At a singles' mixer in Napa Valley, the game was simple: whoever held the gardenia could kiss the person of their choice.

I quietly swapped flowers with the girl next to me.

Now, the gardenia was mine.

My choice was Carl.

Six years into our secret relationship, we could finally share a public kiss.

He strode toward me, and I closed my eyes, a warm blush creeping up my throat.

Instead, he gently plucked the gardenia from my hand and offered it to the girl beside me.

"You got it wrong. She's the one who caught it. Did you think I wasn't looking?"

A soft smile played on his lips.

He turned, leaned down, and pressed a soft kiss to the girl's cheek.

The girl blushed but didn't pull away.

"Whoa! Carl, how does it feel to kiss your first love?"

"Don't tell me you're still single, six years after graduation!"

Carl glanced at me.

He smiled but said nothing.

"What about Rosie? You can't be..."

All eyes turned to me.

I met his warning gaze.

I chuckled lightly. "I'm single, too."

Only then did a flicker of satisfaction cross Carl's face.

And just like that, I was single again. For real.

Now that we were broken up, it was time to go home and accept the marriage my family had arranged.

————————

1

"You're both still single? I really thought... you two would end up together."

Liam tsked and shook his head.

"Yeah, everyone knew Rosie had a massive crush on Carl."

"And before graduation, it was obvious Carl was into Rosie, too."

The expression on Scarlett, our undisputed college queen, tightened almost imperceptibly.

I managed a faint smile.

"That was a long time ago."

"So in the six years since graduation, you two have never been together?"

Carl's gaze swept over me, cold and sharp. It was the warning look a boss gives a subordinate who has just stepped out of line.

I shook my head.

A collective sigh rippled through the room.

My phone vibrated.

A text from Carl:

[Good acting. Keep it up.]

I let my face go blank and darkened the screen.

Everyone's attention shifted back to Carl.

"So what's the deal with you being single, Carl? Don't tell me... you're waiting for someone?"

Eyes darted between Scarlett and Carl.

"Seriously, with your looks, talent, and family, it makes no sense for you to be single for six years. Are you honestly waiting for someone?"

"We all know Rosie likes you, so you can't be waiting for her. Does that mean...?"

Scarlett's cheeks flushed a deep red.

I looked at Carl.

He leaned back against the sofa, a lazy smile on his face. "If I said no, would any of you believe me?"

I lowered my gaze.

It's sickeningly obvious, the difference between being loved and not.

A year ago at the office, he'd called me by a nickname while handing me a document:

"Thanks, Rosie-boo."

A colleague overheard.

Less than ten minutes later, he posted a clarification in the company's Slack channel.

He claimed he'd only said "Rosie," just as he would to any other colleague, and that the person who overheard was mistaken. He finished by saying he hoped everyone would stop harassing a female employee.

Six years.

From the day he founded his company, "maintaining a professional image" was his excuse for us to keep our distance in the office.

He wouldn't even sit at the same table with me at private gatherings with friends.

But...

I watched as Scarlett was playfully pushed toward him.

She stumbled, falling right into his arms.

He stiffened for only a second.

He didn't pull away.

A bitter smile twisted my lips.

Maintaining his image? Bullshit.

He just didn't want anyone to know I was his.

"This party is perfect! Carl is still waiting for his sweetheart, and Scarlett just became single again!"

"This has to be fate!"

Carl froze for a moment.

But he didn't object.

Scarlett, nudged by her friends, was tucked tight against his side, her face flushed and radiant.

...

Then she turned her gaze to me.

"So... what about you, Rosie? Are you waiting for someone?"

I looked up.

All eyes focused on me.

Carl looked at me, too.

He frowned, giving me a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

I glanced at the electronic wedding invitation my mom had sent.

I shook my head.

"I'm not waiting for anyone. My family arranged a marriage for me, and I'll get married when they say it's time."

"So when is your family telling you to get married?"

"Next week."

Carl's face instantly darkened.

Scarlett laughed softly.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought you were single because..."

She leaned a little closer to Carl.

"...you had designs on him."

"What are you thinking, Scarlett? If Rosie really had designs on Carl, she would've made her move ages ago. Why wait until now?"

"Exactly."

Scarlett's friend leaned in and whispered to her:

"And even if she did, Carl's been single for six years. Isn't it obvious who he's been waiting for?"

I smiled bitterly.

The truth was, I hadn't been the one to initiate things with Carl.

I liked him, yes.

But I also knew he preferred Scarlett's type.

In his words, I was too much of a rule-follower.

So, I never made a move.

It was he who'd appeared at my dorm room door on a rainy night, dripping wet on the threshold.

"I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

My heart had hammered against my ribs.

A sudden, chilling thought struck me—

Could his abrupt confession have had something to do with Scarlett?

Shaking my head, I got up and went to the restroom, splashing cold water on my face.

Stop overthinking.

It has nothing to do with him anymore.

When I came out of the restroom, he was waiting for me in the hallway.

He pulled me into a deserted corner of the terrace, his brow furrowed.

"When did I agree to a wedding next week? There's a limit to this, Rosie!"

"That stuff with Scarlett was just everyone having a bit of fun after a few drinks. This little act of yours has gone on long enough."

I stared at him without a word.

He looked thoroughly irritated.

"Luckily, no one took you seriously. Now go back in there and tell everyone you were just joking to lighten the mood."

He finished speaking and reached for my hand, intending to pull me back to "clarify" things.

I snatched my hand from his grasp.

"Why should I clarify anything?"

He stared at me, his frown deepening. "You can't be serious about marrying me next week. I won't do it."

"It doesn't matter if you agree. The man I'm marrying isn't you."

He froze.

Then he chuckled, a harsh, disbelieving sound. "If not me, then who? Don't be like this. I don't have time for these games. I told you we'll go public; it just takes time."

"Everyone's having fun, don't ruin the mood. We'll talk about the wedding when we get home."

"It's really not you."

I took out my phone.

I showed him the electronic invitation prepared by my family's lawyer.

"It's the son of a business partner of my family's."

Carl glanced from the phone to me, then snatched it, his expression a mask of disbelief.

He zoomed in on the invitation, again and again.

Staring at the name, he scoffed.

"Rosie, you actually photoshopped a wedding invitation just to force my hand."

I froze.

I stepped closer to look.

The groom's name...

Carlos Vance?

It did look a lot like Carl Vance.

"Faking an invitation is one thing, but you went out of your way to find a name that's almost identical."

"Rosie, are you so desperate to get married you didn't even bother to double-check it?"

"What were you planning to do? Drop this in our friends' group chat to force me to the altar?"

...

"Carl, I..."

"Hah!"

He hurled the phone onto the sofa.

He looked at me, his eyes cold as ice.

"You know I hate being forced."

"It's not like I'm never going public. Why do you have to be so damn relentless?"

"If you're so desperate to get married, go find some other guy and drag him to the city hall! There is no way I'm marrying you next week."

"Carl!"

He ignored me, turning on his heel.

The door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

I gritted my teeth.

What a hell of a coincidence.

The names really were similar...

Looking at the invitation, I sighed.

Whatever. It's not him anyway.

Once this party is over, I'm done with him for good.

When I returned to the party, the room was in an uproar.

Scarlett and Carl were being pushed so close they were practically on top of each other. A glass of champagne sat before each of them.

"Link arms and drink! You have to! It's the rule of the game!"

"You two should just get married right here, right now!"

Carl laughed, raising a hand to placate the crowd.

"Alright, alright, that's going a little far. A simple drink is fine."

"Worst case, I'll drink Scarlett's glass for her..."

He paused.

He saw me standing a short distance away.

The hand he had raised in protest slowly lowered.

Instead, he picked up his champagne glass. "Alright then. Arm in arm it is!"

"Yes! A toast to a long and happy love! Drink! Drink!"

"Oh, you guys are impossible..."

Scarlett was shoved forward, stumbling toward Carl.

But the smile on her face was absolutely radiant.

She obediently linked her arm with his.

Liam and the others quickly pulled out their phones to capture the moment.

"Yeah!"

A party popper exploded overhead.

The girls had found a white silk scarf from somewhere.

In a flash, they draped it over Scarlett's head.

"After the toast, it's time for the wedding!"

"A toast to a long and happy life together!"

Carl laughed. "You're really taking this too far."

But when a blindfolded Scarlett stumbled into his arms, he held her steady.

Something similar had happened at the company's annual party.

The dice roll had landed on me and Carl having to dance together.

Carl refused with a polite smile.

"As CEO, I have to maintain a professional image."

"Come on! Rosie's a workaholic, she's not thinking about that stuff! It's just a game, Carl, relax. No one's going to take it seriously."

I clutched the fabric of my dress, looking at him with desperate hope.

"Still no."

Carl turned away.

He clinked glasses with a business partner.

"Let's cancel these kinds of games in the future."

I awkwardly let go of my dress.

The crowd only settled down after Carl lifted the silk scarf from Scarlett's head.

That's when everyone noticed me standing off to the side, an outsider to their celebration.

"Rosie."

Scarlett held the scarf. "It was just a joke, nobody's taking it seriously. Don't mind us."

"I'm not."

I smiled. "Real or not, it has nothing to do with me."

Carl shot a glance in my direction.

Scarlett smiled. "Really? Well, that's a relief."

"A relief? A relief about what?"

"Ooh! Looks like our Scarlett's heart is aflutter!"

"You two can't escape it now! So when are you guys having the wedding reception?"

The group grew boisterous again.

I didn't join in.

I looked down at my phone, reviewing the details of the wedding schedule.

Scarlett was pushed and jostled by the crowd.

She stumbled and fell onto the sofa next to me.

Her eyes landed on my screen.