A message from Kristen's Aunt

The four of you are still standing around in the hot cabin, the mood slightly deflated after Kelly admitted she was mostly bluffing. Everyone’s sweating, half-dressed, and not quite sure what happens next.

Then Kristen’s phone buzzes on the counter.

She picks it up, reads the message, and her eyebrows shoot up.

“Oh,” she says quietly. Then again, louder: “Oh.”

Everyone looks at her.

Kristen glances up from her phone, looking equal parts surprised and relieved.

“My aunt just texted,” she says. “She decided to stay at my cousin’s place tonight instead of coming home. She won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then Alicia lets out a short laugh.

“So… we’ve got the cabin to ourselves all night?”

Kristen nods, still looking a little stunned by the sudden change of plans.

“Yeah. No chance of her walking in. She said to have fun and not burn the place down.”

The energy in the room shifts almost immediately.

The biggest unspoken worry — getting caught by Kristen’s aunt — has suddenly vanished. Everyone seems to relax at the same time. Shoulders drop. Breathing gets easier. Even the heat feels slightly more bearable now that the risk of an awkward (or disastrous) interruption is gone.

Kelly lets out a breath and runs a hand through her hair.

“Well… that changes things,” she says, sounding genuinely relieved. “I was low-key stressed about that the whole time.”

Alicia grins and takes another sip of her drink.

“Same. I was already mentally preparing an escape plan through the window.”

Kristen looks at you, a small, shy smile on her face now that the pressure has eased.

“So…” she says softly. “We really do have the place to ourselves tonight.”

The atmosphere feels different now. Still hot, still charged, but less frantic. More comfortable. Like the night just opened up with new possibilities instead of feeling like it was racing toward something risky.

Kelly looks at you again, but her smirk is softer this time.

“No more bluffing from me,” she says. “For real this time. What do you want to do?”