thizz. I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight.

I turn my attention to Arnie and Heather. The obnoxiously red lipstick Heather had on has faded. Her wavy blonde hair and curvy shape form the outline of the perfect female body.

“Does Nick think she’s pretty?” I wonder aloud.

Matt snorts next to me. “Nick loves you, Dani.”

My heart is in my throat. I don’t know if hearing Nick say it would have the same effect on me. Somehow Matt’s words make it real. If the person that knows Nick better than anyone in the world can see that he loves me, then having Nick say it is unnecessary. Matt withdrawals his hand from around my back and grips his knees. He just told me his best friend is in love with me, and all I can think about is how badly I miss being in his arms.