“Be my guest. Honestly, after spending so many years with her, I’m kind of tired of it.”
His joke wasn’t funny.
“What are you doing blocking the doorway? Playing thief?”
Emily walked in, her high heels clicking, disdain written on her face.
I shook my head.
She glanced at me, said nothing more, and brushed past me into the room.
“Emily.”
The moment she appeared, Ryan’s eyes only had room for her.
“Emily, you took forever in the bathroom. Claire, you’re here too? You’re late.”
A few friends greeted me casually, but they were quick to arrange Ryan and Emily side by side.
“Let’s play a game!”
Some of our old friends suggested Truth or Dare, that favorite teenage pastime.
The first round landed on Ryan.
He chose truth.
“Is there someone here you like?”
Ryan smiled, sneaking glances at Emily again and again.
“There is.”
Everyone had already seen his lovestruck posts online—they were just teasing.
But I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
The second round landed on Emily.
“You have to pick a dare! Choose a guy here and share a drinking challenge with him!”
Ryan looked at her, his gaze bold and heated.
The same gaze he gave me at our wedding when I was twenty-eight.
Maybe, even then, in his heart, I was no longer me. I was Emily.
Emily chose Ryan.
Their cheeks flushed pink, looking every bit the young couple.
I sat in the corner, a clown peeking at someone else’s happiness.
The third round landed on me.
I couldn’t bring myself to spill my truth, so I picked a dare.
“Choose a guy here and share a cookie stick!”
I glanced nervously at Ryan.
He avoided my eyes, head lowered, fingers busy typing a message.
“Don’t pick me. Emily’s watching.”
Seeing those words on his lock screen, I suddenly felt ridiculous.
The guy beside me nudged me with his elbow.
“You can pick me.”
It was the same boy who had been talking to Ryan earlier—Jason Reed.
I drew a deep breath and pointed at him.
“I’ll pick him.”
Ryan had thought I’d choose to drink instead. He froze, stunned.
As Jason and I leaned closer, Ryan’s bottle slipped from his hand, beer spilling.
He stormed out of the Karaoke Room, and right then, my phone buzzed with his message.
“Come out.”
The moment I stepped outside, Ryan dragged me into a corner.
“Claire Miller, when did you become so shallow? Playing games that far?”
I almost laughed. Now he cared about what I did?
“So what? It was just a game. Didn’t you just do a drinking challenge with Emily?”
Ryan’s face darkened.