Chapter 2

"Honey, what took you so long?" Alex whined as soon as I sat down.

"I haven't taken my meds yet tonight, and my cough feels even worse," he said.

Alex blinked at me, then nuzzled his face against my shoulder, nothing like the aloof Alex I had seen on the rooftop.

Our friends started teasing us.

"Hey, what are you two doing? If you want to flaunt your love, go do it somewhere else!"

"These two are stuck together all day. If they weren't such a perfect match, and I couldn't take on Alex, I would've kicked them out of the group chat ages ago."

"Seriously, this is what true love looks like. Childhood sweethearts, destined for each other! Alex spent over twenty years playing the field, and now Emma's got him totally wrapped around her finger. Watching them, I almost believe in love again."

The sugary, sticky feeling from the pill still lingered on my palm.

I fought back the nausea and managed a faint smile.

Casually, I leaned forward to grab the sparkling wine from the corner of the table, subtly putting a bit of space between Alex and me.

"Where's Ryan?" I asked.

Alex was about to snuggle closer, but when he heard me mention Ryan, he froze in place.

"He went to pick up his sister. Oh, they got here," someone called out.

Ryan and a slender girl in a white dress sat down, one after the other, leaving about 20 inches of space between them.

"You're one lucky guy, Ryan. Your sister's so pretty; how about introducing her to some of the eligible bachelors here?" one of our friends teased.

Ryan shot Alex an awkward look before answering.

He said, "This is my sister, Caroline Wynn.

"She's a bit sheltered and pretty shy, so don't mess with her, alright?"

Amidst the lively laughter, I glanced over at Caroline. Her eyes were teary as she gazed at Alex.

Alex, who had been practically glued to my side moments ago, now subtly shifted away from me, settling onto the couch nearby.

That dull ache welled up inside me again. No matter how hard I tried to hold it back, I couldn't stop the wave of sadness and anger rising in my chest.

Caroline hadn't learned to hold back at all.

Maybe it was because she was the one Alex adored; she could afford to be spoiled and proud.

Her gaze was almost shamelessly locked onto Alex.

My bestie Chloe Summers could tell I was upset.

She laughed and said, "Girl, the one you're staring at? No chance; he's about to get married."

Caroline's cheeks turned bright red. She quickly looked away, giving an awkward, embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, I actually have a boyfriend," she mumbled.

Alex kept a smile on his face, but his tone was noticeably sharp as he spoke up for Caroline. "Chloe, you're always messing around, but not every girl's like you."

Chloe's temper snapped, and she jumped up, about to go after Alex.

I pulled her back and shot Alex a smile.

"Oh, come on, like you're so squeaky clean. Chloe's never been two-timing anyone," I said.

Alex stopped in his tracks, looking a little guilty as he avoided my eyes.

He tried to play it cool, forcing a smile as he replied, "I haven't done anything either, babe. Why are you giving me a hard time?"

Alex noticed the unhappy look on my face and, feeling awkward, reached for a glass of wine. He knocked it back in one go.

"Alright, that was on me. Sorry, Chloe, let's move on," Alex said.

Amidst all the laughter and chatter, I caught Caroline looking at Alex with nothing but sympathy in her eyes.

It was like I was the ultimate villain here, like I was the one tormenting those poor, tragic lovebirds.

"Alright, alright, let's play a game. How about we spin the bottle to decide whose photo album gets shown?" Ryan said, trying to break the tension.

He added, "If you've got anything you don't want us to see, better hide it now; don't freak us out with anything weird.

"I'll pick a date first.

"May 17th, 2023."

Everyone grabbed their phones. Whoever the bottle landed on had to pull up their photos from that day and show everyone what they did.

On the very first spin, the bottle pointed right at me.

My phone screen popped up on the big screen for everyone to see.

There were photos of the ocean, the beach, and a romantic candlelit dinner.

And there was also a screenshot of a delivery locker code from a food delivery app.

"Oh, these are from your birthday, right? You and Alex went to the beach together that year," Chloe said, nudging my shoulder and whispering.

"I remember asking you—after twenty-eight years of waiting, was finally being with a guy really that unforgettable?"

I smiled at Chloe, but seeing those once-happy memories now left nothing but a bitter taste in my mouth.

One of our friends pointed at the screen and asked Alex, "You guys ordered takeout at 2 AM?

"So what did you get, Alex? Don't tell me it was something wild."

Everyone was cracking up, but Alex, who was usually the life of the party, couldn't bring himself to laugh.

He glanced over at Caroline, who looked pale.

"No, it was some cold medicine. Stop making things up," he said.

Suddenly, a wave of spite bubbled up inside me.

"You bought medicine that night because you messed me up, didn't you?" I said.

I flashed a gentle smile, reopening my own wounds to make them squirm.

I added, "You were way too rough; what were you so excited about? That dress cost a fortune, and I only got to wear it once.

"Alex, it's like you've never slept with anyone before; seriously, your technique is awful.

"Or is it that all those girls you liked before never even let you touch them?"

Amidst the rowdy teasing and banter, I saw Caroline lower her head, wiping away her tears.

Alex looked annoyed, stifling his irritation as he forced himself to hold back.

I felt a rush of satisfaction and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Even though I was laughing, my heart felt heavy and my nose prickled, like I was about to cry.

"Next," Ryan called. He wiped his forehead, then gave the bottle another whirl.

This time, it landed on Caroline.

Caroline forced a weak smile, looking a little vulnerable.

"Honestly, there's nothing worth seeing in my album," she mumbled.

Chloe glanced at me, then at Caroline, her brows furrowing with a perceptive frown.

"If you can't handle the game, then you shouldn't be at the table," Chloe said.

Alex frowned.

Before he could even get a word out, I reached over and grabbed his hand.

I leaned in, close to his irritated face, so close that, from the side, it must've looked like we were kissing.

"Puppy, I'm kinda hungry. Can you go grab me something to eat?" I said.

Alex paused for a few seconds, but eventually got up and went over to the waiter, grabbing the iPad to place an order.

"I'm game," Caroline said.

I could tell Caroline had seen Alex and me together, and I could almost hear her grinding her teeth in anger.

She glared at me, tears brimming in her eyes.

For the first time tonight, Caroline locked eyes with me, like she was betting everything, her stare burning with raw, undisguised hatred.

Caroline's phone was mirrored onto the big screen for everyone to see.

The first image that popped up was a screenshot of a conversation.

Someone couldn't resist and started reading it out loud.

"Did you sleep with her? You said it was just a marriage of convenience; you promised me you wouldn't touch her.

"But you were the only one on my mind, Caroline."