Chapter 403: Truth or Dare?

"We’re a bit old for this, aren’t we?" Cero said with pursed lips.

"We are not!" Roka seemed offended. "Alright," She made the bottle spin. "Yes! Truth or Dare?"

Cero stared for a moment. She seemed particularly excited to play.

"Dare." He answered, glancing at her black bars and exposed stomach.

"Boooring."

"It’s usually the opposite, you know? Truth is the boring one."

"Hm..." Roka relaxed back. Both were seated on the ground, having laid a blanket below. Her legs were crossed, and her palms were against the ground, arms straight. "I dare you to finish your drink in one gulp."

"Boring," Cero chuckled as he reached for a bottle, filled a shot glass, and drank it in one go. "Make it spin-"

"I said your drink!" Roka pointed at the glass laid next to him. "Not a shot!"

"Shot, drink," Cero held his hands palms-up and move them up and down alternately. "Same thing."

"It is not."

"Fine," Cero downed his glass. "Now, make it spi-"

"Penalty Dare," She interrupted. "Since you tried to pass your turn without doing the Dare."

"What, then? Another drink?"

"No." Roka shook her head and leaned forward. She rested her elbow on her knee. "Let me think." She smiled mischievously, and Cero couldn’t help but glance down at her breasts a couple of times. "I dare you to tell me..."

"That’s illegal. You can’t Dare me to say a Truth."

"Sure, I can. It’s part of the rules."

"It is not."

"Have you played Truth or Dare on Wor?"

"I have not..."

"Well, there you go! It’s part of the rules on Wor!" Roka nodded, knowing that there was no way he could argue properly against it. "So, I dare you to tell me..."

"Yes?"

Roka’s lips parted, but it took a moment for the words to come out of her mouth.

"Do you want me? Sexually? Physically?"

With a question like that thrown his way, Cero felt at ease, shamelessly staring at her curves. "I do." He answered.

"Romantically?"

"I do."

"Since when?" Roka asked.

"That’s more than one Dare gives you."

"It was all part of the same question; you just answered before I could ask it in full," Roka said with a sly smile.

Obviously, both knew that wasn’t the case.

"Are you asking when exactly? Am I supposed to give a precise moment?"

"No..." Roka took a sip from her drink. "A time interval works as well."

"Well, I’ve wanted you since I first laid eyes on you," Cero answered.

She rolled her eyes. Exactly the kind of playful, flirty joke she had grown to expect from him.

"This is a Truth," Roka reminded. "You’re supposed to answer seriously and honestly."

"It’s a Dare, first of all," Cero corrected with a smile. "And I am answering seriously."

"Hm... Fine."

Just like he couldn’t prove that the game wasn’t played this way on Wor, she could not prove that he wasn’t being truthful. Both had their doubts, though.

"Make it spin," Cero said, and Roka did so.

The bottle eventually stopped, pointing at Roka.

"Truth." She said before he could ask.

"Alright..."

Cero took his time despite knowing what he wanted to ask.

He gazed at the door momentarily. Through the gaps around it, the changing, colorful lights coming from the ship’s main area shone. Combined with the red night lights lining the walls, those shifting glimmers electrified the air. It was unclear who amongst the partiers had brought a disco ball, but no one was complaining.

"Well?" Roka urged, visibly worried by the silence.

As she should be.

Cero’s question was about to cut through all the BS.

"On Wor," He started, and Roka felt her heart drop. "You said you were a creep and a pervert." He could see her facial expression change, but there was no going back now. "Why?"

"You said you were one too," She whispered, looking away.

"I did." Cero smiled. "But you’re the one being interrogated now."

"..." Roka sighed and rested her forehead against her knee. ’Things were going well. Why should we get into this?’

Deep down, Roka was actually glad that the conversation was going towards that. She needed to get it off her chest, and the perfect opportunity to do so had presented itself.

Maybe this was what she wanted all along.

"You first," She ended up saying. "What makes you a creep and a pervert?"

Roka felt comfortable asking that because she felt that nothing he could say would compare to what she was preparing to confess.

"..."

Cero remained silent for a moment.

’Well, fuck the game, I guess.’ He thought to himself.

The rules were certainly not being followed, but neither had come into the room to play anyway.

Cero, too, wanted to get it off his chest.

"That same night," Cero started. "I asked you how you would feel about... A crustacean spying on you."

"Huh?" Roka raised an eyebrow. "You mean you actually spied on me? Back then?"

"Uh, yeah..." Cero rubbed his chin. The awkwardness was starting to set in. "Actually, I spied on you while you were... Touching yourself."

Roka’s face reddened at once. "O-Okay...?" She gulped.

"You were touching yourself, and whispering to yourself, and-"

"Okay! Okay! I get it, I believe you! No need for details!"

The two remained silent for a bit.

Cero lay down on the ground. The glimmering lights from the outside danced with the red night lights on the ceiling.

"I did more than spy on you that night." He added. "I got... Quite turned on by you. Overly turned on."

Roka hung on to his every word as she stared at him. Despite not being the one confessing, she felt her throat go dry. She wanted to know more.

"And...?" She asked.

"You could say that I..." Cero scratched his head, still staring at the ceiling. "Uh... Argh... Um... I ended up getting closer to you once you fell asleep and..."

His words trailed off as Roka stood up. She turned her back to him.

It was only natural to be creeped out.

"..."

Roka walked to her bed and lay on her back.

"And then?" She asked. "Did you...?"

"Yeah." Cero finally admitted.

Roka stared at the ceiling for a bit before turning her head towards him.

"Show me."

"Hm?" Confused, he turned towards her.

"Show me," Roka repeated. "Do it now, like you did then."

"..." Cero’s gaze alternated between Roka and the ceiling. "Huh?"