- 1 week ago
Kiss Me or We Die (GL)
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FunTranscript
00:02This was bad.
00:03I was trapped inside a room that technically did not exist.
00:06Worse, Sloane Mercell, my oldest rival and the woman I trusted least, was trapped in it with me.
00:11And we had both woken up naked in the same bed.
00:13My eyes opened with one knee thrown across her thigh and most of the blanket trapped under her body.
00:18Why are you naked?
00:22I was about to ask you the same thing.
00:25Let go.
00:28You are the one lying on my side.
00:30There are no sides. We were kidnapped.
00:33Before either of us could win the argument, a metal cabinet rose from the foot of the bed.
00:37Good news, it contained clothes.
00:39Bad news, the outfits were suspiciously coordinated.
00:43Couple's outfits?
00:44I threw a pillow at her and took the cream tank before she could say anything worse.
00:48Ten minutes later, we had clothes, no exit, and absolutely no signal on any device.
00:52A calm, synthetic voice filled the suite.
00:55You are inside a sealed room outside ordinary physical time.
00:59Complete the assigned paired tasks to be released.
01:02Failure will result in punishment.
01:04The sequence may end early if the primary behavioral objective is achieved.
01:08The black wall panel lit up.
01:09The table split open between us.
01:12And two silver injectors rose from inside.
01:15Option 1.
01:16Inject each other.
01:19Option 2.
01:20Kiss for 10 consecutive minutes.
01:25For one full second, neither of us spoke.
01:28Then Sloane picked up an injector.
01:31Put that down.
01:34I am checking it.
01:36You are holding a needle and using the word checking.
01:39As if that makes it better.
01:41The neural pulse may cause temporary motor dysfunctionity and unpredictable nerve damage.
01:46Failure to complete either option by midnight will result in 30 minutes of non-injuring neurosensory pain.
01:52The countdown started before we had agreed to anything.
01:55Tell me this is one of your company's immersive tests.
01:58If it were mine, I would know how to turn it off.
02:01I had watched Sloane bluff investors, lawyers, and an entire hostile board without blinking.
02:07This time, she was not bluffing.
02:09The needle was so fine it almost vanished under the light.
02:12She pressed the safety clip and a green indicator blinked.
02:15It is real.
02:16That should have made her look frightened.
02:18Somehow, she still looked ready to chair a meeting.
02:21Why are you so desperate to leave?
02:23Do you have a date?
02:25That is none of your business.
02:27Her eyes narrowed with entirely too much interest.
02:30Another woman then?
02:31Focus on the kidnapping.
02:33Sloane set the injector between us.
02:37Fine.
02:38Choose Avery.
02:40The needle?
02:41Or kiss me for 10 minutes?
02:46I hated both choices.
02:50Kissing Sloane was ridiculous.
02:54Letting her send an experimental pulse through my nervous system was worse.
02:58Sloane and I had been competing since we were 13.
03:01Grades, debate trophies, college offers, clients.
03:06Given enough time, we could turn breathing into a contest.
03:09As adults, her company had become my biggest client.
03:13I was also the only consultant willing to tell her that one of her luxury campaigns looked like a private
03:19hospital lobby.
03:21Normally, irritating Sloane was one of the few free pleasures left in my life.
03:27Today, I had a creditor settlement due at 8 in the morning.
03:31If I missed that deadline, two years of negotiations could collapse.
03:37The heart capital bankruptcy had already taken my home, my savings, and most of the people who once called themselves
03:45my friends.
03:46I was not letting it take one more thing.
03:52Sloane studied my face, then glanced at the injectors.
03:58So you are choosing option two.
04:00A kiss is less likely to cause permanent nerve damage.
04:05That was not an answer.
04:08It was the rational answer.
04:15One hand landed on the table beside my hip.
04:18Suddenly, my heart began to race.
04:21Do you think kissing someone means nothing?
04:25As long as it gets you what you want?
04:30The question hit a nerve she had not meant to touch.
04:33After my family collapsed, people who had once begged for invitations to our parties suddenly had opinions about how I
04:38should survive.
04:39Some said I was pretty enough to find a rich girlfriend.
04:41Others suggested I become flexible about what I was willing to do for help.
04:45I date women.
04:46That does not mean I treat them like currency.
04:48That is not what I meant.
04:49Then say what you meant!
04:52She stayed close enough that her breath moved across my lips.
04:56You keep talking about kissing me like it is a medical procedure.
05:00Compared with the needle, it practically is.
05:03Then open your eyes and tell me you do not want this.
05:06From this distance, I could see the green around her peoples and the pulse moving in her throat.
05:12I do not want to kiss you.
05:16The sudden distance annoyed me almost as much as her closeness had.
05:21Sorry, Ms. Mercer.
05:22Add another $10 to the hostility fund.
05:25Sloane ignored the joke.
05:27She picked up the injector and pressed the tip against her own arm.
05:32If touching me is that unbearable, I will take the damage.
05:37The activation light flashed beneath Sloane's thumb.
05:40I lunged before she could press it.
05:43Have you lost your mind?
05:45I caught her wrist.
05:46She twisted away.
05:47I refused to let go and both of us crashed sideways into the sofa.
05:51The injector fell onto the carpet.
05:54This was an unnecessarily intimate way to prevent nerve damage.
05:59Let go.
06:01Promise you will not touch that device again.
06:05You were about to use it on yourself because you were offering me your arm like you had something to
06:10prove.
06:12We still have to complete a task.
06:20There is a third choice.
06:22We do not kiss.
06:23We do not use the needles.
06:26We do nothing and find out whether the system is bluffing.
06:29The countdown kept falling behind her.
06:32What is it about kissing me that you find so impossible?
06:36Her eyes dropped to my mouth.
06:40Because if I kiss you, Avery.
06:44I will not be able to pretend it meant nothing.
06:47For once, every clever answer in my head resigned at the same time.
06:51She moved away and straightened a sleeve that did not need straightening.
06:55That was unnecessarily dramatic.
06:58It was honest.
06:59Honesty was inconvenient.
07:01So was the clock.
07:02The heart capital settlement was still due at eight.
07:05If I missed it, my father's mistakes would keep controlling my life from another continent.
07:09I need to leave this room.
07:11I know.
07:13And I am not letting you destroy your nerves to make a point.
07:18So what are you choosing?
07:20I crossed the space between us before good judgment could return.
07:24My fingers closed around the front of her shirt.
07:26You are getting an unbelievable deal here.
07:32Avery.
07:33I raised my wristband between us.
07:37Come on.
07:39Kiss me.
07:43Slona looked at the hand gripping her shirt, then back at me.
07:48Are you sure?
07:50Yes.
07:53She kissed me before I could make the answer sound less desperate.
07:56Her mouth was warm, careful, and nothing like a competition.
08:00That should have made it easier.
08:02It did not.
08:03Both wristbands flashed yellow as the timer began.
08:05I had meant to stand still and let ten minutes pass.
08:08Instead, my fingers tightened in her shirt, and I kissed her back.
08:12Slotland made a quiet sound against my mouth.
08:15Then she pulled away.
08:16Task incomplete.
08:17The timer stopped at 23 seconds.
08:22What the hell was that?
08:25You were counting.
08:26It is a timed task.
08:28You were kissing me like you were waiting for it to be over.
08:31That was unfair.
08:33Mostly because it was not entirely true.
08:35It was one kiss.
08:36She stayed close enough that I could still feel her breath.
08:39Then look at me and tell me it meant nothing.
08:44It meant survival.
08:46Her expression closed so quickly that I almost took the words back.
08:50Almost.
08:52Understood.
08:53The distance should have been a relief.
08:55Instead, it felt like losing an argument I had not known we were having.
08:59I caught her sleeve before she could get far.
09:01We still have nine minutes and 37 seconds.
09:03Slotland looked down at my hand.
09:05You counted.
09:06The system counted.
09:09Then let the system kiss you.
09:11That landed harder than it should have.
09:14I am not letting you use my mouth as a stopwatcher.
09:18And I am not letting you damage your nerves because your feelings got hurt.
09:22Apparently, our hostility fund covered coffee, insults, and one catastrophic kiss, but not honest communication.
09:31There is a third choice.
09:34No kiss, no needles.
09:37We find out whether the system is bluffing while the penalty is still non-lethal.
09:42And if it is not bluffing?
09:44Hours later, the room had gone dark except for the red countdown on the wall.
09:50Then you will not face it alone.
09:53The countdown changed to 0-0-1-0.
09:57The final minute felt longer than the entire day.
10:01Slonin's hand was still locked around mine.
10:04The countdown glowed red across the wall.
10:07You can still change your mind.
10:09So can you.
10:11I made the suggestion.
10:13And I am staying so I can say I told you so when it fails.
10:18That is almost touching.
10:20Do not ruin it.
10:22The countdown dropped through 10 seconds.
10:24For all her confidence, Slonin's grip tightened around mine.
10:27I squeezed back.
10:30Not because I was afraid, obviously.
10:32I was simply supporting a reckless colleague through the consequences of her terrible plan.
10:44Pain exploded through my body.
10:48Penalty initiated.
10:52Pain ripped through me before I could sit up.
10:54The simulated current felt as if it were detonating inside my bones.
10:58I curled against the mattress, sweat soaking through my clothes, unable even to swear.
11:03Across the room, Slonin hit the floor beside the couch.
11:06Participants failed to complete the assigned task.
11:0930 minutes of non-injural neurosensory pain stimulation.
11:1230 minutes had never sounded so short and felt so endless.
11:16Slonin went white.
11:17Her whole body was shaking.
11:18But she still dragged herself toward the bed.
11:21Don't.
11:22She reached me anyway and closed her hand over mine.
11:24I could barely force the word out.
11:26I'm here.
11:27It was a ridiculous thing to say.
11:29We were both trapped in the same room, being punished by the same machine.
11:32Still, I held on.
11:33Her thumb pressed against the back of my hand whenever another wave hit.
11:37I counted those small movements instead of the seconds.
11:39When the pain finally stopped, neither of us released the other immediately.
11:42Do you believe it now?
11:45Sloan's breathing was still uneven.
11:48Yes.
11:49Good.
11:50Next time, we choose something.
11:52Agreed.
11:54The black panel lit before either of us could recover.
11:56Day 2.
11:58Biometric truth sequence.
12:00Full frontal contact will be required.
12:04The chair locked into place before either of us had managed to stand.
12:08Option 1.
12:09Complete a biometric truth sequence.
12:11One participant must sit ashore the other while maintaining full frontal contact and uninterrupted eye contact.
12:15Both participants must answer three personal questions.
12:18Every answer must be spoken aloud and verified as truthful through biometric data.
12:23Positions will reverse after the second question.
12:27Breaking contact, looking away for more than five seconds, or providing a deceptive answer, will reset the current stage.
12:35Option 2.
12:36Each participant must permanently surrender one autobiographical memory, selected by the system.
12:43Failure to complete either option by midnight, will result in the release of a neurotoxic gas.
12:50Yesterday, the system had wanted our mouths.
12:53Today, it apparently wanted my dignity.
12:56This is not a task.
12:57This is workplace harassment with biometric tracking.
13:01We are not at work.
13:04That somehow makes it worse.
13:06Sloan circled the chair with the same expression she used on badly designed prototypes.
13:10Sloan studied it with the same expression she used on badly designed prototypes.
13:15Why is there only one chair?
13:18Because one of us is not supposed to use the chair.
13:21I opened my mouth to argue about height, leverage, and basic human desincy.
13:25Sloan sat down first.
13:27She spread her knees just enough to make the intended position painfully obvious, then tapped one hand against her thigh.
13:34Come here, Avery.
13:37Absolutely not.
13:39The gas is neurotoxic.
13:43I heard it.
13:44Then stop behaving as if my lap is the more dangerous option.
13:48That was manipulative.
13:50It was also annoyingly difficult to argue with.
13:52I lowered myself over her thighs with all the dignity available to a woman being forced to straddle her oldest
13:59rival before breakfast.
14:01Contact insufficient.
14:02We are touching.
14:03Full frontal contact required.
14:06Sloan's hands settled on my waist.
14:10Careful.
14:13You are the one sitting on me.
14:16She drew me closer until there was barely room for either of us to breathe without the other noticing.
14:20Sitting on Sloanie's lap was not intimacy.
14:23It was compliance with a deeply unprofessional experiment.
14:26That explanation became less convincing when her thumbs rested against the bare skin above my waistband.
14:31Question 1.
14:34Are you currently romantically or sexually involved with another person?
14:41No.
14:43My wristband flashed green.
14:45Sloan's shoulders loosened beneath my arms.
14:48That was an unreasonable amount of relief for a woman who supposedly disliked me.
14:52Sloan Mercer.
14:53Answer.
14:56No.
14:57Her wristband turned green too.
14:59I should have felt relieved.
15:01Instead, I became curious in a way that was unlikely to improve my life.
15:05The next question appeared above her shoulder.
15:07Have you ever deliberately imagined the other participant naked?
15:13For the first time since waking in the room, Sloanie looked genuinely caught off guard.
15:17It lasted less than a second.
15:19Yes.
15:20Her wristband turned green immediately.
15:22That was fast.
15:23It was a yes or no question.
15:25You could have shown some shame.
15:27I am saving it for your answer.
15:29Avery Hart.
15:31Answa.
15:31No.
15:33My wristband flashed red.
15:35Deception detected.
15:36Stage reset.
15:38Sloan's mouth curved.
15:40Do not enjoy this.
15:42I am trying very hard not to.
15:44Avery Hart.
15:45Answer.
15:46Once.
15:47Red again.
15:49Fine.
15:50More than once.
15:54The wristband finally turned green.
15:57Yesterday, Sloan had kissed me to avoid nerve damage.
16:00Today, the system had informed her that I had apparently been mentally undressing her for free.
16:06How many times is more than once?
16:09That was not one of the official questions.
16:11Question two complete.
16:13Positions must now reverse.
16:15Of course they must.
16:18Sloan's hands tightened briefly at my waist before she helped me stand.
16:23I assumed switching positions would make the task easier.
16:27That assumption lasted until Sloanie stepped between my knees.
16:32She lowered herself over my thighs, one knee on either side of my hips.
16:37My turn.
16:41Sloan was taller than me even when we were standing.
16:44With her settled over my thighs and her face level with mine,
16:46the difference felt less like height and more like a hostile takeover.
16:50Full frontal contact required.
16:52We are close enough.
16:54The panel flashed red.
16:56Sloan had moved closer until my hands had nowhere sensible to go except her waist.
16:59I had survived bankruptcy, public humiliation, and two years of creditor negotiations.
17:04Apparently the thing that would finally destroy me was Sloan Mercer sitting on my lap while making eye contact.
17:08Question three.
17:09Describe the first kiss you willingly accepted.
17:11Yesterday.
17:12Avery.
17:13Sloan answered first.
17:16Her wristband turned green.
17:18The answer should not have affected me as much as it did.
17:21Avery Hart.
17:23Answer.
17:24The lake house media room returned to me in fragments.
17:26Blue projector light, a silk blindfold, girls laughing in the dark.
17:30The rule had been simple.
17:31Agree to one kiss, then guess who gave it?
17:33I agreed.
17:34Footsteps stopped in front of me.
17:35I remembered perfume, nervous breathing, and fingers that almost touched my face before pulling back.
17:40A mouth brushed the corner of mine.
17:43Soft, quick, and gone before I could lean closer.
17:48I tore off the blindfold in time to see a dark-haired figure disappear through the door.
17:52I never found out who she was.
17:56Her wristband turned green.
17:58At the same moment, Sloan's began flashing yellow.
18:03Sloan Mercer.
18:04Heart rate elevated.
18:07Why is your heart doing that?
18:09You are holding my waist.
18:11I was holding it before the story.
18:14Her eyes moved away for exactly four seconds, then returned to mine before the system could reset us.
18:20She knew something.
18:24You know who kissed me?
18:26That was not a question from the system.
18:28That is not a denial.
18:30You are becoming very selective about acceptable answers.
18:33The panel chimed above us.
18:34Truthful responses verified.
18:36Maintain required contact for 60 seconds.
18:39A new countdown appeared.
18:40Sloan remained on my lap.
18:41My hands remained at her waist.
18:43Neither of us had a believable reason to look anywhere except the other.
18:46You admitted you have imagined me naked.
18:48The system admitted for me.
18:50That distinction is not helping.
18:51Is there someone you actually like?
18:54Yes.
18:54For the first time during the task, Sloan Sane stopped looking amused.
18:58The answer put an unreasonable amount of pressure under my ribs.
19:02Do I know her?
19:03You do.
19:03Does she know?
19:06No.
19:08I cannot believe Sloan Mercerle has an unrequited crush.
19:11I have survived it so far.
19:13The countdown reached five seconds.
19:15Her gaze dropped briefly to my mouth, then returned to my eyes.
19:18Task complete.
19:19The woman who could survive hostile boardrooms had just fled from my lap.
19:22That would have been flattering if she had not just admitted she was in love with someone else.
19:26Jesus.
19:26I wasn't jealous, was I?
19:30Sloney had admitted she had imagined me naked.
19:32She had also admitted she was in love with a woman I knew.
19:35Instead of thinking about the task, I was wondering who that woman was.
19:38I did not like that feeling at all.
19:40That night, I could not sleep.
19:42After the task, Sloney and I had barely spoken.
19:44The room felt awkwardly quiet.
19:45I heard her shift on the couch and finally broke the silence.
19:50You're too tall for that thing.
19:52You should take the bed tonight.
19:57I assumed she had agreed and started to move, but she pressed one hand to the mattress beside my shoulder.
20:03You sleep on the inside.
20:04I'll take the outside.
20:07We don't have to share.
20:08That couch will destroy your back.
20:10I hesitated.
20:12I'm not that delicate.
20:14The year Hart Capital collapsed, I spent two nights in a bus center.
20:17I also fell asleep in a 24-hour laundromat.
20:20That had been the lowest point of my life.
20:22Before the company announced bankruptcy, my father flew overseas with his new wife.
20:26He left me with frozen accounts, investigations, lawsuits, and several personal guarantees he had pushed me into signing after naming
20:32me a junior partner.
20:33Our house, cars, and liquid assets were seized.
20:37Friends who had once called me family suddenly explained that we no longer belonged in the same world.
20:42The worst part was that Sloan already knew exactly how far I had fallen.
20:48Sloan was the only person who called.
20:51Then, while everyone else disappeared, Sloan found me asleep in a 24-hour laundry tent.
20:59I had fallen asleep against a row of dryers with my bag under my head.
21:03When Sloan crouched in front of me, my first thought was that she had come to enjoy the show.
21:09If you're here to gloat, take a picture. It'll last longer.
21:13Drink.
21:14She did not answer.
21:16She took off her coat, wrapped it around my shoulders, and pushed a hot coffee into my hands.
21:22Drink.
21:23Still giving orders.
21:24Good to know success hasn't changed you.
21:27Sloan put an apartment key on top of my bag.
21:31You can insult me somewhere warm.
21:32Later, she used an old bet as an excuse to offer me a consulting agreement.
21:36One with a fair rate, independent authority, and enough distance that I could accept it without feeling rescued.
21:40I had been prepared for pity.
21:42Sloan brought coffee, a coat, and a contract disguised as a rivalry.
21:45Somehow, that was worse.
21:46I looked at her across the dark room.
21:49So if sharing the bed makes you uncomfortable, I'll take the couch.
21:52Avery, there is a perfectly good bed.
21:55You do not need to earn the right to sleep in it.
21:57She sounded almost worried about me.
22:00That had to be my imagination.
22:02I lay down beside her.
22:03After a moment, Sloan spoke into the dark.
22:06I don't hate you.
22:08Can you stop assuming everything I do is meant to hurt you?
22:11I'll try.
22:12But you started this.
22:14You pulled the clip out of my hair on the first day we met.
22:16And every dollar in the hostility fund has gone towards buying your coffee.
22:20Apparently, our lifelong rivalry had been funding my caffeine habit.
22:24When I woke the next morning, I had annexed most of Sloanie during the night.
22:27One knee was hooked over her thigh.
22:29Her hand was resting at my waist.
22:31Comfortable?
22:33My face burned.
22:35I disentangled myself and escaped into the bathroom before she could say anything else.
22:41Sharing a bed had been basic space management.
22:44Apparently, my sleeping body had interpreted that policy very broadly.
22:48After breakfast, the third day trask appeared.
22:50Day 3.
22:51Option 1.
22:52Maintain uninterrupted intimate contact through a 12-minute deep kiss and bring both heart rates into the synchronized range.
22:56Option 2.
22:57Permanently remove each participant's ability to recognizing the other participant's face.
23:00Failure will reduce room oxygen to a fatal level with within 10 minutes.
23:03I stared at the panel until the letters blurred.
23:06This system is getting less normal by the day.
23:09Sloan let out a rare sigh.
23:11The remaining tasks will probably become more intimate.
23:15Hearing her say it so plainly made my ears burn.
23:18Yesterday had been full body contact, eye contact, and several humiliating truths.
23:22Today required 12 untrusted minutes of deep kissing and synchronized heart rates.
23:26An hour later.
23:27She took one step towards me.
23:28My wristband beeped.
23:29A bright line flashed across the display.
23:31Avery Hart.
23:31Heart rate elevated.
23:34My wristband had betrayed me before my face got the chance.
23:38Sloan looked from the display to me.
23:42We haven't even started.
23:45It's early.
23:47I pretended to straighten my sleeve.
23:52Tonight.
23:54I needed a few hours to recover from being publicly betrayed by my own pulse.
24:00We found separate ways to stay busy.
24:02Sloan and Red near the window.
24:03I worked through offline puzzles on the tablet and failed to solve the same one three times.
24:07Eventually, curiosity won.
24:09Tell me about the woman you like.
24:11Sloan enclosed her book.
24:12Why?
24:13I'm bored.
24:14Consider it conversation.
24:15She's beautiful.
24:18The first time I saw her, she was the most striking girl in the room.
24:25I forgot what I was about to say.
24:27The uncomfortable pressure under my ribs returned.
24:30I made a mistake on the first day.
24:32She decided I was her enemy.
24:34And everything afterward made the misunderstanding worse.
24:37Sloan was describing another woman while looking at me.
24:39It was an efficient way to make jealousy feel personal.
24:42So you've loved her all this time and she has no idea?
24:45She may have suspected once.
24:48Then why didn't you tell her?
24:50Because the last time I thought she understood,
24:54she left for London before sunrise.
24:58For one dangerous second, I wondered whether Sloan meant me.
25:02Then I reminded myself that the world did not revolve around Avery Hart,
25:05no matter how often it should have.
25:07She might not be able to accept it.
25:10And once she knows, she might leave for good.
25:14When we get out, can we forget everything that happened here?
25:17The warmth disappeared from her face.
25:20Why?
25:21You care about someone.
25:23Whether these tasks are forced or not, what we're doing isn't fair to her.
25:27So we treat it as if it never happened.
25:29I tried to sound casual.
25:30She watched me for a long time.
25:32I'll try.
25:35I hope you can forget it too.
25:37With one hour left before midnight, I turned off the main lights.
25:40Only the warm strip behind the headboard remained on.
25:42Neither of us had much experience.
25:45During our first attempt to find the wristband's synchronization range,
25:49our teeth knocked together.
25:51I wanted the sealed room to open just so I could throw myself out of it.
25:55Do you want to keep going?
25:59We haven't completed the task.
26:02That isn't what I asked.
26:03Her hand remained still at my waist.
26:08Do you want to continue?
26:13I was quiet for two seconds.
26:15Yes.
26:17The next twelve minutes felt impossibly long.
26:20At first, I was so tense that Sloney had to guide almost everything.
26:24Gradually, our breathing settled into the same rhythm.
26:28Her lips pressed tightly against mine.
26:31Her tongue pushing deep as she sucked on me.
26:33So did our heartbeats and the pressure of our arms around each other.
26:38When the wristbands shifted from yellow to green,
26:42part of me did not want the countdown to end.
26:45Task complete.
26:48Sloane's breathing was unsteady when she pulled away.
26:51I'm taking a shower.
26:53You should sleep.
26:54She practically fled into the bathroom.
26:57Through the running water, I heard a muffled breath
27:00and understood what kind of physical reaction she was trying to calm.
27:05I was a grown woman.
27:06I knew that bodies sometimes answered questions before minds were ready to.
27:12But she cared about someone else.
27:15I pulled the blanket up to my ears and tried not to think.
27:18When Sloane came out, she stood beside the bed for a long time.
27:24Avery, are you awake?
27:27I knew she wanted to say something.
27:29Suddenly, I was afraid to hear it.
27:32I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep.
27:38After a moment, she sighed and went back to the couch.
27:43I slept badly.
27:44The next morning, I opened my eyes to find Sloan and watching me with concern.
27:51Are you okay?
27:54Why wouldn't I be?
27:57You cried last night.
28:00No, I didn't.
28:02My eyes were red and swollen.
28:04I had no idea why I had been crying.
28:09Was kissing me so traumatic that you regretted it in your sleep?
28:12Do not flatter yourself.
28:14It was average.
28:15Are you sure?
28:16Her gaze moved to the panel as it lit up.
28:19You may want to arrive at that review after today's assignment.
28:23Day 4.
28:24Option 1.
28:25One participant must use oral simulation to bring the other participant to orgasms.
28:30Option 2.
28:30Each participant will permanently lose tactile sensation in the dominant hand.
28:35Failure to complete either option by midnight will result in neuromuscular shutdown.
28:40The wording was clinical.
28:41The meaning was not.
28:43Still calling last night average?
28:47Could you please stop talking?
28:49Emotionally, I knew this should not happen.
28:51Sloan was in love with someone else.
28:52Logically, I also knew that refusing would not save either of us.
28:55The alternative could permanently disable us, and the midnight penalty could kill us.
29:00From the first day, the system had been arranging impossible choices and pushing us towards greater intimacy.
29:05The countdown started.
29:07This time, the system was not asking us to kiss.
29:10It requires us to have sex.
29:14After dark, we showered separately and sat on opposite ends of the bed.
29:18Neither of us wanted to start the conversation.
29:21Slowly, finally broke the silence.
29:25We both know we can't ignore the assignment.
29:28She moved closer, her voice gentlerer than usual.
29:32But nothing happens unless you agree to it.
29:35Would you be comfortable letting me take the lead?
29:41Say it.
29:44Yes.
29:46She touched the side of my knee.
29:48I immediately caught her wrist.
29:50Wait.
29:51Sloan stopped at once.
29:53Okay.
29:55This is wrong.
29:57My voice shook.
29:58You love someone else?
30:01I can't do this with you.
30:03The room went so quiet that all I could hear was my own breathing.
30:07After a moment, Sloan pulled me into her arms.
30:10Avery, you're scared.
30:12I did not deny it.
30:13Are you afraid this will change our relationship?
30:16Or that I'll think less of you afterward?
30:19Both.
30:21I'm more afraid that the woman you love will find out.
30:26And think I crossed a line.
30:29She won't blame you.
30:31How do you know?
30:33Because she isn't that kind of person.
30:35Her palm moved slowly over my back.
30:37You do not owe anyone this.
30:39You can stop at any time.
30:40If you say stop, I stop.
30:42No question.
30:44Tell me what you want, Avery.
30:48The woman she loved sounded wonderful.
30:51Wonderful enough to make jealousy ache under my ribs.
30:56After a long silence, I closed my eye eyes.
31:02I'm ready.
31:04Are you sure?
31:05Sloan checked again.
31:07I'm sure.
31:10She placed a pillow behind my lower wasp.
31:13Before she began, I heard her swallow nervously.
31:17In the dark, every sensation seemed sharper.
31:20First came the hot, wet tongue.
31:21Jesus, she was kissing my pussy.
31:23Her tongue circled my clit.
31:25This was way too exciting.
31:27She controlled the pace, paused often, and kept looking up to make sure I was still comfortable.
31:31My whole body trembled as I clamped my wet thighs around her head.
31:34When she lifted her head, her face was covered in my juices.
31:38You're so fucking sexy.
31:40She climbed back up my body, her breath brushing my ear before she kissed me.
31:44That was not part of the assignment.
31:46Before I could ask, my body's response scattered the thought.
31:48The night was long, confusing, and far too intimate.
31:52At some point, both rash readings.
31:54Threshold confirmed.
31:55Task complete.
31:56I woke the next morning in Sloosie's arms again.
31:59I remembered the unnecessary kiss and shoved her off the bed with my foot.
32:03She sat up on the carpet, hair wild and eyes half open.
32:08What did I do wrong while I was unconscious?
32:10You have to ask.
32:13I threw a pillow at her.
32:16The assignment did not require kissing.
32:23Why did you kiss me?
32:27What answer are you hoping for?
32:29What kind of question is that?
32:31The longer I thought about it, the angrier I became.
32:35You're in love with someone.
32:38Why would you do something outside the task?
32:40Sloan stood so quickly that I barely had time to react.
32:43She leaned over me, bracing one hand beside my shoulder and trapping me between her and the headboard.
32:48Because I wanted to kiss you.
32:50I stopped breathing.
32:51The woman I love was right in front of me.
32:54I'm not a saint.
32:56I've been holding myself back for years, and last night I failed.
33:01Is that direct enough for you?
33:03What are you saying?
33:04My thoughts simply stopped.
33:07I have loved you since the first day we met.
33:10Her fingers tightened gently against my cheeks.
33:13The woman I love is you, Avery.
33:15It has always been you.
33:19For 15 years, I had assumed Sloan and wanted to defeat me.
33:23Apparently, she had been trying to love me with the communication skills of a locked filing cabinet.
33:27I covered my mouth with both hands.
33:29Every time you start talking, I want to kiss you.
33:32Could you please be quiet for one minute?
33:34I nodded because speech had temporarily abandoned me.
33:37She told me she had followed me around since we were 13, searched half of Seattle after Hart Capital collapsed,
33:41and designed the consulting contract so I could accept help without feeling pitied.
33:45I thought I was obvious.
33:46Everyone else understood.
33:47You turned every sign of affection into evidence that we were competing.
33:50Kissing you without asking was wrong.
33:52She finally looked away.
33:54When we get out, I'll transfer the rebrand to my COO
33:56and remove myself from every decision involving your firm.
34:02Your agreement already lets you leave on 30 days' notice.
34:07I won't let work or my position pressure you into staying near me.
34:11I had spent years trying to get away from Slona Mercer.
34:15The moment she moved away, I caught her wrist.
34:19You don't get to confess and walk away.
34:22My first emotion after learning the truth had not been discussed.
34:26It had been relief.
34:29Tell me what really happened the first day we met.
34:34The first day we met, you pulled the clip out of my hair.
34:37You weren't trying to humiliate me?
34:39Thirteen-year-old Sloni stared at my curls as if they had personally offended her understanding of physics.
34:43Then she reached out and yanked the clip free.
34:46My hair fell over my shoulders.
34:47I spun around and shouted at her while she stood there holding the clip, completely speechless.
34:53I thought your curls might be extensions.
34:55Sloni's ears turned red.
34:56I wanted to know if you were real.
34:58You approached a crush with the socialist instincts of a raccoon?
35:02That is fair.
35:04What about the confession card I wrote before Winter Formal?
35:07Slone opened the card after seeing two girls switch it.
35:09The replacement was full of cruel jokes they wanted my crush to read outstage.
35:13She took both cards before I arrived.
35:15I only saw her walking away with my confession in her hand.
35:18I was stopping them from humiliating you.
35:29Slone stood in front of blindfolded me, nervous enough to miss my mouth and kiss only the corner.
35:35Then she fled through the door before I removed the scarf.
35:38I planned to tell you.
35:41You left for London the next morning and barely answered me for six months.
35:45Every misunderstanding had piled on top of the last until it became 15 years of rivalry.
35:51The black panel suddenly cleared.
35:54A single gold line appeared.
35:56Hidden Objective Complete
36:00Hidden Objective Complete
36:01One explicit confession recorded
36:05Reciprocal emotional attachment inferred from consistent behavioral and biometic response
36:10Core misunderstandings resolved
36:12Release threshold reached
36:14Seven day sequence terminated early
36:16Exit sequence initiated
36:17For one sickening second, I thought strangers had been watching us
36:20Then a header appeared
36:21Simulated analysis log
36:23No external viewers
36:24The head rendered its own personality models in the style of a comment feed
36:27Finally, emotional disclosure occurred 19 hours later than the model predicted
36:33Primary cause of delay
36:35Avery's ability to recognize obvious romantic interest
36:39Approaches zero
36:41Sloan shares responsibility
36:43She disguises care, jealousy, and protection as competitive behavior
36:46Highly inefficient communication pattern
36:49The system remains effective
36:50For long-term misunderstandings
36:52Honest conversation is recommended
36:54Replication of hazardous trial conditions is not
36:56The intimacy synchronization data was excellent though
37:01My face caught fire
37:03The system began counting down
37:05Five
37:08Four
37:09Three
37:11She held out her hand
37:12She looked more nervous than she did
37:14While waiting for a board vote that could decide the future of her company
37:18Are they right?
37:22About what?
37:23You were upset when you thought I loved someone else
37:31Do you have feelings for me too?
37:37If you want the answer
37:38Come find me when we're back
37:41Two
37:44One
37:46I woke with a violent gasp in my own bed
37:49My apartment
37:50My streetlights
37:51My ceiling
37:53The room was gone
37:55But Sloan's question had followed me home
37:57My phone showed
37:593.20am
38:00On October 12
38:03We had spent four days inside that sealed room
38:06But only a few hours had passed in the real world
38:09The creditor settlement packet was still on my desk
38:12And the 8 o'clock deadline was less than five hours away
38:18I submitted it before I did anything else
38:21My hands were still shaking
38:25But being trapped outside physical time was not going to ruin two years of negotiations
38:31Then I searched for proof that the room had been real
38:35There were no burns
38:37Wristband marks
38:40Unexplained bruises
38:41Missing location data
38:43Or traces of the room on any device
38:50I spent nearly 40 minutes checking everything
38:53And writing down what I remembered
38:56My phone finally lit up
39:00Are you home
39:04Yes
39:05Do you remember
39:08Every second
39:09Open the door
39:10I stared at the message
39:14Before I could answer
39:15Someone rang my doorbell again and again
39:20I opened the door
39:21Sloane stood in the hall
39:23Breathing hard as if she had run from the elevator
39:25She had clearly come in a hurry
39:26Yet she still wore a sharply tailored dark coat
39:29The night wind had pulled several strings of dark hair loose around her face
39:32She was holding a bouquet of blush pink and cream garden roses
39:36No flower shops are open at this hour
39:39I cut these from the little greenhouse off my terrace
39:42My gardener may actually kill me when she notices
39:46Sloane did not
39:47She was too serious
39:49I spent half my life pretending I wanted to beat you at everything
39:53Eventually
39:55I realized I only wanted you to choose me
39:57Her eyes searched mine
39:59So Avery Hart
40:01Is there any room for me in your heart?
40:03She looked desperate for an answer
40:05And terrified of stepping too close
40:07Naturally
40:08I wanted to make her wait just a little longer
40:10A little?
40:12Only a little?
40:14You get one date
40:19Whether that becomes more
40:22Depends on how well you behave
40:23Deal
40:25Sloane finally smiled
40:27It was soft enough that I forgot how to look away
40:29She held out her hand
40:32This isn't a system assignment
40:34May I hold your hand?
40:36The system had forced answers out of me for four days
40:39This one belonged entirely to me
40:45Yes
40:46Yes
40:46That's it
40:46Wait For more information
40:47Maybe we can search for 20th
40:49Once from the marginal
40:49The digital
40:49See you next time
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