I'd been in a secret relationship with my brother's best friend for eight years.

Every time I brought up going public, he'd coax me out of it:

"Just a little longer. If your brother finds out, he'll kill me."

So I listened. Every time we were around other people, I kept my distance like a good girl.

Until a round of Truth or Dare at a party landed on Tristan Simmons.

The crowd egged him on, daring him to kiss one of the girls in the room.

His gaze drifted toward me, soft and warm. My pulse spiked. I felt my cheeks flush as I braced myself.

But that gaze swept right past me.

And settled on his rumored college ex.

"I pick Tessa."

While I sat frozen in disbelief, Tristan didn't spare me so much as a glance. He walked straight to Tessa Fox and slid his arm around her waist.

She tipped up on her toes, shy and smiling. He leaned down, and his lips met hers in a kiss so tender, so lingering, that neither of them seemed to remember anyone else was in the room.

The crowd roared. She buried her face against his chest, all coy sweetness.

He didn't pull away. He just laughed softly and steadied her by the waist.

In that moment, I finally saw the truth for what it was.

The secret relationship I'd waited eight years for was over.

——

The cheering around me only got louder.

"Oh, we are EATING tonight! Tristan and Tessa making out right in front of us? Get a room!"

Everyone was teasing them about their history.

"It's been eight years and you're both still single. If that doesn't prove you two are endgame, I don't know what does."

More voices piled on.

"Get together! Get together!"

"Kiss her again!"

It was June, but my hands and feet had gone ice-cold, as though I'd been plunged into the dead of winter.

Two hours ago, everything had still been fine.

When Tristan drove me to this party, he'd unbuckled my seatbelt for me, then pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"Don't drink too much tonight," he'd said.

"If your brother and the guys get me wasted, I'll need my girl to drive me home."

Eight years, and he'd never once told anyone we were together.

But hearing words like that,

I still felt something warm bloom in my chest.

Until—

Ten minutes after the party started.

The door to the private room swung open, and everyone went quiet for a beat.

It was Tessa Fox. Tristan's rumored ex from college.

She stood in the doorway in a black dress that hugged every curve, wearing a polished smile.

"Heard you guys were getting together. Hope you don't mind me crashing."

"Not at all!"

The hype crew kicked into gear immediately. "Tessa, sit next to Tristan!"

But the person sitting next to Tristan was me.

Before I could even process it, his buddies were already jumping in. "Doreen James, what are you doing hanging around here anyway? Go sit by your brother."

I looked at Tristan instinctively.

Hoping he'd say something. Just one word in my defense.

When I'd agreed to come tonight, the only thing I'd asked for was the seat beside him.

He'd ruffled my hair, all indulgent affection. "The spot next to me is always yours."

But now.

Tristan wasn't even looking at me.

From the second Tessa walked through that door, his eyes had been locked on her and hadn't moved.

"Doreen, hello? You just gonna sit there like a deer in headlights?"

"This is grown-up stuff, kid. Stay out of it!"

The voices urging me to move grew louder.

They all assumed I was just tagging along with my brother.

I lowered my head and moved to the seat next to my brother.

"Thanks so much, Doreen."

Tessa settled into the spot beside Tristan with an easy smile, set her purse down, and tilted her head to greet him.

"Tristan, it's been a while."

Tristan gave a slight nod, then turned his face away.

But I knew him too well. On the surface he looked unbothered, but every muscle in his body was taut.

He was nervous. He cared.

A few rounds of drinks in, someone started stirring things up.

"Tristan, Tessa, you two were the golden couple back in college. How'd you ever break up?"

"Seriously, it's been eight years and you're both still single. If that's not fate, what is?"

"You've come full circle. Just get back together already!"

Tessa smiled but said nothing, turning to look at Tristan.

Tristan picked up his glass and took a sip. He didn't look at Tessa. He didn't look at anyone.

His gaze drifted, just barely, toward the far end of the room.

Where I sat, in the corner.

Then someone suggested a game of Truth or Dare.

After a few rounds, the bottle landed on Tessa.

"Tessa, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Her eyes locked on Tristan as she answered without a shred of hesitation.

"Ohhh," the crowd drawled, all loaded implication, and the question came fast on its heels.

"Do you still have feelings for Tristan?"

The room went silent.

Tessa paused for two seconds, then smiled, resting her chin on her hand, holding Tristan's gaze.

"Of course I do. I always have."

The room erupted.

"Get together! Get together!"

"Kiss! Kiss!"

Tristan just sat with his head bowed, no reaction at all.

Then it was his turn.

"Tristan, truth or dare?"

He set his glass down. "Dare."

"Kiss one of the girls here!"

His eyes found mine, soft and warm.

I straightened in my seat, certain this was the moment he'd finally come clean, that he'd at least give some kind of sign.

Even if it was just enough to stop me from reading into things the wrong way.

But the next second, his gaze slid past me and landed on Tessa.

"I pick Tessa."

I froze. Every part of me locked in place as I watched Tristan walk over to her, lean down, and press his mouth to hers.

It wasn't a peck.

It was deep, rough, consuming.

More like a kiss laced with spite than anything resembling tenderness.

The whole room screamed.

When it was over, Tessa's eyes were rimmed with red. She threw herself into his arms.

"I knew it. I knew you hadn't forgotten me. You still have feelings for me."

I stayed hidden in the crowd, swallowing down the bitterness clawing its way up my throat, and watched her.

Tristan didn't push her away.

His hand went to her waist, steadying her, as if the only thing on his mind was making sure her trembling legs didn't give out.

Beside them, my brother Myron slammed the table, grinning ear to ear.

"No way! You two are serious?"

"Tristan, you sly dog. Eight years of staying single and it was all for Tessa. Saving yourself like a monk!"

I looked at my brother, brows pinched together.

The bitterness in my chest sank deeper.

Once Tessa was steady on her feet, Tristan let go of her, casual as anything, like nothing had happened.

"It's just a game."

Tessa tilted her face up to his. "But I meant every second of it."

The room went quiet for a beat.

That was when I stood up.

Every pair of eyes swung toward me.

"Doreen, what's up? You wanna say something?"

Tristan slowly lifted his gaze to mine.

Something flickered across his face. He looked down, grabbed his phone, and typed a message to me, fast.

Dee, about what just happened. Don't be mad.

No one kisses the woman they actually love in front of a crowd like that.

I don't love Tessa. That kiss was just to get back at her…

Don't say anything you shouldn't.

I almost laughed. A bitter, hollow sound caught in my throat. After everything, the only thing he was afraid of was that I'd lose my temper and blow the secret wide open.

Seeing me standing there picking up my coat, my brother turned to look at me.

"Dee, where are you going?"

"Just the restroom."

Tristan visibly relaxed.

My brother didn't notice a thing. He just waved me off.

"Always stalling at the worst time. Hurry back, we're cutting the cake soon."

The room's attention had already drifted back to Tristan and Tessa, the golden couple. I smiled and slipped out the door.

The moment I locked myself inside the restroom, I couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears spilled down my face.

By the time I'd pulled myself together and made it back to the private room:

"Doreen, how does it take you that long in the bathroom?"

"We were starting to think you fell in."

Myron teased me with a grin and pushed a plate toward me.

"Eat up. Strawberry cake, your favorite. I saved you a piece."

I looked at the slice of cake, and my eyes stung all over again.

Strawberries and cream, arranged in a delicate little pattern.

Every year on my birthday, Tristan would order strawberry cake from the same bakery and deliver it himself to the foot of my building.

Then, when my brother wasn't around, he'd steal a kiss on my forehead.

He used to say, "Once we go public, I'm ordering you the biggest strawberry cake in the whole city."

But today wasn't my birthday.

It was Tristan's.

This cake had been ordered for him.

"Thanks, Myron." I took the plate and settled back into my corner seat.

The girl next to me leaned over, buzzing with gossip.

"Doreen, you missed it. After you left, Tristan and Tessa drank like three more toasts together, arms linked and everything. The way they were looking at each other? Gave me actual chills."

"You think they're really getting back together?"

I bit into the cake. The strawberry was sour.

"Maybe."

"Weren't you always saying you had a crush on Tristan? How are you not jealous right now?"

I froze for a second, unsure how to answer that.

Eight years ago.

Everyone thought I was just a puppy trailing after Tristan wherever he went.

Even though he'd agreed to date me only two months into my pursuit.

But the relationship had stayed hidden from the very start. No one ever knew.

That one comment steered the whole conversation toward me.

Someone spoke up. "Doreen, you're twenty-seven this year, right? That's not exactly young. How come you still don't have a boyfriend?"

"I mean, your brother's gorgeous. You've got the same genes. There's no way you're short on guys lining up."

"Just don't end up like Tristan over here, perfectly good mouth on him and still single as they come, haha..."

Every pair of eyes in the room landed on me.

Including Tessa's. She watched me with a look that was just a little too thoughtful.

I shook my head with a smile. "I'm not single."

Tristan's head snapped up. His brow furrowed, and he shot me a look.

A warning.

Telling me not to say anything stupid.

On my way to the restroom earlier, I had already told my parents yes. I'd agreed to the marriage.

They'd been setting me up on arranged dates for weeks now.

That was why I'd been pressing Tristan so hard lately.

I'd wanted to bring our relationship into the open, but every answer I got was impatient.

"Just wait a little longer. The timing isn't right."

But I didn't want to wait anymore.

If waiting to the very end still wouldn't give me what I wanted, then it didn't matter who I married.

"Oh? You're not single?"

Someone glanced curiously at my brother, then back at me.

"Little Doreen, you're the youngest one here. Don't go pulling our legs now."

"I bet she's bluffing. If she really had a boyfriend, why not bring him along so we can check him out?"