Never Have I Ever (58)

We called an Uber and headed toward the town.

Bella and I sat in the center, side by side, while Joe and Leo sat on either side of us.

We tried to act normal about it, but, obviously, we were doing it on purpose...

Our shoulders and legs kept brushing, like this low-key secret only we knew.

I had to force myself to look away, or I'd just end up laughing.

As we walked through the city, I can't stop feeling like we're playing a part in some bad drama...

Joe's got his hand on my back, talking bullshit, but I'm not listening.

I'm just trying not to freak out about Bella being near that idiot Leo.

We stopped at a park, Joe weirdly suggested sitting here, and we went along with it.

Finally, Joe and Leo walked off to grab lunch, leaving me and Bella alone.

"Ellie," she said softly.

"How are you holding up, baby?"

"I'm... fine."

She raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "You don't look fine."

"Honestly..." I whispered taking a deep sigh. "I didn't know it was gonna be this hard. Hate seeing your dumb-fake boyfriend around you."

"You jealous?" She raised her brow, amused.

"Oh, come on..."

"Don't worry, he's harmless, trust me."

I huffed, trying to stay cool about it.

Bella tilted her head.

"But Joe's an asshole and he's making things harder for you, right?"

I nodded. "Obviously."

She reached out, brushing her fingers over mine.

I slid her hand fully into mine, her fingers tracing small circles on my skin.

"I know," she said softly.

"But you're braver than you think, Ellie. You're the one keeping us steady."

I smiled. "You really think so?"

"I know so," she affirmed.

I turned around to see if Joe or Leo were nearby, but they weren't.

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Her hand grazed my cheek, and she leaned in, her lips lingering...

"You're gonna leave me with just this...?" She asked, biting her lips provocatively.

"You're risky." I said, grinning.

"But I like it..."

"That's too bad... I really wanted the whole package..." she replied with a flirtatious grin.

I had to pull back, or her charm was going to make me lose all control...

The boys came back, much to our misery...

and I hated how, now, my view was Bella sitting next to Leo and not next to me.

Joe broke the silence first. "Shall we play a game?"

"Never have I ever. Like the first night. Whoever's done it lowers a finger," he sneered.

I started to panic. Because... why would he bring that up?

I glanced at Bella, her expression calm but her jaw just a little too tight.

Joe raised his hand, and she, of course, followed.

I raised mine too.

Joe started.

"Never have I ever been in a relationship I didn't want to be in."

Well... it felt way too specific since he knows he's my only romantic relationship...

I could've kept playing along... but... I slowly lowered my finger, and Bella shot me a worried yet amused look before immediately following my lead.

I didn't even glance at Joe's face, but I knew he was hiding a pissed-off expression.

"Never have I ever gone on an trip with my best friend without telling my partner first." Bella said.

I barely suppressed a laugh.

Obliviously, both Leo and Joe lowered a finger. Leo giggled, but Joe got all pissed off about it.

"Never I have ever lied about my age." Leo said.

Only Joe lowered a finger.

I've lost track of how many lies he's told...

"Never have I ever gotten a tattoo," I said. Joe's face twisted, and he lowered a finger.

He kicked off the game again, but you could feel the vibe getting way more tense...

"Never ever I ever kissed someone in this room and didn't enjoy doing it," Joe said, his tone sharp.

Technically... Joe had no idea, but I enjoyed every single kiss I shared with Bella so I didn't lowered my finger.

Bella did the same, and I swear, Joe looked annoyed as hell...

I mean, why? he should be happy about it...

"Never have I ever lied just to look cooler in front of everyone," Bella said, not hiding her stare at him.

I could feel Joe was about to snap, but he didn't drop his finger.

Screw him—it was obvious he did.

Leo was about to speak but Joe cut him off. He looked serious and straight at Bella, then said...

"Never have I ever kept a relationship a secret."

The words hit me like a punch and I froze.

THAT'S IT.

HE KNOWS.

I turned toward Bella and could see how hard she was holding back, trying to figure out what to do next.

Then... she lowered her finger.

That totally caught all of Joe's attention.

He made a face as if he couldn't believe Bella actually had the guts to do that.

My breath hitched, and I was about to freak out.

Did Joe actually know?

"Leo and I had to keep it a secret for quite some time," Bella said suddenly.

"Oh, yeah, right , because you thought your friend was into me," Leo replied with a nod.

She glanced at me with a subtle smile.

She's a fucking genius at turning situations around.

And I didn't even need to lower a finger, as Joe just sat there, froze and dumbfounded.

"My turn again, right?" Bella snapped.

Oh, I could tell she was mad...

"Never have I ever done something I shouldn't at work," she said, a small grin on her face.

"You really wanna go there, huh?" he said, trying to play it off with a shrug.

"Oh, I can go way deeper than you think." Bella replied with a smirk.

It was so lit to hear.

At that, Joe just lowered his hand, made a fist, and looked resentful, as if he was plotting something.

So... the game was clearly over... should I be worried about him now?

'Cause, honestly, he doesn't scare me anymore.

But that question about keeping a relationship a secret was... honestly, kind of weird and suspicious.

As we walked down the street again, Joe leaned in close.

"Ellie." he grumbled.

"What's your game?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said.

"First, you implied you don't want to be in this relationship," he seethed.

I knew this was coming.

"There were times when... I wasn't... happy. You wanna blame me?"

He sighed sharply. "Second, you implied that you enjoyed every kiss."

"Yes. You should be happy about that... don't you think?"

He stopped walking, his arm still around my shoulder, so I had to stop too.

"That means you actually enjoyed that stupid kiss you gave the redhead when we played 'Never Have I Ever' the first night."

I was speechless.

But maybe I just realized that he probably didn't actually know the whole truth.

"Is everything okay?" Bella burst out, her voice sharp.

She looked over at me, and I nodded.

"Yes, red, don't stress about it. Ellie was just bragging about how much she enjoyed my kisses," Joe snapped.

What the hell?!

He grabbed my arm, and before I could react, he pressed his lips to mine, forcefully, slipping his tongue in like he had to prove something.

My stomach twisted in disgust, and I tried hard to pull away, but his grip was tight.

All I could think about was Bella.

She was right there, watching.

I finally managed to pull back.

Her face was red, her jaw clenched tight, her gaze burning like fire, as if she were fighting every instinct to knock Joe off me.

But the way she's looking at me is just heartbroken.

And I was feeling the same.

In that moment, I couldn't take it anymore.

I took a small step toward her, wanting to comfort her, but she stepped back, shaking her head slightly.

I felt panic.

"Guys, there's a movie theater down there... wanna go?" Leo bursts out, his voice a little too eager.

"Sure. Let's go." I affirmed immediately.

A/N

I'm sorryyy but this is going to be a long ride... ❤️🥲🤷‍♀️