Escape In You by Rachel Schurig

It’s far too personal, particularly with our current company.
    “What’s that?” Fred asks. I can tell already he’s eating right out of her hands. I can't blame him—I’d seen many men felled by the force of Ellie Canter’s overwhelming magnetism, and she’s been making eyes at him since we first walked in the door.
    “We go around the circle and everyone says one thing they’ve never done,” she explains. “If you have done that thing, you take a shot.”
    I can see Taylor watching me out of the corner of my eye. I wonder what he thinks of this game—he’s not the most open guy in the world.
    “Ells, that game is lame,” I say. “We should play Let’s Go Camping or Kings or something.”
    She shakes her head, grinning widely, and I know she knows exactly why I don't want to play this game.
    “We need cards for Kings,” she reminds me. “And the last time we played Camping you picked the hardest places. We all got wasted, and you were stone-cold sober.”
    I glare at her, but she only continues to beam at me. “Who’s in?” she asks the guys.
    “I’m game,” Hunter says, tossing his empty beer can on the coffee table.
    “Me too,” Fred says.
    Everett nods.
    I look at Taylor, who raises his eyebrows at me, as if in question. I sigh. “Fine.”
    “Good,” Ellie says. “Hunter, come over here. We need to be in a circle.”
    We arrange ourselves into a loose semi-circle on the ground, Ellie grabbing the bottle of Jack and a few plastic cups from Hunter’s paper bag. She passes around the cups and sets the bottle in the center of the circle. I sit with my legs crossed, leaning against the couch. Taylor stretches out next to me, lounging on his side, supporting himself on one arm. I stare at that arm, at the way the weight of his body makes his bicep strain under his dark-green t-shirt. One of his tattoos peeks out from the tight fabric, a tendril of something in vivid blue. I want to run my finger along it, lift the arm of his shirt up to see what else is inked there. He chuckles softly and I look up to see his eyes on me.
    “Whatcha looking at?” he asks, clearly amused.
    Embarrassed, I look away, but he leans into me.
    “I can show you my tat later. In fact, I can show you all of them.”
    I laugh in spite of myself. I should be mortified that he caught me ogling his body, but, somehow, when he teases me this way it takes away my embarrassment, makes me want to laugh right along with him.
    “Okay,” Ellie says, and kneels up. “I’ll get us started.” She stares straight at me and says, “Never have I ever taken my top off while standing on a bar in a packed club.”
    I am going to kill her. I know this was what she had in mind when she suggested the game. She wants me to spill all my secrets in front of Taylor—it’s her own twisted way of trying to push us close together. Or she just likes watching me squirm. Giving her my best death stare, I grab the bottle of Jack from the center of the circle and pour a shot, which I swallow quickly.
    Everyone laughs. Of course, I’m the only one to take a drink.
    “Yeah, I’m gonna need some details on that one,” Fred says.
    “I was drunk, and it was a dare,” I say, glad that at least I’m not blushing. “I’m not the kind of girl to back out on a dare.”
    Taylor reaches over and rubs his palm over my knee. “Wish I’d been there,” he mutters, and I tremble a little.
    “Okay, my turn,” Hunter says. He thinks for a moment. “Never have I ever…had sex with a girl.”
    “Nice,” I laugh, watching as Taylor, Fred, and Everett pass the bottle between them, each pouring his shot. When Ellie grabs the Jack from him and takes a drink straight from the bottle, I’m pretty sure Fred’s eyes are going to pop out of his head.
    “Are you kidding?” he asks.
    She winks at him. “What can I say? I like to expand my horizons.”
    “My turn.” I think for a moment, trying to determine what might embarrass my friend. The problem