Chapter 1

After we get engaged, the six of us plan one last trip together before the wedding.

That night, my best friend, Vera Lambert, suggests a game called the "24-Hour Couple Challenge."

We each draw a card. Anyone with matching symbols has to spend the next 24 hours acting like a couple. Whoever draws a blank sits out and gets stuck taking photos and carrying everyone else's bags.

I'm the unlucky one in the first round.

My fiancé, Joshua Renfrow, and Vera both draw the moon. They hold hands as they watch the sunrise, while I trail behind them carrying their bags.

The second round goes exactly the same way. I get another blank, while Joshua and Vera draw matching roses. This time, they have to hug for a full minute.

Everyone crowds around them, laughing and cheering, while I stand off to the side and time the hug.

Then we draw again and again.

Seven rounds in a row, and somehow, I'm always the one left out.

Chapter 1

Vera Lambert leaned against Joshua Renfrow's chest and smiled at me. "It's just a game. You're not seriously jealous, are you?"

Joshua ruffled her hair. "Don't mind her. She's always been a sore loser."

On the last night of the trip, they drew matching wedding dress cards. That meant they had to stage a mock wedding.

Vera put on the wedding veil I had brought with me. Then Joshua took my engagement ring off my finger and slipped it onto hers.

Everyone crowded around them, chanting, "Kiss!"

Joshua leaned down and kissed her.

While everyone else was cheering, I opened the box my cards had come from. Every single card inside was blank. Joshua's and Vera's boxes were filled with matching moons, roses, and wedding dresses.

So I hadn't been unlucky after all. The game had been rigged from the start. It had always been about the two of them.

I smiled and deleted all the wedding invitations I'd prepared. If I could be the odd one out on a trip meant for six, then none of them needed a place in my future.

As I deleted the invitations, a burst of cheering erupted behind me.

Joshua had finally pulled away from Vera, his hand falling from her waist. Her cheeks were flushed, but her hand still rested on his shoulder.

Someone shouted, "Kiss her again!"

Joshua laughed. "Get lost."

But he didn't step away from her.

Then Vera noticed me. Her gaze dropped to the ring on her finger, as if she had only just remembered it was there.

"Tara, it's stuck. I can't get it off."

She gave her hand a little shake and said innocently, "Can I keep it on for tonight?"

Joshua had given me that engagement ring on my birthday. He told me it had been custom-made to fit my finger. Yet somehow, it fit Vera perfectly.

I didn't point it out. I just nodded. "Sure."

Joshua glanced at me, clearly surprised that I had agreed so easily.

Then he frowned. "Tara, stop acting like you've been wronged. Everyone came on this trip for us. Don't ruin the mood over a game."

I looked at him. "I'm not."

"Then smile."

Finn Coburn already had his phone out. "Come on, bride and groom. Look at the camera."

The others quickly crowded in around Joshua and Vera. The five of them lined up perfectly for the photo.

Finn handed me his phone. "Tara, you're the best at taking pictures. Get a few good ones."

I took it.

Joshua stood in the middle. Vera, still wearing the wedding veil, had her arm linked through his. The other three gathered around them. They looked like they were posing for a real wedding photo.

Joshua called out impatiently, "Tara, what are you waiting for?"

I snapped out of it and pressed the shutter. I took more than a dozen photos, and I wasn't in a single one.

By the time we got back to the hotel, it was already 2:00 am.

I had booked three suites for the six of us, two people to a room. The other four had two rooms between them, while Joshua and I were supposed to share the third.

But as we picked up our key cards, Calvin Jenner suddenly grinned. "There are still 12 hours left in the couple challenge. Joshua and Vera have to room together tonight."

My hand went still around the key card. "They have to share a room too?"

Vera acted like it was no big deal. "We're just sleeping in the same suite. The beds are separate. Nothing's going to happen."

Joshua frowned. "With everyone here, what exactly do you think we're going to do?"

I looked at him. "Then where am I supposed to sleep?"

Everyone glanced at one another.

Finn pointed toward the end of the hallway. "Joshua and Vera have the family suite. There's a pullout couch in the living room. Just sleep there."

So I was supposed to sleep just outside the room my fiancé and best friend were sharing, listen to the door close behind them, and wait for their 24-hour game to end.

The whole thing suddenly felt ridiculous.

"I'll get another room."

Calvin stopped me. "Come on. Rooms here cost thousands a night. Why waste the money? We've all known each other since we were kids. It's not like we're strangers."

Chapter 2

I hadn't grown up with them. The five of them had been friends since kindergarten. I didn't meet Joshua until college, and he was the one who introduced me to the group.

For the first few years, I tried hard to fit in. They would laugh about stealing fruit from a teacher's yard when they were kids. Even when I had no clue what they were talking about, I laughed along.

They had childhood nicknames for each other that only they understood, so I quietly saved them in my notes. I remembered everyone's birthdays, what they liked to eat, what they avoided, and all their little quirks.

When we went out, I was always the first one there. When we traveled, I handled the transportation, booked the hotels, and planned everything.

But no matter how hard I tried, whenever they started talking about the old days, I was on the outside again.

"You didn't know us back then. You wouldn't get it."

Eventually, that turned into, "We don't need to tell her."

They'd change restaurants at the last minute without telling me. They'd all switch to matching profile pictures without sending me one.

Even this trip had been planned without me. I only found out from Joshua and Vera's messages that the five of them had been discussing it for six months.

When I asked why no one had told me about the trip, Joshua just smiled and ruffled my hair. "We were waiting for you to plan it."

So I did. I booked the flights and hotel, planned the entire itinerary, and paid for everything upfront.

They got to enjoy the trip while I took care of everything, and now they expected me to give up my room too.

My fingers loosened around the key card. "Fine. You can have the room. I'm going down to the lobby for a while."

I didn't argue.

…

The next morning, I woke up in the living room to find everyone gone. There was already a photo in the group chat of the five of them having breakfast together, with exactly five meals on the table.

Then Vera messaged me. "Tara, we didn't want to wake you, so we came down first. Just grab something to eat when you're up."

By the time I got ready and made it down to the restaurant, breakfast was over.

Just then, Joshua called. "Where are you?"

"At the restaurant."

He sounded annoyed. "Why are you still at the restaurant? We've been waiting at the marina for 20 minutes."

I checked the group chat. No one had said what time we were leaving.

"No one told me we were heading out."

"Didn't Vera text you?"

"She only said you'd gone down for breakfast."

There was a brief pause before Joshua snapped, "You woke up and saw everyone was gone. Why didn't you ask? Now everyone's been waiting on you."

I skipped breakfast and hurried straight to the marina.

By the time I arrived, the yacht was already idling at the dock. The five of them were gathered together on deck, and once again, no one had saved me a spot.

Vera was wearing Joshua's white shirt, the hem just covering her thighs. As soon as she saw me, she pulled the collar together.

"Tara, don't get the wrong idea. The zipper on my dress broke, so Joshua lent me his shirt."

Joshua had never let me touch his shirts.

Once, I accidentally washed one with some dark clothes and left it slightly gray. He gave me the silent treatment for a week afterward and told me he hated people messing with his clothes.

Yet Vera was standing there in one of his shirts.

Joshua glanced at her and said gently, "Put on some pants. You'll get cold."

Vera stuck her tongue out at me. "See? He's always looking out for people."

I grabbed the railing and climbed aboard.

The second I stepped onto the deck, Calvin shoved a pile of things into my arms. "Perfect. The sunscreen, camera, and water are all here. Keep an eye on them for us."

I carried everything to the seat nearest the engine and sat down. The wind whipped across the deck. With nothing in my stomach, it wasn't long before my stomach started cramping.

I had spent the past six months learning to swim for this trip. Joshua loved the ocean, and I had always been afraid of the water, but I secretly signed up for diving lessons anyway. I wanted to surprise him.

When we reached the dive site, the instructor told us only five people could go down at once.

Finn smiled at me. "Tara's scared of the water anyway. She can stay on the yacht and watch our stuff."

I was about to tell them I'd already gotten my diving certification when Vera suddenly grabbed Joshua's arm. "Joshua, I'm a little nervous. Hold my hand once we're underwater, okay?"

Joshua checked her tank. "Don't worry. I'll stay right beside you."

I swallowed what I was about to say.

The five of them went into the water, leaving me alone on deck with their clothes and phones.

A while later, the instructor asked, "You're not going in?"

I pulled my new certification card from my bag and stared at it for a moment. Then I put it away.

"No. Not anymore."

Chapter 3

Vera got seasick at lunch, and Joshua never left her side.

My stomach hurt too much to eat, so I asked the server for a bowl of plain oatmeal instead.

Calvin laughed. "What, you're sick now too? Vera gets seasick, and suddenly you have to copy her?"

The others laughed with him.

Joshua glanced at me. "You've never gotten sick on a yacht before."

"I didn't eat breakfast. My stomach hurts."

He turned back to Vera and handed her a glass of water. "Then just deal with it for now. She already feels awful. Don't make things harder."

A little later, the server brought over the oatmeal.

I reached for it, but Joshua slid the bowl over to Vera. "Try to eat a little."

My hand stopped halfway there, then slowly dropped back to my side. I'd ordered it for myself, but no one even seemed to notice what he'd done.

After a couple of spoonfuls, Vera complained that it was too bland. "I don't want any more."

She pushed the rest of the oatmeal toward me. "Tara, didn't you say your stomach hurt? Here, you can have the rest."

She had stirred it into a mess, and there was a lipstick mark on the spoon.

Before, I probably would have eaten it anyway.

Vera used to say, "We're best friends. What's mine is yours."

And Joshua always liked that I never made an issue of it. "Tara doesn't fuss over little things like that."

This time, I called the server over instead. "Could you take this away, please?"

Vera stiffened. "I barely touched it. Are you really that grossed out by me?"

I simply said, "I don't eat after other people."

Joshua's expression darkened. "Tara, she feels awful, and she still saved it for you. Did you really have to embarrass her like that?"

I looked at the five of them, and for a moment, everything felt strangely unreal.

For years, anything they didn't finish ended up with me. If there wasn't enough room at the table, I was the one who had to move.

If the car was one seat short, I had to take a cab alone. And whenever they needed someone to take pictures on a trip, they remembered me.

But all it took was one no, and suddenly I was antisocial, petty, and incapable of taking a joke.

I lowered my head. "Sorry."

Everyone immediately relaxed.

Finn grinned. "That's more like it. We're here to have fun."

I smiled with them.

This time, though, I wasn't apologizing because I thought I was wrong. I simply had nothing left to say to them.

That night, they went back to the terrace for drinks while I returned to my room alone and packed my suitcase.

The trip was supposed to last seven days. We were only three days in, but I'd had enough. I booked the earliest flight home for the next morning.

Once that was done, I noticed my charger was missing. Vera had borrowed it earlier, so I went to her room to get it.

The door was unlocked, and no one was inside. A tablet nearby had been left on, and a new message popped up as I walked in.

The group was named "The Five of Us, Forever."

Finn had posted a video of Joshua kissing Vera the day before. The messages underneath were full of laughing and cheering emojis.

"Finally got them to kiss."

"Told you it would work."

"Tara went completely pale and still put up with it."

"She can really put on an act."

Chapter 4

I stood beside the bed as my fingers went cold. They had a group chat without me.

I opened the chat history and scrolled all the way back. The first messages were from three months ago. Vera had posted a screenshot of the "couple challenge" game.

"Tara keeps saying she fits in with us, right? Let's see how many rounds she can take."

Calvin replied almost immediately, "Make all her cards blank."

Finn chimed in, "Make Joshua's and Vera's cards match. Start with holding hands, then hugging, then kissing. That should be fun."

I kept scrolling.

Joshua hadn't said anything at first. It was a long time before he finally replied, "Don't take it too far."

For one ridiculous second, I thought he had actually tried to stop them. Then I saw his next message.

"Tara takes things too seriously. We still need her to handle the wedding, so don't push her so far that she actually leaves."

Finn sent a laughing emoji. "Relax. She'd never leave you."

Joshua replied, "True."

That one word landed like a slap.

Joshua had known all along. He knew my box was full of blank cards, knew everyone was waiting for me to make a fool of myself, and knew I'd keep putting up with it no matter how many times it happened.

The only thing he cared about was making sure they didn't take it so far that I stopped planning the wedding for him.

I kept scrolling and found their messages about this trip. I'd sent them the itinerary I'd put together. No one replied.

In their private chat, though, they had plenty to say.

"Tara's diving plan is so boring."

"Vera's scared of the water. Let's do a yacht party instead."

Joshua replied, "Don't tell her. We'll change it when we get there. She won't say no."

They had even decided the room arrangements ahead of time.

"Give Joshua and Vera the family suite."

"What about Tara?"

"She can take the couch."

"What if she says no?"

Joshua replied, "I'll talk to her. She'll agree."

Standing in Vera's room, I suddenly struggled to breathe. For years, I'd assumed I just took longer to warm up to people and hadn't quite found my place in their group.

So I kept trying harder. I remembered what they liked, let their jokes slide, and took care of all the hassles no one else wanted to deal with.

Now I finally understood. It was never about me not fitting in. They'd been on the inside together all along, watching me try to get through the door and laughing when I couldn't.

Just then, a new message popped up in the chat.

Calvin asked, "Where's Tara?"

Finn replied, "Probably crying in her room. Should we keep going?"

A voice message from Vera came through almost immediately. "Maybe we should stop. Tara actually seems pretty upset this time."

Then Joshua sent one. "Let her cool off on her own. Do we all seriously have to go running after her every time she gets upset? It's exhausting."

As I listened to his voice, whatever feelings I still had for him vanished. I was about to turn off the tablet when another video popped up in the group chat.

Finn had filmed it in secret. Joshua and Vera were alone on the terrace.

Vera was drunk, leaning against his shoulder. "Joshua, if I hadn't turned you down back then, would you still be with Tara?"

My finger went still on the screen. The wind was loud in the background.

Joshua said nothing for a long time before finally answering quietly, "No."

Vera smiled, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Do you regret it now?"

Joshua didn't answer. Instead, he reached up and gently wiped away her tears. He didn't need to say anything else.

The video cut off there.

The chat went quiet for a few seconds before Finn sent a message. "Told you. You two are the ones who should be together."

Calvin immediately joined in. "Tara was the one who came along later. She's been in Vera's place all these years. Maybe it's time she gave it back."

My ears rang.

After seven years with Joshua, with our wedding just around the corner, they still saw me as the one who had come between him and Vera.

I turned off the tablet and put the charger back where it had been. I didn't confront anyone. I didn't go out to the terrace.

There was nothing left to ask.

I went back to my room and changed my flight to the last one out that night. I had two hours. That was plenty of time to leave.

If there had never been room for me on a trip for six, I was done making room for any of them in my life.