The air is thick with pulsing music, people packed in clusters, drinks in hand, laughing too hard at jokes that aren't funny.

You wander the house—bigger than expected—dodging groups doing shots and keg stands. You’re about to find Lottie when Van’s voice cuts through the noise.

“Oh, hell yeah!”

You push through the crowd, finding Van crouched by a spinning bottle. Lottie and Natalie watch, amused.

“You guys are playing?” you ask.

Van grins. “We are now.”

“This is dumb,” Natalie mutters, sipping whiskey, but stays put.

“I dunno,” Lottie hums, smiling faintly. “Could be fun.”

A random guy claps, announcing the game: Spin the Bottle meets Seven Minutes in Heaven—high stakes. Kiss whoever it lands on, then get shoved into the pantry for seven minutes. No backing out unless someone’s uncomfortable.

Van’s grin widens. “Sounds perfect. Sit down.”

You roll your eyes but do it anyway. You flick the bottle. It spins and stops—pointing at Melissa. Melissa freezes, staring at the bottle like she can’t believe it. The room goes silent before someone whistles.

Van elbows her. "Mel? You good?"

Melissa’s mouth opens and closes a few times, before she straightens her cap and mutters, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just—uh—let’s get this over with.”

You smile. "You sure?"

She stammers, then peeks at you. "Okay, I’m ready."

You lean in slowly, giving her space to back out, but she doesn’t. The kiss is soft and brief. When you pull away, her face is bright red.

Before she can even process it, hands shove you both toward the pantry, and the room erupts in laughter.

“Seven minutes!” someone cackles as the door slams behind you.

Melissa yanks off her cap, clutching it tightly. “Wow. That—uh—so that happened, huh? Seven minutes, right? Feels long but also short...”

She grips her cap tighter. “So... this is happening.”