The party was in full swing by the time I arrived, reluctantly, clutching a bag of chips that Zoe had demanded I bring.

The moment I walked in, the bass of the music hit me like a physical force, and I was greeted by the sight of Zoe twirling in the middle of the room, surrounded by half the university population.

"Elena! You made it!" Zoe bounded over, glitter practically falling off her dress. "And you brought snacks! You're officially not the worst person ever!"

"Great. Can I leave now?"

"Nope!" She grabbed my arm, dragging me through the crowd.

I barely had time to argue before I found myself in the kitchen, where drinks were flowing and laughter was loud. That's when I saw him.

Aiden Cladwell. Of course.

He was standing by the counter, sipping from a cup, looking way too comfortable in a party that was clearly not his scene. His eyes met mine, and that annoying smirk appeared, like he'd been waiting for me.

"Wow, Hart," he said, his voice cutting through the noise. "Didn't think you'd show up. Let me guess, Zoe forced you?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," I snapped, crossing my arms.

"She must have begged you," he teased. "Or bribed you with food?"

"Keep talking, Cladwell, and I'll show you what bribery feels like," I shot back.

He chuckled, leaning casually against the counter. "Relax. You look like you're about to bolt."

"That's because I am," I muttered, glancing around for Zoe.

Before Aiden could respond, Ethan appeared, carrying an obnoxiously large plate of nachos. "Elena! You're here! Great, we're starting games soon!"

"Games?" I echoed, dread creeping into my voice.

"Yeah!" Ethan said, clearly oblivious to my discomfort. "Zoe's idea. We're doing truth or dare, Jenga, maybe some charades. Classic party stuff!"

"Can't wait," I said flatly.

Ethan grinned, clearly missing the sarcasm. "Awesome! Meet us in the living room!"

As soon as he left, I turned back to Aiden, who was watching me with an amused expression.

"Truth or dare, huh?" he said, swirling the drink in his cup. "Should be fun."

"For who?"

"For me, obviously," he said, flashing that smug grin.

---

Ten minutes later, I found myself sitting on the floor in a circle of overly enthusiastic partygoers, Zoe bouncing excitedly next to me.

"Alright, truth or dare!" she announced, clapping her hands. "Elena, you're up first!"

"Of course I am," I muttered. "Fine. Truth."

Zoe pouted. "Lame. Okay, let's see..." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "If you could punch anyone in this room without consequences, who would it be?"

I didn't even hesitate. "Aiden."

The room erupted in laughter, and Aiden feigned a look of mock offense.

"Wow, Hart," he said, clutching his chest. "I'm hurt. Truly."

"I'm sure you'll survive," I replied, deadpan.

"Careful," he warned, leaning forward. "You're going to hurt my feelings."

"Do you have those?" I shot back, earning another round of laughter from the group.

The game continued, with people choosing increasingly ridiculous dares and awkward truths. Zoe had to wear a lampshade on her head for three rounds, Ethan tried to fit five marshmallows in his mouth, and someone confessed to a crush on their professor.

When it was Aiden's turn, he smirked at me before answering. "Dare."

Ethan's eyes lit up. "I dare you to..." He paused, looking around. "Make Elena laugh. Like, a real laugh, not her usual sarcastic snort."

My eyes widened. "What? Why am I involved in this?"

"Because you're impossible to crack," Ethan said, shrugging.

Aiden's smirk deepened as he turned to me. "Alright, Hart. Let's see what we're working with."

I groaned, sinking further into the couch. "Don't bother. It's not happening."

"Oh, it's happening," he said, leaning closer. "So, what'll it take? A joke? A dance? A heartfelt confession about how much I love irritating you?"

"That last one's believable," I said, fighting the urge to smile.

"Alright," he said, sitting up straight. "How about this? What do you call a fake noodle?"

I stared at him. "What?"

"An impasta."

Silence.

The room erupted in groans and laughter, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Nothing?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Tough crowd."

"Try harder," I said, biting back a grin.

"Okay, how about this," he said, standing up and striking the most ridiculous pose I'd ever seen. "If this doesn't work, nothing will."

He launched into a dance so bizarre and uncoordinated that I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped me. It wasn't just a chuckle-it was a full-on laugh that I immediately regretted.

"There it is!" he said triumphantly, pointing at me.

"Sit down, Cladwell," I said, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.

"You're welcome," he said, settling back into his spot with a smug grin.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny it-he'd won this round.

---

As the night wore on, I found myself stuck in an endless loop of weird dares and embarrassing truths. At some point, I even had to reenact a scene from Titanic with Ethan, which was exactly as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Zoe, of course, was loving every second of it.

"You're actually having fun," she teased when she caught me scowling while watching Aiden do push-ups as part of some ridiculous dare.

"I'm having a blast," I muttered, slumping back against the couch.

"Totally looks like it," she said, barely able to keep from laughing.

When it was Aiden's turn again, he leaned back casually and scanned the room. His eyes landed on me, and for a split second, I thought he was going to dare me to do something ridiculous, like ride the dog or something equally humiliating.

Instead, he smirked and said, "Truth."

The room went silent.

I could feel Zoe's eyes on me, and I knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Alright, Aiden," Zoe said, clearly relishing the opportunity. "What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?"

Aiden blinked. "You really want to know that?"

"Yes," Zoe said, her voice full of mischievous glee.

"Fine." He sighed, clearly considering how much he wanted to share. After a long pause, he leaned forward. "I once had a major crush on a girl, and when I finally got the courage to ask her out, I sent a text to my best friend instead of her."

The room went completely still.

"Oh my god," I said without thinking.

Aiden glanced at me, smirking. "Oh, yeah. I told my best friend all the sweet things I was going to say to her. And then I realized, like, five minutes later, that I'd sent it to the girl. The one I liked."

I laughed-genuinely laughed-and couldn't stop. "I can't believe you did that. That's brutal."

Aiden shrugged, unbothered. "It gets worse."

"How?"

"Because I then proceeded to accidentally tell her that I liked her, but I said it was a dare. So I had to spend the next month avoiding her and pretending it was all a joke."

The room erupted into laughter, and even I had to admit, it was hilarious.

"You're lucky she didn't chase you down with a baseball bat," I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

He just smirked. "Yeah, I think that's what saved me-avoiding her at all costs."

I chuckled. "That's definitely one of the more embarrassing stories I've heard tonight."

"I'm surprised you're still laughing at my expense," he said, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled sweetly. "Oh, I'll find a way to hold this over you for a while. Don't worry."

Aiden didn't seem bothered. In fact, he looked pleased by the idea that I'd be teasing him for ages.

The game went on, but by the time the clock ticked past midnight, I was starting to fade. Everyone else was still hyped up, laughing and chatting as if the night would never end. Zoe was dancing in the center of the room, completely unbothered by the fact that she was probably causing a scene.

I glanced around and caught Aiden's eye across the room. Of course, he wasn't in the middle of the crowd; he was leaning against the wall with a drink, looking like he was thoroughly above everything that was going on. But his eyes stayed locked on mine for a few seconds longer than necessary.

My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly turned away, pretending I hadn't just felt something I couldn't explain.

I grabbed my phone and texted Zoe.

Elena: I'm going to head out. You okay?

Zoe: What? No! You can't leave yet! Stay a little longer!

Elena: I'm dying over here. Call me an Uber when you're ready.

Zoe: Ugh, fine. I'll catch you later. You better not leave without saying goodbye to me first!

I sighed in relief, relieved that I'd managed to dodge a bigger confrontation. As I stood up and made my way to the door, I heard Aiden's voice behind me.

"You leaving already, Hart?"

I turned to find him standing just a few feet away, his hands casually in his pockets.

"Yeah," I said, trying to sound casual. "Got an early morning tomorrow."

"Uh-huh," he said, clearly not believing me. "Sure. You're just afraid the party's getting too fun, huh?"

"Not really my scene," I said, waving him off.

Aiden stepped closer, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Right. You just don't want to get caught having fun with me."

I rolled my eyes. "You wish."

He grinned, and for a second, I thought he might say something else. But instead, he just nodded toward the door. "Whatever. I'll see you around, Hart."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, already halfway out the door.

---