A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 292

"Of course it's Demi." Connor laughed. "You know the saying—if someone saves your life, you owe them big time."

At that, the room erupted in cheers and applause. Everyone clapped, their eyes fixed on Demi as they waited to see her reaction.

"Thank you," Demi replied evenly, nodding at Connor.

"Don't you feel a little shy, Demi?" Wendy teased with a smile.

"It's just a game," Demi said calmly. "Why would I be shy?"

"If I were in your shoes, being chosen as someone's ideal type—even for a game—I'd be blushing!" Sally laughed.

"Besides blushing, I'd be thrilled," Maria added, grinning.

Connor picked up the spoon again, a playful smile tugging at his lips even as a hint of melancholy flickered behind his eyes. Demi showed no hint of shyness. It was clear she wasn't interested in him at all.

Only then did Connor realize he actually cared about her reaction. But Demi was only 16 and entirely focused on her studies, he reasoned, and that thought surprisingly lifted his spirits.

With renewed determination, Connor set the spoon spinning once more. To everyone's astonishment, the spoon whirled around slowly and eventually pointed directly at Demi.

"Alright, time for a dare," Sally urged. "Tell her to confess her love to her ideal type!"

"Wait—she's only 16," Maria objected quickly.

"Hold on. She hasn't even chosen between truth or dare yet," Wendy reminded them.

"Truth or dare?" Connor asked.

Without hesitation, Demi answered, "Dare."

She didn't want to reveal who her ideal type was. After all, she didn't have one.

The group started tossing suggestions at her.

"Confess your love to your ideal type!"

"I want to see you do a sword dance!"

"Why isn't the camera following her?"

"Could it be… her boyfriend?"

Demi felt her ears warm, and her cheeks flush as she neared him. For a moment, it seemed like she might hesitate. But then, almost as if compelled by the moment, she spoke clearly.

"I love you."

Almost immediately after saying those three little words, she spun around and hurried back to her spot, leaving only a fleeting glimpse of her retreating figure on camera.

Felix stood frozen in place, a mixture of surprise and disbelief on his face. Even though he knew it was all just part of the game, his heart raced uncontrollably.

He couldn't understand why. A confession in any context would make anyone blush, yet this was different. He had faced his share of confessions before, but never had he felt anything like this.

And as the echoes of that moment faded, the question lingered in the air.

What did it all mean?