Chapter 2 The Third Wheel

In the end, one of my coworkers gave me a ride home.

When I opened the door, I found Miranda and Ashton curled up together on the couch, watching TV. Their shoulders were touching, and Miranda had her legs casually draped across Ashton's lap. She was laughing so hard she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Old movies really are the best." She glanced toward the door. "Oh, Randy, you're home."

She didn't even bother to move her legs. "How'd you get back? I was going to come get you later. You should've seen Ashton earlier. It was hilarious."

Ashton reached over and pinched her cheek. "Hey. You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that."

"Okay, I won't." Miranda grinned. "But seriously, you almost cried over one stupid game. Was it really that big a deal?"

"Oh, please." Ashton hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her closer. "Who was the one crying on a roller coaster last time and hanging on to me for dear life?"

I had just managed to peel off my soaking-wet shoes when my hands stopped.

"Roller coaster?" I looked up at them. "When was that?"

They both froze, and the silence stretched a second too long.

Miranda looked away first.

"When you were away on that company retreat," she replied after a brief hesitation. "Ashton and I happened to have some time off, too. We were bored, so we went to a theme park."

My heart sank as my hands slowly curled into fists. "But I told you I could bring a guest. You could've come with me."

Miranda shrugged like it was no big deal. "It would've been awkward. Ashton and I don't know any of your coworkers. What were we supposed to do there?"

"Exactly, man," Ashton jumped in. "Besides, think of it this way. Miranda and I were basically scouting the place out for you. Now, you know where to take her for your anniversary."

They kept talking as if it all made perfect sense, completely ignoring the fact that I was standing there soaked to the bone, water dripping from my clothes onto the floor.

Neither of them even thought to offer me a towel.

The strange thing was, they hadn't always been like this.

Back in college, Ashton couldn't stand Miranda. He was sure she was manipulative and had some ulterior motive for dating me.

Whenever I came back from a date, he'd find something new to criticize: she wasn't that pretty, her temper sucked, she flirted too much. There was always something.

Once, Miranda and I had such a bad fight that I barely ate for two days. When Ashton found out, he marched straight over to her dorm and tore into her.

He was always warning me about her. "Man, you've gotta be careful who you date. If you're serious about marrying someone, you'd better know exactly who you're dealing with."

Miranda was so furious when she found out. She even told me I had to choose between them.

However, things changed between them somewhere along the way.

Miranda began asking about Ashton.

At first, the questions were minor—what he liked, what annoyed him, and what kind of food he ate. She said that she should make an effort to understand him, as it would make things easier for everyone since he was my best friend.

Then, Ashton began tagging along on our dates. He said he was only there to "keep an eye on things" and make sure Miranda treated me right.

From then on, our dates stopped feeling like dates. Ashton was always there, and somehow doing everything together became the norm.

After graduation, I had less and less room in our little group. Miranda and Ashton started making memories I knew nothing about, going places without me, and sharing inside jokes I didn't understand.

They'd grown closer, while I'd become the third wheel in my own relationship.

My nails dug into my palms, but I wasn't angry anymore. I was too tired to argue or even care.

"Whatever," I muttered.

They both looked at me, clearly caught off guard. I didn't bother explaining. I simply walked past them and headed for the bathroom.

Just then, my phone buzzed.

It was a text from my dad.

"Randy, your mom and I already booked our tickets. We'll be there tomorrow."