The next evening, Jonah took me to a private room at a club.
As soon as the group of trust fund babies saw me, their eyes instinctively turned to Eric.
Lila, who was sitting next to Eric, greeted me with a smile. “Gina, do you remember me? I’m your best friend, Lila Wheeler.”
Jonah led me to sit down. I shook my head apologetically at Lily.
She clung to Eric’s arm and mentioned with a grin, “No worries. We can start over and get to know each other again.”
This so-called best friend of mine wasted no time flaunting her affection with Eric the moment she thought I’d lost my memory, her gaze laced with provocation.
And Eric? He seemed to relish the thrill of cozying up to another woman right in front of his girlfriend.
“Lila’s right. You two are best friends, and your boyfriends are best buddies too—what a coincidence!”
“It’s all good. Just think of it as meeting a new friend for the first time.”
Everyone knew exactly what was going on, yet they all still went along with the act in an unspoken agreement. They all had this look—like they were in on some inside joke, watching me get blatantly cheated on while I was clueless.
During a drinking game, Lila was asked to cross arms with Eric in a toast as her punishment for losing. Someone pushed them, and their lips accidentally touched.
“Kiss her! Just kiss her!”
Egged on by everyone, Eric grabbed the back of Lila’s head and deepened the kiss.
Afterward, she shyly covered her face and leaned into his arms, peeking at me through her fingers with a smug smile.
Eric held her like she was his most precious treasure.
Then, it was my turn—I lost.
“Gina lost! She has to be punished!”
Lila’s eyes gleamed with mischief. She was clearly enjoying the show.
“How about you pick someone here and make out with him?” someone suggested, and the others quickly joined in.
“Yeah, pick someone!”
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
I turned to Jonah, noticing how tense he looked. So, I took the initiative to lean in, closing my eyes. I could feel him relax as he slowly moved closer. Then, he cupped the back of my head and pressed his lips to mine.
“Wow!”
It wasn’t just the usual rowdy cheering—there was a mix of disbelief in their voices together with the kind of excitement stemming from watching the drama unfold.
I couldn’t see their expressions with my eyes closed, but the noise quickly died down, leaving an eerie quiet.
Eric cleared his throat lightly, resulting in Jonah and I being pulled apart.
I noticed Eric’s darkened expression and the odd looks everyone was giving us.
Jonah gently wiped a trace of moisture from the corner of my lips.
With a smile, I elaborated, “Of course, I’d kiss my boyfriend. I hope that counts as my punishment.”
“Even with her memory loss, Gina doesn’t seem awkward with Jonah at all.” Lila couldn’t resist taking a jab at me for being “stupid” due to my memory loss.
Eric’s expression was now grave.
I excused myself to the restroom, and Eric and Jonah followed me outside to smoke.
