Choosing You: Gay Romance Short Story Collection

Suo Hong took a big gulp and then raised the empty bottle with an excited look. "Truth or dare?"

The women in the group laughed and the men couldn’t help but glance at them, obviously happy at the thought of maybe being able to take advantage of the opportunity. Teng Fang just sighed to himself but pretended to be excited as well.

Seeing that everybody was on board, Suo Hong put the empty bottle in the middle of the table and made it spin with a twist of his fingers.

The bottle came to point at one of the girls. She clapped her hands and laughed. "Ah, how come it’s me?"

"Tough luck, Xiao Mei." Some of the others couldn’t help but laugh at her.

The girl just pursed her lips and huffed. "I’ll choose truth then! Let’s see what you got!"

Suo Hong was taken aback and hurriedly took out his phone. "Wait, wait, let me look up a question first!"

The others broke out in roaring laughter. "You suggested the game but didn’t even have questions in mind?"

"Eh!" Suo Hong glared at them. "I had some really great dares in mind though. Just wait until I can show them off later!"

Amidst the laughter, Suo Hong finally found a website offering a few suggestions. A few others sneakily also checked their phones, hastily downloading some apps for playing the game.

"Alright, alright. Here it comes: Be honest with us! Do you have a hidden talent?"

One of the other guys in the round turned to the side and only barely held back a scoff. "It’s definitely not singing. That much’s for sure."

The others nearly doubled over with laughter but Xiao Mei reached over and slapped his arm. "Ji Yin, that’s so mean! You don’t sound any better than me!"

"Never said I did." He just shrugged his shoulders.

Suo Hong coughed but still nudged Xiao Mei. "Eh, just ignore him. So, what’s your hidden talent? Don’t tell me you have none."

Xiao Mei pondered. She had no idea what even counted as a hidden talent. "Uh …" She looked around trying to find some inspiration and finally picked up the bottle of Tsingtao that Teng Fang had just gotten. "I can balance a bottle on my head!" She looked up, put the bottle on top of her head, and raised her hands and brows. "Does that count?"

The others looked at her in a daze. Did that count as a hidden talent?

Teng Fang just laughed. "Well, I didn’t know you could so I guess you hid that very well." He reached over and took his bottle back. "Anyway, you guys don’t seem to have played in a long time. We should have the dares ready beforehand and they shouldn’t be changed depending on the person. Otherwise, what if somebody uses this for some petty revenge? Let’s just have Suo Hong manage the questions and dares since he started."

"Eh, that’s right …"

"And I wouldn’t have to come up with anything …"

While the others were in favor, Suo Hong furrowed his brows. "Ah, why me? How am I supposed to come up with all of that?"

Teng Fang tsked. "Just look it up or get an app! There have to be thousands for that!"

Suo Hong wanted to argue but the others all looked at him expectantly. He sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess I don’t have another choice then. Don’t complain if you get a shitty dare later on though! It’s all on Teng Fang!"

"Yeah, yeah, it’s all me." Teng Fang just waved his concerns away and nodded at the girl sitting next to Suo Hong. "Sis You, it’s your turn."

"Oh, alright." She reached over and then spun the bottle.

This time, it pointed at one of the guys. He raised his brows, looking at the others. "Well …" He probably should take dare but he had no idea what kind of app Suo Hong had downloaded. Maybe he should play it safe for the first round?

One of the others booed though. "Dang it, brother, where’s your courage? Come on! Give it a try!"

Ji Yin tightened his lips and then nodded. "Alright, then. Dare!"

Suo Hong picked up his phone. Reading the first dare to himself, he almost burst out laughing.

Ji Yin’s face paled. Shit. What kind of dare was the first one? "Alright, don’t take your sweet time. What’s the deal?"

Suo Hong looked up, the amusement still glittering in his eyes. "Well, as I said: It’s not my fault! You have to blame Teng Fang for this."

"Yeah, yeah, what does it say?"

Suo Hong raised the phone so the other two sitting next to him could see the screen as well and cleared his throat. "Dedicate a song to the person to your right! Make sure to give a passionate performance!"

The others burst out laughing as well while Ji Yin’s face turned even uglier.

Xiao Mei scoffed though. "That’s what I call instant karma! Guess you shouldn’t have mocked my ability to sing before."

Ji Yin didn’t answer that and instead looked at Suo Hong accusingly. "Are you sure you picked the first one and didn’t search for this?"

Suo Hong shrugged his shoulders. "Ask the others. You can even have a look yourself." He turned the phone around, showing everybody that this was indeed the first dare on the list.

The others gave Ji Yin gloating looks.

He just huffed though. "Well, it’s a drinking game. I’ll just take a shot instead." There was no way he’d sing! He picked up the glass, and downed the liquid in one gulp, slamming it back onto the table. "There."

The others couldn’t help but voice their disappointment but soon got over it when the next person spun the bottle. This time, it landed on Teng Fang.

He smiled. "Dare."

Xiao Mei couldn’t help but give Ji Yin a sideways glance. "Ah, don’t be a sore loser like Ji Yin though! You have to go through with it, Bro Teng!"

"Sure thing." Teng Fang continued to smile and then nodded at Suo Hong. "So, what’s my dare?"

Suo Hong’s lips twitched and his expression seemed slightly unnatural. The two people next to him looked over his shoulder and then sucked in a breath.

"Shit! Shouldn’t this be gender-neutral?"

"Yeah, that’s really shitty. What kind of app did you download, Bro Suo?"

Suo Hong didn’t know what to say to that. He looked at Teng Fang who was still waiting without any inclination of what was going to come. He almost wanted to suggest downloading another app but Ji Yin already interrupted with a gloating tone.

"Hey, hey! No shady dealings there! If he can’t take it, he can still take a shot, right? But I guess our Bro Teng here won’t need that. A true man doesn’t back out of such a simple dare, right?"

Teng Fang just glanced at him. Looking at the faces of Suo Hong and the other two, this really seemed to be something he wouldn’t like. Well, it was only a game though. He’d see if he could take it or not. In the worst case, he’d just lose a bit of face. But those were all his close friends. It wouldn’t matter too much. "Well, go ahead and tell me."

Suo Hong nodded gravely. "Kiss one of the guys in the room. You choose who!"

This time, there was silence at the table.

Finally, Ji Yin burst out laughing. "Haha, I bet you wouldn’t dare to do that!"

Xiao Mei couldn’t help but feel bad. If she hadn’t said that before, then Teng Fang wouldn’t be having a hard time now. She gave him an apologetic look but Teng Fang still seemed calm outwardly. She really hoped he wasn’t taking it too hard.

The two guys next to him reached over and patted his shoulders. "No worries, Bro Teng. Nobody will look down on you if you don’t dare. Kissing a guy is nothing we can expect of you."

"Yeah, a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated. Don’t take it too hard! Not daring to do this isn’t shameful at all."

Teng Fang leaned back and hooked an arm behind the backrest of his chair, seeming pretty nonchalant. "And what if I do?"

His friends laughed and shook their heads. "Dang it, Bro Teng, you’re really that daring?"

"Come on, don’t force yourself. Just take the shot."

Teng Fang played around with his bottle of Tsingtao, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. In the end, he placed the bottle back onto the table with a resounding thud. He got up, flashing the others a cheeky grin. "Let’s see about that." He didn’t wait for their response and just turned around, his gaze roaming about the dance floor.

To be honest, he wasn’t as straight as his friend thought him to be. Yes, he had only gone out with women up until now but it wasn’t that he was disinterested in guys. Actually, he had had several crushes on other men before. It was just that he had never dared to act on it. His family wouldn’t accept it and as far as he knew, none of his friends was bi either. If he really tried to hit on men while they were around, he didn’t know if he would still have friends when he walked out of the club.

But now, it was different. They had dared him to do so. So why shouldn’t he make use of the opportunity and give it a try? He had always wanted to stop playing it safe and go for it, even if it was just for once. He wanted to see if these feelings he had toward other men could really lead to anything. Maybe today was the day when he could finally find out.

Teng Fang gazed at the people on the dance floor again and slowly made his way over, his body starting to move rhythmically to the sound of the music while he weaved through the crowd. There were quite a few good-looking guys around but most of them were dancing with women. Since he wanted to seriously give it a try, he shouldn’t go for somebody who was so obviously not going to respond in the way he wanted.

He made his way further into the crowd and his eyes lit up. There he was! It was a young man, maybe twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He sported an undercut with the top layer of his hair bleached and a black stud earring complementing his otherwise dark hair. His tightfitting shirt highlighted his slender neck, making Teng Fang’s blood boil. This was the person he had been looking for!

He slowly made his way over, making sure that he didn’t seem too deliberate as if it was only a coincidence that he finally ended up next to him.

Zhongsun Xin glanced at the person that had turned up next to him and his lips curled into a smile. He reached out, grabbing the handsome guy’s shirt, and pulling him closer.

Teng Fang raised his brows in surprise but didn’t pull back. Actually, this was good. Since he had never tried this before, it was much better if the person he found had a bit of experience. It might be awkward at first but he’d rather be awkward the first time around when he was with somebody who wouldn’t mind taking the initiative than having to try several times for things to work out.

The two of them danced together, inching closer and closer. When their bodies almost touched, Zhongsun Xin leaned forward, his cheek touching Teng Fang’s. "Was that a dare?"

Teng Fang’s breath hitched when he heard the low voice and his own lowered unwittingly when he answered. "More daring than a dare, to be honest, but yeah."

"Oh?" Zhongsun Xin inched even closer, his breath caressing Teng Fang’s neck. "So what were you supposed to do?"

"Ask for a kiss?"

"Just a kiss? How boring!"

Teng Fang laughed and reached out, lightly grabbing onto Zhongsun Xin’s hips, and pulling him right up against his body. He leaned closer his well until his lips touched his ear. "I only have to ask for a kiss as far as it concerns them but I don’t mind asking for more for myself."

"Mn, I see." Zhongsun Xin reached up, wrapping one arm around Teng Fang’s shoulders. "I don’t mind. But what about leaving your friends behind?"

Teng Fang glanced over to the table and almost burst out laughing. From where they were dancing, they could see everything going on at the table. Right now, his friends were gaping at them with open mouths, obviously unable to believe what they saw. They hadn’t continued playing either and seemed to still be waiting for what would happen next.

Teng Fang turned back to Zhongsun Xin and grinned. "So, do I get my kiss now?"

Zhongsun Xin smiled and tilted his head, their lips touching gently at first but then with more passion. Teng Fang forgot about dancing and just pulled him closer, his hands roaming over his body.

Teng Fang breathed heavily when they separated for just a moment while Zhongsun Xin just smiled and went in for another kiss, this time opening his mouth, and licking Teng Fang’s. Teng Fang’s blood flowed southward, making Zhongsun Xin laugh out loud.

"What’s this, handsome stranger? Don’t tell me this is your first time."

Teng Fang slightly froze up. "Of course not!" Anyway, he had done this with women before. It was just … this was different.

"Yeah? Then I must just be especially irresistible." Zhongsun Xin stepped away, giving him a deep look.

Teng Fang swallowed visibly and reached out again. "You are."

Zhongsun Xin winked at him and then waved, going in the other direction toward the exit. Teng Fang glanced over at the table where his friends were sitting and then looked at Zhongsun Xin’s receding figure. Hesitating for a moment, he finally cursed himself and rushed after Zhongsun Xin, reaching him right at the door.

"Where are we going?"

Zhongsun Xin glanced at him, grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him closer. "Somewhere more fun."

"Oh." Teng Fang didn’t ask any longer and just followed him. Walking through the door and then down the road, he reached out again. "So, what’s your name?"

Zhongsun Xin gave him another look. "What are you gonna use it for when I tell you?"

"Mn … I could call you if you gave me your number as well. Or I could whisper some sweet things into your ear."

Zhongsun Xin grinned. "To be honest, I’m not one for sweet things."

"No? Then tell me what you like."

"Later maybe."

"When later?"

Zhongsun Xin laughed and reached out, hooking a finger behind one of his belt loops, and pulling as if he could make him step closer with that. "I’ll first have to see if you’re worth it."

Teng Fang raised his brows. "Then what about —"

Zhongsun Xin reached up and put a finger against his lips. "What are you talking so much for? I live five minutes from here. Let’s just go and give it a try."

Teng Fang nodded and then followed Zhongsun Xin. Five minutes or what, he could wait that long.