truth or dare - game on series #1

Stella

The movie played on the screen, but I barely noticed. I was curled up against Cameron on my bed, his arm resting loosely around my shoulders. The warmth of his body against mine should have been comforting, grounding even, but instead, my mind was spiraling.

I was living in a fairytale, pretending like nothing could touch me. Pretending that epilepsy didn't exist, that it wasn't lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy everything. I felt like a fraud. Cameron saw me as someone whole, someone without cracks beneath the surface, but that wasn't true. One seizure, one moment, and the illusion would shatter.

How could I tell him? How do you tell someone who looks at you like you're perfect that you're broken?

I sighed quietly. I knew I had to tell him. I couldn't keep this from him forever, and the longer I waited, the harder it would be. But I was terrified. What if it changed the way he saw me? What if he started treating me like I was fragile, like I was something to be handled with caution instead of just... me?

I had spent so much time convincing myself that I didn't need a relationship, that I was better off alone. And now, here he was—someone I genuinely cared about, someone who made me happy in a way I never thought possible. The idea of losing that scared me more than anything.

I risked a glance at him, wondering if he could sense the storm inside my head, but his gaze wasn't on the movie either.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly, turning to face him more fully.

He blinked as if shaking himself from a daze and gave me a small smile. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

I narrowed my eyes. "Cameron."

He exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's stupid."

"Nothing that's making you look like that is stupid," I countered. "Talk to me."

He hesitated for a moment before finally sighing. "It's the next game. My dad's coming."

Something about the way he said it sent a shiver through me. "That's a good thing, right?"

He let out a humorless laugh. "Not really. My dad... he has expectations. High ones. He's never been the kind of guy who just comes to watch and enjoy the game. He comes to critique, to point out what I did wrong, to make sure I don't forget it."

I frowned. "Cameron..."

"It's always been like that," he continued. "Even when I was a kid. He'd make me go over every mistake after every game. Drills, extra training, all of it. If I wasn't perfect, I wasn't good enough."

I reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers. "You are good enough."

He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine as if he wanted to believe me but couldn't quite bring himself to. "It doesn't feel that way."

I hesitated. "Is he really that bad?"

Cameron didn't answer right away. Instead, he exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

But it did. And I wanted to say that, but I could tell he wasn't ready to talk about it. Just like I wasn't ready to talk about my epilepsy.

"Well, for what it's worth, I believe in you. And I'll be thinking about you the whole time. I really wish I could be there."

A flicker of confusion crossed his face before realization set in. "Your doctor's appointment."

I nodded. "Yeah. I— I can't miss it."

He shook his head quickly. "No, of course not. That's important. Everything okay though?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just some basic tests. They'll take my blood, and I'll probably feel like passing out for the rest of the day, but nothing major."

I swallowed hard, hating the half-truth I was living. If he knew the real reason for those appointments, if he knew what I was hiding... Would he still be here? Would he still look at me the way he does now?

"I'll call you after the game," he said after a moment, his voice softer now. "Tell you how it went."

I smiled, relieved that he wasn't upset about me not being there. "And you'll tell me all about your victory."

He smirked. "You're that confident?"

I shrugged. "Always."

Silence stretched between us, not uncomfortable but heavy with unspoken things. He brought my hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles before pulling me into his arms. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, wondering how much longer I could keep my secret before it all came crashing down.