King's Game. Number two had to kiss number six.

I quietly swapped cards with the person next to me.

Now I was number six.

Phyllis Sullivan was number two.

Six years of dating in secret, and we could finally share a kiss in front of everyone.

She moved toward me. My heart hammered against my ribs.

But all she did was pluck the card from my hand and pass it back to the man beside me.

"This was his draw, wasn't it? Did you think I didn't notice?"

Her smile was playful, teasing.

Then she turned and pressed a light kiss to the other man's cheek.

The man stiffened but didn't pull away.

"Ooh! Phyllis, how does it feel to kiss your college crush?"

"Don't tell me you've been single this whole time! It's been six years since graduation!"

Phyllis glanced at me.

She smiled and said nothing.

"What about you, Norman Farley? Don't tell me you're also—"

Everyone turned to me.

I caught the warning in her eyes.

I gave a casual laugh. "Single too."

Only then did Phyllis Sullivan let herself smile.

But I really was about to be single.

Once we broke up, I'd go home and accept whatever match my family had arranged.

……

"You're both single? I honestly thought you two would've ended up together by now." Sidney Lane clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Right? Everyone knew Norman had a thing for Phyllis."

"And before graduation, Phyllis was starting to warm up to him too."

Hilary James's expression shifted slightly.

I smiled.

"That's all in the past."

"So in the six years since graduation, you two really never dated?"

Phyllis's gaze drifted toward me, casual and unreadable.

It was the look she gave underperforming employees. A warning.

I shook my head.

A chorus of sighs rippled through the room.

My phone buzzed.

It was Phyllis.

Nice performance. Well done.

I closed the message without changing my expression.

The group's attention shifted to her.

"Phyllis, what's the deal with you being single? Don't tell me you're waiting for someone."

Eyes bounced between Hilary and Phyllis.

"Seriously, with your looks and that figure, there's no way you've been single for six years. Be honest—are you waiting for someone?"

"We all know Norman likes you. He's not the one you'd need to wait for. So does that mean..." Someone let the implication hang.

Hilary stole a glance at Phyllis.

So did I.

She laughed softly. "If I said no, would any of you believe me?"

I lowered my eyes.

Love and indifference were easy enough to tell apart.

A year ago at the office, she'd handed me a file and the pet name slipped out without thinking.

"Thanks so much, Normie."

A coworker overheard.

Within ten minutes, she'd posted a clarification in the company group chat. She claimed she'd said "Norman," no different from how anyone else addressed me. The coworker who overheard had simply misheard. She asked everyone to please refrain from making romantic assumptions about colleagues.

Six years.

From the day she founded the company, she'd used "professional boundaries" as the reason to keep distance between us at work. She wouldn't even sit next to me at casual get-togethers with friends.

And yet—

I watched as someone shoved her playfully toward Hilary James. She stumbled and fell right into his arms.

She stiffened for just a moment.

But she didn't get up.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Professional boundaries had nothing to do with it.

She simply didn't want to acknowledge me. That was all.

"This reunion is working out perfectly! Phyllis is still waiting for the one who got away, and Hilary just broke up with his ex!"

"It's fate! Today's the day!"

Phyllis went rigid for a second.

But she didn't deny it.

Hilary, nudged closer by the crowd, sat arm to arm with her. A flush crept up his neck.

But his gaze drifted to me.

"So... Norman's single? Who's he waiting for?"

I looked up.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me.

Phyllis looked at me too.

She frowned.

Gave me the tiniest shake of her head.

I glanced down at the wedding invitation my mother had sent over, the one that had been ready for days.

I shook my head.

"Not waiting for anyone. I'm pretty easygoing about it. Whenever my family tells me to get married, I get married."

"And when does your family want you to get married?"

"Next week."

The color drained from Phyllis's face.

Hilary let out a soft laugh. "Oh, so that's how it is. I thought you were single because..."

His gaze darted toward Phyllis.

"...you had your eye on someone."

"What are you thinking, Hilary? If Norman really had his eye on Phyllis, he would've made a move ages ago. Why wait until now?"

"Exactly."

One of Hilary's buddies leaned in close and whispered, "Even if he did make a move, Phyllis has been single for six years. Can't you tell who she's really hung up on?"

I smiled bitterly.

The truth was, Phyllis and I getting together hadn't been my doing.

I liked her, yes.

But I also knew she was drawn to someone like Hilary, his looks, his personality.

In her words, I was too boring.

So I'd never pursued her.

She was the one who knocked on my door on a rainy night, soaked to the bone, staring at me.

"I like you. Will you be with me?"

A jolt went through my chest.

A thought struck me suddenly. Her confession, so out of nowhere... could it have had something to do with Hilary?

I shook my head and stood up, heading to the restroom. I splashed cold water on my face.

Stop overthinking.

It didn't matter anymore. It had nothing to do with her now.

When I stepped out of the restroom, she was waiting in the hallway.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty room, her brow furrowed.

"When did I ever agree to get married next week? Even if you're trying to pressure me, there's a limit! And that thing with Hilary, everyone was just messing around after a few drinks. There's a line, Norman."

I looked at her without saying a word.

She seemed agitated. "Anyway, no one took it seriously. Just go back in there and tell them you were joking, that you were just trying to lighten the mood."

She reached for my hand, ready to drag me back.

I pulled it free without a change in expression.

"Why would I clarify anything?"

She stared at me, eyes narrowing. "You're really planning to marry me next week? I won't agree to it."

"Whether you agree or not doesn't matter. The person I'm marrying isn't you."

She froze.

Then a smile broke across her face. "If not me, then who? I don't have time for these games, Norman. I've told you before, we'll get married eventually. I just need more time."

"It really isn't you."

I took out my phone.

I held up the digital invitation my parents had prepared and showed it to her.

"She's the daughter of a family my parents have been close with for years."

Phyllis looked at the phone. Then at me.

Disbelief flickered across her face as she took the phone from my hand.

She zoomed in on the invitation. Zoomed in again.

When she saw the name, she let out a scoff.

"Norman Farley. You already had our invitation made."

I blinked.

I leaned in to look.

The bride's name...

Iris Sullivan?

Just one character off from Phyllis Sullivan.

"Faking an invitation is one thing, but you couldn't even get my name right."

"Norman Farley, you're so desperate to get married that you didn't even proofread the invitation?"

"What were you planning to do, send it to everyone here? Force my hand in front of all of them?" Her voice rose, sharp with disgust. "How could you stoop so low?"

"Phyllis, I..."

"Ha!"

The phone landed on the couch where she'd tossed it.

She stared at me, her gaze ice-cold.

"You know I hate being pressured more than anything. I never said I wouldn't marry you. Why do you have to keep pushing? If you're so desperate to get married, go find someone else who catches your eye and drag her to the altar. There is no way I'm agreeing to marry you next week."

"Phyllis!"

She ignored me and turned to leave.

The door slammed shut behind her.

I clenched my jaw.

What were the odds?

Just one letter off from her name.

I stared at the invitation and let out a sigh.

Forget it. It wasn't her anyway.

Once this reunion was over, she and I would have nothing to do with each other.

When I returned to the party, everyone was crowding around something, whooping and cheering.

Hilary and Phyllis had been shoved so close together they were practically pressed against each other. A glass of wine sat in front of each of them.

"Lovers' toast! You have to do the lovers' toast! That's the King's command! You two are doing the full wedding ceremony right here, right now!"

Phyllis laughed and raised a hand to wave them off.

"Okay, okay, this is getting out of hand. I'll just drink. Worst case, I'll take Hilary's penalty drink too..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

She'd spotted me standing not far away.

The hand she'd raised in protest slowly lowered.

She picked up her glass instead. "Well then. Lovers' toast it is!"

"Yes! Drink the lovers' toast, and your bond will last forever! Drink up!"

"You guys are too much..."

Hilary was jostled toward Phyllis, stumbling slightly. But the grin on his face was radiant. He willingly linked his arm with hers.

Sidney and the others scrambled for their phones, snapping pictures of the two of them drinking with arms intertwined.

"Perfect!"

A confetti popper burst open out of nowhere.

The girls had produced a length of red silk from somewhere. They swept it over Phyllis's head in one swift motion.

"Once you've done the lovers' toast, you have to get married!"

"Lovers' toast, happiness everlast!"

Phyllis laughed. "You guys are taking this way too far."

But when the silk blinded her and she stumbled into Hilary's arms, she pressed herself tight against his chest.

Something like this had happened before, at a company outing.

The dice had landed on me and Phyllis for a lovers' toast.

Phyllis had smiled and declined.

"We're colleagues of the opposite sex. It wouldn't look appropriate."

"Oh, come on! Director Farley is a total workaholic. He doesn't think like that! It's just a game, Ms. Sullivan. Relax, nobody takes it seriously."

I'd gripped my glass, looking at her with open expectation.

"Still no."

She'd turned away and clinked glasses with one of her male subordinates instead.

"Going forward, these kinds of games are canceled."

I'd set my glass down, smile fading into something sheepish.

Back in the present, the crowd refused to let up until Hilary lifted the veil from Phyllis's head.

Then everyone noticed me standing off to the side, uninvolved.

"Norman."

Hilary held the red silk in his hand. "It was just a joke. Nobody took it seriously. Don't take it to heart."

"I don't." I smiled. "Whether it's real or fake, it's got nothing to do with me."

Phyllis glanced at me.

Hilary grinned. "Really? Well, that puts my mind at ease."

"At ease? At ease about what?"

"Oh my God! So our boy Hilary actually fell for her!"

"You two aren't getting out of this wedding! When are you treating your old classmates to the reception?"

The crowd erupted into another round of teasing.

I didn't join in.

I lowered my head and scrolled through the details of the wedding arrangements on my phone.

Hilary was being shoved around by the group again. He stumbled sideways and caught himself right next to me.

Just in time to see my screen.