The Dare That Ended Us

The plea in my eyes was obvious, yet Clara remained unmoved.

At some point, my vision blurred.

I tried desperately to hold back the tears, but the emotion surged stronger, like waves crashing against the shore.

Perhaps she sensed something was wrong with me, because she loosened her grip on Ethan’s hand.

“Look, Nathan. Ethan and I have known each other for over twenty years. I can’t just ignore him.

“It’s only a game. Don’t take it so seriously. Three minutes will pass quickly.

“Why don’t you wait for me outside? It’ll be over soon.”

She appeared considerate, offering a solution for my sake, but the suggestion was absurd.

I could have turned away and pretended not to see, but the thought of my girlfriend of five years being held in someone else’s arms, locked in a French kiss, felt as though my heart were splitting apart.

“If you let him kiss you, that’s the end for us, Clara.”

One of Ethan’s friends joked, “Don’t overthink it, man. It’s just a game.”

Others muttered under their breath.

“If you can’t handle it, don’t play. You’re embarrassing us.”

“What a buzzkill. I don’t know what Clara sees in him. If you ask me, Ethan is the only one worthy of a beauty like Clara.”

“So petty.”

Clara shot me a look of disgust.

“Enough, Nathan. Can you stop being childish? Do you really think you can threaten me with a breakup?”

At that moment, I felt truly exhausted.

What I considered a reasonable request looked to her like nothing more than a tantrum.

Amid the crowd’s cheers, Ethan lowered his head without warning and kissed Clara.

At first, Clara seemed tense, restrained, as everyone watched.

But as the music pulsed and the colored lights of the private room flashed around them, she gradually parted her lips.

My heart felt like it had been ripped in two.

Even though I had brushed my teeth three times beforehand, making sure my mouth was spotless and without the slightest trace of odor, Clara had never allowed me to use my tongue when we kissed.

She only permitted the briefest touch of lips.

She said exchanging saliva with another person disgusted her.

During our five years together, I respected her request completely.

I had always kept to her rules, our lips touching and nothing more.

Now I watched Ethan’s hand settle at her waist, kneading with intimate familiarity.

Their tongues entwined, producing soft, wet sounds.

Ethan’s friends looked at me, their eyes filled with ridicule and mockery.

At that moment, I felt utterly humiliated.

In my mind, I counted every second as it passed, each one stretching endlessly.

Those three minutes felt like a lifetime.

When the time was up, no one called it out.

Ethan seemed reluctant to let Clara go.

I stared at them coldly and said, “Time’s up.”

Whether the music was too loud for them to hear or they were simply too immersed to care, I didn’t know.

But I clearly saw Ethan raise his eyebrow in my direction, as if issuing a challenge.

His hand slid lower, squeezing boldly at the curve where her waist met her hips.

That had long since crossed the boundary of any game.

They continued their French kiss for a full five minutes before finally stopping.

If Clara hadn’t run out of breath, the kiss might not have ended at all.

“Sorry, Clara. I lost track of time.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Nathan. We were only following the rules of the game.”

Ethan looked at Clara again.

“You’ve gotten thinner, Clara. There’s barely anything left at your waist. It felt better before. Make sure you eat properly.”

I knew he said those words to provoke me.

He wanted me to lose control in front of everyone, to shout and make a scene.

That way, Clara would be disappointed in me and distance herself.

His goal of driving a wedge between us would be achieved.

But this time, I did something rare.

I said nothing.

I even clapped for them.