Third-Wheeling My Own Relationship

I still stopped by the grocery store the next day after work. I pushed the shopping cart as I slowly made my way through the aisles, grabbing the ingredients that I needed to prepare a meal as always.

When I passed by the candle rack, I hesitated. In the end, I still grabbed a box.

Truth be told, I didn't have to celebrate my birthday. It was just that when I was 24, my boyfriend, Thomas Sheridan, had shown up outside my office with a bouquet of flowers. He sounded utterly serious when he said, "I'll celebrate your birthday with you every year from now on."

I had believed him at that time.

After getting home, I bustled about in the kitchen until the sun went down. I placed the cake in the middle of the dining table. The entire apartment seemed a little more lively after I lit the candle.

Then, I sat down and waited. I continued waiting even as the sky beyond the window gradually turned from light to dark.

It was almost 8:00 pm when I finally received a message in the group chat.

"Almost home. There's traffic downstairs," Thomas wrote.

I stared at the message for a few seconds before placing my fork down. I didn't mind waiting a little longer since Thomas said that he was almost home.

However, there were no sounds of movement beyond the front door even after ten minutes had passed.

I looked down and scrolled through my phone. The first thing I came across was my best friend Lydia Wakeford's new post on her social media account.

There were two movie tickets in the photo. The caption read, "Entered the wrong hall and accidentally watched a romance flick. But it was good! Five stars and highly recommended."

My fingers slowly turned cold as I read the caption.

Although Thomas was so against the idea of watching a romance movie with me, he was more than willing to do so with Lydia.

I barked out a self-deprecating laugh and placed my phone on the table. I then looked down and cut the cake. I used a tissue to wipe the cream that got smudged on my fingers before picking up my fork and digging into the dishes on the table that had already gone cold by myself.

…

The front door finally swung open at around 9:00 pm.

Thomas walked into the apartment with Lydia trailing behind him with a big smile, holding a cup of bubble tea and some movie merchandise.

His expression darkened slightly when he realized that I had already started eating. "Why did you start eating by yourself?" he asked.

I looked up at him and retorted, "You told me that you were already downstairs an hour ago."

Thomas tossed his keys on the cabinet and said lightly, "There was a traffic jam. It's perfectly normal for us to be a little late."

"He's right," Lydia chimed in with a smile. "We weren't late on purpose."

As I looked between the cup of bubble tea that she was holding and the candle that had nearly burned out on the table, I suddenly lost the energy to even be angry at them.

"Do you remember what day it is today?" I asked Thomas.

He frowned. It seemed as if he had truly forgotten. However, a few minutes later, his expression stiffened when he finally recalled what day it was—my birthday, the same day that he had confessed to me years ago.

"Do you still remember what you told me?" I asked quietly as I looked at him.

Thomas said nothing.

Noticing that something was amiss, Lydia hastily tried to smooth things over. "It probably slipped Thomas' mind because work's been crazy recently. The two of you have been together for so long. He definitely didn't mean to forget!"

I slowly turned to look at her. "Is that so?"

Lydia was stunned.

"How was the romance flick?" I asked softly.

Silence descended upon the living room the moment the words left my lips. Thomas' face twisted while Lydia's smile stiffened.