Chapter 2 Always the Third Wheel

My landlord and the prospective tenant exchanged awkward glances. After a few uncomfortable pleasantries, they quickly excused themselves and left.

I sank onto the couch and pulled out my phone, scrolling through Kendra and Josiah's latest Instagram posts. They'd gone straight to the restaurant Josiah had shared in our group chat as soon as they landed. They laughed and smiled in every photo, clearly having the time of their lives.

What bothered me even more was the guesthouse they'd stayed at. It was the exact same place I'd recommended in the group chat.

It turned out they'd seen my messages all along—they simply chose to ignore me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and muted both their accounts. There was no point putting myself through any more of it. I put my phone down, got up, and started packing my things. It was time to move out.

...

Four days later, Kendra finally called.

"Hey, Xavier! Are you done with work yet?" she asked cheerfully. "Josiah and I just got back. We bought you some souvenirs, and I thought we could finally go check out the new house together. Didn't you say you had something important to tell me?"

I glanced out the window, where the rain was coming down so hard I could barely see across the street.

"Sure, but getting a cab in this weather is gonna be a nightmare. Can you come pick me up?"

Kendra hesitated, and a moment later, Josiah's voice came through.

"Hey there, Xavier. Do you think you could just take a taxi to the house?" he asked. "Kendra's at my place making me dinner right now. If she has to come get you, it'll be a huge detour, and you know how bad traffic gets when it rains."

I frowned. "Wait, didn't Kendra just say you guys got off the plane?"

Neither of them seemed to know how to answer that.

"Forget it. Let's just do it another day." I hung up before either of them could say anything else.

A little while later, Kendra messaged me. "Don't take your frustration out on Josiah over something so stupid. I'm coming to get you."

I actually laughed when I read it.

"Don't bother," I replied. "Funny, though. We've been together seven years, and this is the first time you're cooking for someone."

I added, "We'll go another time. I'm staying home today."

Kendra didn't respond, so I assumed she'd dropped the matter.

…

Two hours later, however, someone started pounding on my door.

"Xavier! Open up!"

I recognized Kendra's voice immediately. When I opened the door, she was standing there with an irritated look on her face.

"Didn't you see my texts?" I asked. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere today."

She ignored me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me toward the elevator.

"Can you stop being so upset with us?" Kendra snapped. "Josiah wasn't feeling well during the flight, so I was making him some soup. I told him to stay home and rest, but when he heard you were upset with us, he insisted on coming along."

She barely paused before continuing, "He's been worried about you this whole time. Can't you just talk to him and clear things up? He's not going to be able to rest until you do."

I pulled my wrist free and rubbed the red marks her fingers had left behind. I didn't have the energy to argue, so I went back for my bag and followed her downstairs.

When we reached the car, I went straight to the back seat without even looking at the front. I already had a pretty good idea who was sitting there.

Sure enough, Josiah turned around from the passenger seat with an apologetic smile.

"Hey, Xavier. Sorry about this, man. I'm still feeling pretty lousy, so I'd rather not move around too much. You don't mind sitting in the back, do you?"

"Sure. No problem."

Kendra gave me an annoyed look through the rearview mirror as she started driving.

"Xavier, Josiah was really worried you'd be upset about the trip," she said, trying to smooth things over. "He's not even feeling well, but he still insisted on coming because he wants to explain everything to you. Aren't you going to say something?"

"Nope. Nothing to say." I leaned my head against the window, watching the rain stream down the glass.

Kendra let out an awkward laugh, then turned her attention back to Josiah. Within minutes, they were chatting again, and somehow the conversation drifted back to Cedarvale.

"Hey, Kendra, remember when we were feeding the ducks at Lake Willowmere?" Josiah asked.

"Oh my God, how could I forget?" She laughed. "They practically attacked me! I thought I was going to fall into the lake."

Josiah burst out laughing. "And that tie-dye workshop! Remember how you got dye all over my face?"

"Excuse me? You're one to talk!" She shot back, laughing even harder. "You completely ruined my shirt! I couldn't even wear it afterward."

They went on like that for most of the drive, laughing over one memory after another, sometimes finishing each other's sentences before the other could get a word out.

I sat in the back and listened, feeling more like a stranger who'd caught a ride with them than Kendra's boyfriend of seven years.

The worst part was that I had been the one who'd suggested Cedarvale. I wanted the three of us to go there together, but now I was stuck listening to them talk about all the fun they had without me.

Neither of them seemed to notice how quiet I'd become.

It wasn't until we were almost at the house that Kendra finally remembered I was there.

"Oh, Xavier! We should all go to Yarrowstone sometime," she said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. "You said you've been really stressed out at work and wanted to get away for a bit, right? Maybe next time we could—"

"We're here," I cut in, reaching for my bag. "Let's get out."