The Missing Sixth

After our engagement, the six of us friends agreed to take one last trip together before the wedding. That night, my friend Anders Greer suggested we play a "24-Hour Couple Swap." Anyone who drew matching symbols had to act like a couple for the next twenty-four hours. Whoever drew a blank card could only take pictures and carry everyone's bags. In the first round, I drew a blank. My fiancee, Brielle Rice, and Anders both drew moons. They held hands while watching the sunrise, while I followed behind carrying three people's bags. In the second round, I drew another blank. They both drew roses. Their penalty was to hug for one minute. Everyone crowded around, cheering them on, while I stood off to the side and kept time. The third round. The fourth... Seven times in a row. Every single time, I was the odd one out. On the final night, they drew matching wedding-dress cards. According to the rules, the two of them had to hold a mock wedding. Anders snatched my engagement ring and slipped it onto her ring finger. All our friends gathered around them, shouting, "Kiss him!" The next second, Brielle actually lifted her face and kissed him. While everyone was celebrating, I opened the boxes that held the cards. Every card in my box was blank. However, Brielle's and Anders's boxes were stuffed with matching moons, roses, and wedding dresses. I smiled and deleted all the digital wedding invitations I'd already prepared. If there had never been room for me on a trip meant for six people, then there was no reason to save a place for any of them for the rest of my life. Chapter 1 I was deleting our digital wedding invitation when a burst of cheering erupted behind me. Anders Greer had just finished kissing Brielle Rice. He let go of her waist, but her cheeks were still flushed, and her fingers remained on his shoulder. Someone called out, clearly not satisfied yet, "Kiss her again!" Brielle laughed and scolded them. "You guys are awful." But she didn't immediately move away from him. It wasn't until Anders saw me that he seemed to suddenly remember something. He looked down and touched the ring on his ring finger. "Clark, the ring's stuck. I can't get it off." He held up his hand with an easy grin. "Mind if I keep it on tonight?" That engagement ring was the one Brielle had given me on my birthday. She'd told me she'd had it custom-made to fit my finger. Yet now, on Anders's hand, it fit perfectly. I didn't call them out on it. I simply nodded. "Sure." Brielle glanced at me, apparently surprised I'd agreed so easily. Her brows drew together. "Clark, don't be like this. Everyone came all this way to travel with us. Don't ruin the mood over a game." I looked at her. "I'm not ruining anything." "Then smile." Duncan Houston already had his phone out. "Come on. Temporary bride and groom, look at the camera." The others quickly crowded around Brielle and Anders. The five of them lined up together, fitting perfectly into the frame. Duncan handed me his phone. "Clark, you take the best pictures. Get a few for us." I took the phone. They stood close together, with Anders in the center. Brielle, still in her wedding dress, had her arm linked through his. The other three gathered around them. They looked like they were posing for a real wedding photo. "Clark." Brielle's impatient voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "What are you staring at?" I came back to myself and pressed the shutter. One picture. Two. More than a dozen. I wasn't in a single one. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was already two in the morning. I'd originally booked three suites for two. The other four were supposed to split between two rooms, while Brielle and I shared the third. But as we were getting our key cards, Preston Barnett suddenly announced with a grin, "There are still twelve hours left in the couples-swap game. According to the rules, Brielle has to stay with Anders tonight." My hand tightened around the key card. "Sharing a room is part of the game too?" Anders answered as though it were obvious, "We're just sleeping in the same room. The suite has two beds. It's not like anything's going to happen." Brielle's expression darkened too. "With everyone here, what exactly do you think we're going to do?" I looked at her. "Then where am I supposed to sleep?" They exchanged glances. Duncan pointed toward the end of the hallway. "Brielle and Anders have the family suite. There's a sofa bed in the living room. Why don't you sleep there?" So I was supposed to sleep outside the bedroom where my fiancee and my best friend were spending the night, listen to them close the door behind them, and wait for the twenty-four-hour game to end. The whole thing suddenly seemed absurd. "I'll get another room." Preston immediately stopped me. "Don't. This place costs thousands a night. Why waste the money? Besides, we've all known each other since we were kids. It's not like there are any strangers here." Chapter 2 I hadn't grown up with them. The five of them had been together since kindergarten. I only met Brielle in college, and she was the one who brought me into their circle. For the first few years, I tried hard to fit in. They'd talk about sneaking peaches from a teacher's tree when they were kids. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I'd laugh along anyway. They had nicknames for each other that only they understood, and I'd secretly jot them down in my notes app. I remembered everyone's birthdays, food preferences, and little habits. Whenever we went out to eat, I was always the first one there. Whenever we traveled, I was the one who booked the transportation, reserved the hotels, and planned the itinerary. But no matter what I did, whenever they talked about the past, they always said the same thing: "You didn't know us back then. You wouldn't understand." Eventually, "you wouldn't understand" became "there's no need to tell him." If they changed restaurants at the last minute, no one told me. If they all changed their profile pictures, no one sent me the new one. Even this trip. I only found out from Brielle's messages with Anders that they'd been planning it for six months. When I asked why no one had told me, Brielle had smiled and acted sweet. "We were waiting for you to plan everything." So I handled the flights, the hotels, and the entire itinerary. I paid for everything upfront too. In the end, the five of them got to enjoy the vacation. I arranged everything for them, and now, even the room that was supposed to be mine had to be given up. I released my grip on the key card. "You guys take the room. I'll go downstairs to the lobby." I didn't argue anymore. The next morning, when I woke up, the living room was already empty. There was a photo in the group chat of the five of them having breakfast. Five meals were spread across the table. Anders had sent me a message: [Clark, we didn't want to wake you, so we came down first. Just grab something when you wake up.] After washing up, I went to the restaurant. A server told me breakfast service had already ended. Right then, Brielle called. "Where are you?" "The restaurant." "Why are you still at the restaurant?" She sounded impatient. "We've been waiting at the marina for twenty minutes." I checked the group chat. Not one of them had told me what time we were leaving. "You never woke me up." "Didn't Anders message you?" "He only said you guys went down for breakfast." Brielle fell silent for a second before turning it back on me. "Wouldn't any normal person see that everyone was gone and think to ask? You're making everyone wait for you." In the end, I never got breakfast. By the time I reached the marina, the yacht's engine was already running. The five of them were standing on deck. No one had saved me a spot. Brielle was wearing Anders's white shirt. The hem barely covered her thighs. When she saw me, she tugged at the collar. "Clark, don't get the wrong idea. The zipper on my dress broke, so Anders lent me a shirt." Brielle was obsessive about cleanliness. She'd never even touched the clothes that I'd worn against my skin. Once, while doing her laundry, I accidentally washed one of her clothes with something dark and stained it a faint gray. She didn't speak to me for an entire week. She'd told me she hated other people touching her personal clothes, and she hated wearing anyone else's, but now she was wearing Anders's shirt. Anders was gently reminding her, "Put on some pants. You'll get cold." Brielle stuck her tongue out at me. "See? He's always telling people what to do." I held the railing as I climbed aboard. Preston immediately shoved a pile of things into my arms. "Perfect. The sunscreen, camera, and water are all here. Keep an eye on them for us." Holding all their stuff, I sat in the seat closest to the engine. The sea breeze swept over me. With nothing in my stomach, cramps twisted through my abdomen. For today's diving trip, I had started learning to swim six months ago. Brielle loved the ocean while I was afraid of water, but I'd still secretly signed up for scuba lessons without telling her. I'd planned to surprise her on this trip. When we reached the dive site, though, the instructor said only five people could go down at a time. Duncan looked at me with a grin. "Isn't Clark afraid of water? You can stay on the boat and watch our stuff." I opened my mouth. I wanted to tell them I'd already gotten my scuba certification. However, Brielle suddenly wrapped both hands around Anders's arm. "Anders, I'm kind of nervous. Hold on to me once we're underwater, okay?" Anders checked her air tank for her. "Don't worry. I'll be right beside you." I swallowed the words. The five of them jumped into the ocean. I sat alone on deck, watching their clothes and phones for them. After a while, the instructor asked me, "Don't you want to go down?" I pulled the brand-new scuba certification card from my bag. I stared at it for a long time. Then I shook my head. "Not anymore." Chapter 3 At lunch, Anders got seasick, and Brielle stayed by his side the entire time. My stomach hurt so badly I couldn't eat, so I asked the server to bring me some plain oatmeal instead. Preston laughed. "Clark, what's with you? You're feeling sick now too? Don't tell me you saw Anders getting seasick and decided to copy him." The others laughed along with him. Brielle looked up at me. "You've never had a problem on boats before." "I didn't eat this morning. My stomach hurts a little." But she had already looked away, handing Anders a glass of warm water. "Then just deal with it for now. Don't make things more difficult." The server soon brought over a bowl of plain oatmeal. I had just reached for it when Brielle pushed it toward Anders. "Try to eat a little." My hand stopped in midair before I slowly pulled it back. I'd ordered that oatmeal, yet no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with what she'd done. Anders took two bites before complaining that it was too bland. "I don't want any more." He pushed the half-eaten bowl toward me. "Clark, didn't you say your stomach hurts? You can have it." He'd already stirred the oatmeal into a mess. In the past, I probably would have eaten it anyway. After all, Anders would always say, "We're best friends. What's mine is yours." Brielle would praise me too, "Clark isn't fussy like other people. He's a real man." But this time, I called the server over. "Could you please take this away?" Anders's expression stiffened. "I barely touched it. Are you seriously that disgusted by me?" "I don't eat other people's leftovers." Brielle's face immediately darkened. "Clark, he feels awful, and he still thought to save the rest for you. Do you really have to embarrass him right now?" I looked at the five people sitting across from me, and for a moment, everything felt strangely unreal. All these years, they gave me whatever food they couldn't finish. If there weren't enough seats at the table, I was the one told to move somewhere else. If there wasn't enough room in the car, I was the one expected to get a ride on my own. Whenever they needed someone to take pictures on a trip, that was when they remembered me. But the moment I stopped going along with them, I was suddenly the problem—too sensitive, too petty, someone who couldn't take a joke. I lowered my head. "Sorry." Sure enough, everyone's expressions relaxed. Duncan smiled. "That's more like it. We're on vacation. Just have fun." I smiled too, but this time, I wasn't apologizing because I thought I'd done anything wrong. I just couldn't be bothered arguing with them anymore. Chapter 4 That night, they were drinking on the terrace again. I went back to the room alone and started packing. The trip was supposed to last seven days. Only three had passed, but I was already done playing along with them. I booked the earliest flight home the next morning. It wasn't until I'd finished that I realized my charger was missing. Then I remembered Anders had borrowed it earlier that day, so I went to his room to get it. The door wasn't locked. No one was inside. The tablet beside the bed was still lit up. A new message popped onto the screen. The group chat was called: [Forever Five] Duncan had posted a video. It was the clip from yesterday of Brielle and Anders kissing. The replies underneath were full of laughing and cheering emojis. [Finally got them to kiss.] [Told you this would work.] [Clark's face went completely ashen, and he still put up with it.] [He's really good at pretending nothing bothers him.] I stood beside the bed as my fingers slowly went cold. It was a group chat without me. I opened the message history. The earliest conversation was from three months ago. Anders had posted a screenshot of the "Couples Swap" game. [Doesn't Clark always say he can fit in with us? Let's see how many rounds he can take.] Preston replied almost immediately: [Make all his cards blank.] Duncan added: [Make Brielle's and Anders's cards match. Start with holding hands and hugging, then work our way up to kissing. That'll be fun.] I kept scrolling. At first, Brielle hadn't replied. A long time later, she'd finally sent: [Come on, don't take it too far.] I stared at those words, and some pathetic little spark of hope rose inside me. At least she'd tried to stop them. Then I saw her next messages. [Clark takes things too seriously. We still need him to handle the wedding. Don't actually make him mad enough to leave.] Duncan sent a laughing emoji. [Relax. He can't leave you.] Brielle replied: [True.] That single word hit like a slap. So she hadn't been oblivious to the setup. She'd known from the beginning. She knew every card in my box was blank. She knew everyone was waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. And she knew I'd keep swallowing it, again and again. Her only concern was that they might push me too far and interfere with my work planning her wedding. I kept scrolling. Further down were the plans for this trip. I'd sent them the itinerary I'd spent hours putting together. No one had replied in our group chat, but in this one, the five of them had been talking nonstop. [The diving Clark planned sounds boring.] [Anders hates the water. Let's switch it to a yacht party.] Brielle wrote: [Don't tell him. We'll change it when we get there. He won't say no.] They'd even discussed the room arrangements. [Put Brielle and Anders in the family suite.] [What about Clark?] [The couch.] [What if he refuses?] Brielle replied: [I'll say a few things, and he'll agree.] Standing in Anders's room, I suddenly found it hard to breathe. All this time, I'd thought I was simply slow to warm up to people. That maybe I was the reason I'd never truly managed to become part of their circle. So I'd tried harder. I remembered what they liked. I tolerated their jokes. I volunteered to handle every tedious problem. Only now did I finally understand. It had never been that I couldn't find my way in. They had always been standing together on the other side of the door, hand in hand, watching me struggle outside and laughing because I couldn't get in. A new message suddenly appeared in the group. Preston asked: [Where's Clark?] Duncan replied: [Probably sulking in his room. Should we go another round?] A voice message from Anders appeared almost immediately. "Maybe we should stop. Clark actually seems pissed this time." Brielle replied with a voice message of her own, "If he's mad, let him cool off. He's a grown man. Why is he being so dramatic?" As I listened to her voice, the last trace of warmth in my chest disappeared. I was about to turn off the tablet when another video suddenly appeared in the chat. Duncan had secretly recorded it. In the video, only Brielle and Anders were left on the terrace. Anders was drunk. He looked at her with an intensity I had never seen before. "Brielle, if I hadn't turned you down back then, would you still have ended up with Clark?" My finger froze against the screen. The wind was loud in the video. Brielle stayed silent for a long time. Then she answered softly, "No." Anders smiled. "Do you regret it now?" Brielle didn't answer. Instead, she reached out and wiped the tears from his face. The gesture was so gentle that it answered the question for her. The video ended abruptly. The chat stayed silent for a few seconds. Then Duncan sent: [Told you two were the ones who belonged together.] Preston immediately joined in. [Clark was the one who came along later. He's been taking Anders's place all these years. It's about time he gave it back.] A buzzing filled my ears. So that was how they saw me. I had been with Brielle for seven years. I was the man she was about to marry, and somehow, in their eyes, I was the third person who had come between them. I turned off the tablet and put the charger back where it had been. I didn't confront anyone or storm out onto the terrace. There was no point. The answer was already clear enough. I went back to my room and changed my ticket to the last flight out that night. Two hours. That was more than enough time for me to leave. If there had never been room for me on a trip meant for six people, then there was no reason to save a place for any of them in the rest of my life.