Chapter 2

The moment I pushed the door open, the laughing and horsing around inside the private room fell dead silent.

Hubert and Linda were still pressed close together. I pretended not to see.

Someone spoke too fast and let it slip: "The cuck—no, Stan's here!"

Realizing he'd almost said the wrong thing, he hurried to correct himself.

Of course I knew every single person in that room was laughing at me on the inside. But I'd be marrying someone else soon, and that pair of horns would come off soon too.

Linda shot her best friend a cold glare, then stood and came toward me.

"Stannie, you made it."

As she leaned close, that scent of Hubert's cologne, the one that was so distinctly his, drifted into my nose.

Just how tangled up did two people have to get for one to carry the other's smell soaked into her own body.

Inside I only gave a cold laugh. My face stayed blank.

"We're getting married tomorrow. Why call me out this late to play around? You should be home resting too."

My routine never went off track. When it was time to rest, I rested.

Linda stuck her tongue out at me and put on a pouty, coaxing act.

"I'm too nervous to sleep, aren't I? I just wanted to get out before the wedding, walk it off, shake the nerves."

"That's right, Stan. What you should be doing right now is understanding Linda, keeping her company, talking with her a while."

"After all, once you're married, you'll be husband and wife. She won't get to come out at midnight anymore."

The point being that I was the small-minded one, that I wouldn't grant Linda even a shred of warmth.

I stayed calm through all of it, my voice flat. "Then go ahead and play. I won't hold it against you."

"Perfect!"

Linda threw her arms around me, laughing, delighted.

"I knew my Stannie loves me best."

The others traded glances, passing looks in secret, and when they looked at me it was with contempt.

I no longer cared about the strange stares from everyone around me. What was there to think highly of, in a person who could stand behind someone like Linda.

"All right then, tonight let's play one really exciting game."

"Whoever loses at rock-paper-scissors has to, by the rules, give the winner a French kiss."

"Whoa, that's not really okay, is it!"

"Anyone who won't play is a coward. Haven't you ever been abroad? Just treat it as foreign etiquette and it's fine!"

Linda looked at me like she wanted to say something and held it back. I pretended to be big about it and backed her going along.

The game started, and having never played this kind of game before, I was, without a doubt, among the first to lose.

They'd set it all up in advance to help Linda make her wish come true.

Sure enough, Linda lost to Hubert.

Hubert looked at me a little awkwardly. "Man, this, this…"

"This what? Kiss her!"

"We agreed beforehand. No changing at the last minute."

"Right!"

The others whooped, egging Hubert on to kiss Linda.

The two of them were plainly thrilled inside already, and yet they still had to account for my presence and act reluctant.

I was the first to raise my hand and clap. "It's fine. It's just a game rule, isn't it?"

"Kiss her!"

Linda's eyes went wide all at once, staring at me in disbelief.

She didn't understand why I could be so generous, because after I'd overheard her secret, I'd given up on her completely.

"See, even Stan's on board."

"So quit dragging it out. Kiss already!"

The mood turned suggestive in an instant, and the music had been cued up beforehand too.

The moment it started, Linda looked like she was eighteen again, running into Hubert's arms and kissing him deep.

The others cheered. My fingertips went white bit by bit.

I picked up my glass and poured drink after drink down my throat. Some of them thought I was faking indifference, hiding to grieve in private.

Only I knew that these few drinks were nothing more than a toast to the fact that whatever love had pulled between Linda and me was dead.

I heard someone laugh that I was a spineless wretch, and Linda too was certain I couldn't leave her.

I set down my glass, didn't spare her another look, and was getting ready to leave.

"Stan, don't go!"

"We've still got a second game we haven't played yet!"