Andrew: The first person who can’t come up with a response loses. Longer than a minute to respond, that’s the forfeit.

Lauren: Fine, but I get to pick the topic.

Andrew: By all means.

Lauren: The human body.

Andrew: …sorry. I passed out there for a second.

Lauren: Not like, inappropriate stuff. I figure as a medical professional I’ll win this one easy.

Andrew: Try me.

Lauren: Am I starting?

Andrew: Sure, go a-head.

Lauren: You think you’re so humerus.

Andrew: I’m better than all the wrist.

Lauren: I knee-d you to take it up a notch.

Andrew: Whatever. I toed you I’m good at this.

Lauren: Psoas I was saying…

Andrew: (I don’t know what that is but I’ll trust it’s a real thing) You sure can de-liver a line.

Lauren: That one was hard to stomach.

Andrew: I got your back.

Lauren: Hip-hip hooray!

Andrew: I heart-ly think that counts.

Lauren: I need to win this but urine my way.

Andrew: Eye will escort you into the house after I win.

Lauren: Whoa, don’t ovary-act.

Andrew: Come on. We be-lung together.

Lauren froze. She read the text again. We belong together? Her heart skipped a beat and she told it to stop being stupid.

Andrew: TIME

Andrew: I WIN

He texted an address only ten minutes from Lauren’s house.

Andrew: See you soon

Barbara Streisand.

…

Forty-five minutes later Lauren sat in her car, around the corner from Jeni’s house, at war with herself.

You’re not doing anything wrong.

This is a bad idea.

You’re spending the holiday with friends.

You shouldn’t be doing this.

She was on unfamiliar ground, and she didn’t like it. She’d never snuck out of her dad’s house. She’d never gotten a speeding ticket or been arrested. Never got caught drinking before she turned twenty-one. Kept an honest approach to school—did her own work and never cheated her way through a test.

In all honesty, she never understood those who were rule-breakers and risk-takers. She’d never had the desire to do something that seemed wrong or questionable, and it had never been a temptation.

Until now.

She rubbed her face with both hands and groaned. What was her deal? She shouldn’t be here. So why had she taken a shower, carefully arranged her hair into a messy bun, and chosen a shirt that brought out her eyes?

Because she was weak. And because she wanted to. She wanted to spend the evening with Andrew and Jeni.

And she wasn’t going to back down from her end of the bet.

We be-lung together.