Pure Friendship? Let's Test That

Sophie looked a little surprised by how laidback I was behaving. She paused for a second before letting out a cold scoff.

She probably thought I was just playing games.

On the other hand, Sean did not even bother hiding the contempt in his eyes.

To him, I might have been the only son of the Preston family in Kingsford, but I was a useless twat who couldn't keep his girlfriend in line when it came to romance.

In the past, I had always chosen to let things slide no matter how hard he toed the line.

"Oh?" Sean drawled, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "You want in, too?"

He smirked. "Sure, we can include you. But remember, we're playing Truth or Dare. You'll be punished if you lose. So, it'll be pretty pathetic if you end up crying because you can't handle the heat."

Sophie's voice dropped. "Max, stop causing a scene. With your coordination, what are you even going to do with darts? Don't lose it and take it out on me again."

I just smiled and ignored the jab.

I walked over to the dartboard, pulled down the shredded photo of us that was beyond recognition, and tossed it into the trash.

Broken photos, like rotten people, belonged in the garbage.

Then, I connected my phone to the nearby printer and printed out a group photo of the three of us.

It was from Sophie's birthday the year before.

Sean was standing between us. with his arm around her. Frankly, he looked more like her boyfriend than I ever had.

"Let's use this one instead," I suggested, pinning it to the board. "Ten darts each, and the two people with the worst aim..."

I paused as a faint smile tugged at my mouth. "They will spend the night in the master bedroom together. None of them will be coming out until morning."

The room erupted instantly.

Zoe stared at me wide-eyed. "Uh... isn't that a little much? A guy and a girl spending the night alone in a room? That's not exactly appropriate."

Another friend looked just as uncomfortable. "Maybe pick a different punishment? I mean, sure, they're close, but Sean's still a guy. Locking them in a room together is kind of—"

"What's wrong with that?" I cut in, my tone tinged with amusement. "Why does it matter if they share a room overnight if they really are just friends? Or are you suggesting that their friendship isn't as innocent as it appears?"

Sean's face changed instantly.

He had always prided himself on being open and straightforward. He claimed he was the kind of guy who hated petty suspicion.

Now that I had cornered him like this, his decision to back down would mean that he was slapping himself in the face.

"Who says there's anything impure about us?" he snapped, lifting his chin.

"Sophie and I grew up together. We're closer than family. Nothing would happen between us even if we spent the night in the same room or even slept in the same bed. Don't twist it into something dirty just because your mind works that way."

Now, Sophie was getting annoyed as well. She retorted, "Max, what the hell is wrong with you? Do you really think this joke is okay?"

"Why are you so afraid if your friendship is beyond suspicion?" I asked lightly. "Or are you worried you wouldn't be able to control yourself?"

That shut her up for a second.

Her face turned red. "What are you even talking about? I've never done anything wrong."

"Then, accept the bet." I slowly rolled a dart between my fingers, keeping my tone relaxed and cool. "If nothing occurs after you two stay in that room all night, I swear I won't argue about Sean's presence again. In fact, I'll apologize to him publicly and admit I'm the petty one."

Sean's eyes lit up the second I said those words.

There was no way he would pass up a chance like that.

After all, this was a perfect opportunity to humiliate me and get Sophie alone in a room without anyone questioning his intentions.

Plus, he was certain I could not win.

In his eyes, I was just some polished rich kid, and there was no way I could beat someone like him. That was because he was someone who had grown up messing around in bars, arcades, and every kind of entertainment spot.

"Fine," Sean said, raising his chin with complete confidence. "You asked for this. Don't try to back out once you lose."

Sophie looked at me, a complex flicker in her eyes. "If this is the game you want to play, then fine. I'll play. However, you don't get to make a big deal out of Sean and me ever again after this."

I only smiled.

What they did not know was that I had been captain of the archery team back in college. When it came to precision and control, nobody there came close.

Bullseye

Sean went first.

He put on quite a show of it, even tossing Sophie a flirtatious look before he threw.

His first dart landed on the blank edge of the photo.

One could barely count that as a hit at all.

…

By the time he finished all 10 throws, only three had actually landed within the figures.

Sean tried to play it off as he laughed awkwardly. "These darts feel off. That round doesn't count. I hadn't warmed up."

Sophie smiled at him indulgently. "It's fine. We're just playing around."

Then, it was Sophie's turn.

She was better than Sean, but not by much.

Only five hit the target area out of her 10 darts.

She turned to me, her eyes full of thinly veiled contempt. "If you admit defeat now, we can forget the bet. I'd hate to watch you embarrass yourself."

The words made my stomach turn.

I had not seen a trace of hesitation from her when Sean had driven his darts into my face on the picture I tacked on, yet she was trying to play the caring girlfriend after that? Please.

So, I ignored her and picked up the darts.

The first one landed dead center.

The room went silent.

Sean's smile froze while Sophie's eyes widened in disbelief.

A faint trace of mockery tugged at my lips as I threw the next one.

Then, the next.

All 10 darts landed in the bullseye.

I dusted off my hands, turned around, and smiled at the stunned faces staring back at me. "I dabbled in this during college," I remarked lightly. "It looks like Sophie and Sean will be squeezing into the master bedroom tonight."

Sean's face turned ugly. "That... that's impossible! You had to have cheated! How could you possibly be that good?"

I looked at him and laughed. "The darts were yours. Everyone here was watching us play. How exactly was I supposed to cheat?"

Sophie's expression darkened even further. "Max, since when did you know how to do that? Why didn't I know?"

"You never asked," I replied. "You were never interested in knowing me."

Our "relationship" had been an arranged match between two families.

I had always been the one who cared more about our relationship. Sophie never wanted it, so she had always treated our engagement like an outdated arrangement imposed on her by our parents.

Anger flickered across her face at my retort. She let out a cold snort and said nothing more.

Then, Sean appeared to realize something. Sure enough, a flash of joy lit up his face.

He put on a casual front as he sauntered over to Sophie and spoke loudly. "Sophie and I are like family. We even bathed in the same tub when we were kids. What's the big deal about spending one night in the same room?"

I looked at them with a half-smile and said, "Then, by all means. The master bedroom's over there. I changed the sheets this morning, so make yourselves at home."

"Fine. We'll go," Sophie shot back at once. "Max, don't regret this. Just wait. You'll be apologizing to Sean tomorrow."

With that, she grabbed Sean by the hand and strode toward the master bedroom.

As Sean passed by me, he lifted a brow in smug triumph.

The three people left in the living room exchanged uneasy glances.

"Uh... Max, we should probably get going," Zoe stated with a dry laugh as she blindly grabbed her coat.

The other two hurried to catch up.

As they left, they glanced at me with awkward sympathy. They looked as if they wanted to say something, but eventually decided against it.

In the end, one of them only sighed and murmured wanly, "Get some rest, Max."

Midnight Exposure

The living room fell silent.

I opened the cake box and scooped a bite of frosting into my mouth.

It was cloyingly sweet, with a faint trace of bitterness underneath.

I let out a hollow laugh before tossing the rest of the cake into the trash.

After that, I took out my phone and opened an app.

The master bedroom appeared on the screen.

I placed a surveillance camera on the nightstand for convenience so I could check on my cat whenever I was away.

She had been staying at the animal hospital these past two days because one of her wounds had gotten infected.

And now, that same camera was pointed straight at the bed.

On the screen, I saw Sophie pacing the room in frustration. Meanwhile, Sean sat on the edge of the bed, looking perfectly at ease.

"Come on, Sophie. Don't be mad," he soothed her. "It's just one night. We can think of it as a late-night gaming marathon."

Sophie let out a sigh. "I'm angry because he doesn't trust me. We've been friends for years, and he still has to twist it into something disgusting."

"Max has always been petty," he replied. "How many times has he already misunderstood us?"

Then, Sean stood up, walked to the wine cabinet, and grabbed a bottle of red wine. Pouring her a glass, he came back and offered it to her. "Forget about him. It's New Year's Eve. Have a drink and calm down."

Sophie hesitated for a moment before accepting the glass.

"You're the only one who knows how to handle things." She sipped her drink, her expression softening as she gazed at him. "Everything would be so much simpler if Max had even half of your maturity."

Sean seized the chance to pull her onto his lap, his eyes fixed on her face.

He murmured, "Sophie, we grew up together. If the Prestons hadn't forced you into this engagement, do you think maybe we would've..."

The air in the room shifted instantly.

Yet, Sophie was still holding back.

She moved away slightly, creating some distance between them. "Sean, stop," she whispered gently. "I'm with Max now."

A flash of frustration flashed across Sean's face, but he quickly hid it.

Then, he tilted his head back and drank the rest of his wine in one gulp before leaning in close to her ear and whispering, "The door's locked. Max won't know anything. We can just blame it on the alcohol. Once morning comes, we'll pretend this never happened."

Sophie wavered.

The alcohol only intensified the longing she had been holding back.

Eventually, her arms rose and wrapped around Sean's neck. "Sean..."

A victorious gleam lit up his eyes.

Then, he kissed her.

They both fell back onto the bed, holding each other tightly.

I stared at the scene on my phone, sick to my stomach.

Then, I calmly hit stop, saving the video.

...

Fireworks and cheers exploded outside just as midnight struck.

The new year had arrived.

I opened Sophie's family group chat and sent the video.

Then, I shared it publicly with the caption, 'So this is what they call a pure friendship. I learned something new this year. Consider this New Year's gift delivered.'

After that, I stepped onto the balcony and watched the fireworks bloom in the distance. They were brilliant and fleeting. Yet, they were still bright enough to cut through the dark.

...

Early the next morning, Sophie heard urgent pounding shake the bedroom door. It was quickly followed by her father's furious voice. "Sophie! Open this door right now!"

It took a long while before the door finally opened.

Sophie stood there in rumpled clothes, her face still flushed from sleep and alcohol. Her irritation was visible as she snapped, "Dad? Why are you all here so—"

'Smack.'

Richard Bennett slapped her hard across the face.

Sophie froze in shock. "Dad! Why did you hit me?"

He trembled with anger. He didn't say a word.

Instead, he pushed his phone right in front of her face. "Take a good look at what you've done."