They Rigged the Dice for Three Years—Then My Boyfriend Proposed to My Best Friend

Confetti cannons went off above their heads. Ethan held up his phone, filming every second of the happy couple. "Quinn and Chloe, together forever!" Luke scattered rose petals beside them, practically shaking with excitement. "Congratulations, you two! Three years, and she's finally got that ring!" Three years. When Quinn and I had first started dating, Ethan and Luke used to tease me. Ethan would ruffle my hair affectionately. "When someone proposes to you, I'm filming the whole thing. Every angle." Luke would raise an eyebrow and grin. "Leave the confetti and rose petals to me. I'll make it a night to remember." Now they'd given Chloe every last thing they'd promised me. Quinn and I had been together for four years. He'd said he wanted to focus on football, so he'd never made our relationship public. We went to the same school but rarely saw each other, and the five of us didn't get together often either. Apart from Ethan, Luke, and Chloe, almost no one knew we were dating. But he'd been with Chloe for three years too. Even strangers on the sidelines knew more about their relationship than I did. I was his actual girlfriend, and I was the one they'd kept in the dark for three whole years. I wrapped my arms around myself and walked out of the stands in a daze. Someone bumped into me. I fell beside the track, and a foot came down on the back of my hand. A kind girl helped me up as I broke into a cold sweat from the pain. She started chatting with me cheerfully. "Are you okay? Everyone's rushing over to watch the proposal." "You know, I've seen them together at a few games. They seemed pretty close, but I didn't realize they were getting engaged. I heard Quinn got invited to try out for an American football team in London. He's taking her with him soon." "They're leaving together?" "Yeah! I bet they'll get married in London. Isn't that romantic?" She looked at them with open envy, then hurried back to join the excitement. I gripped my aching, numb wrist and headed off campus. London. I'd wanted to go to London since I was a kid. There was a map of the city on my bedroom wall, a stack of travel guides in my nightstand, and a picture of the Thames as my phone wallpaper. Everyone knew. Quinn included. When I got accepted into an exchange program at the University of London junior year, I was so excited I broke Quinn's rule for the first time and went to see him. "Quinn, I got into the London program. Will you come with me? I really don't want us to be apart." He'd snapped at me for ignoring his rule, then frowned at me. "Wren, I can't. Coach already lined up a tryout for me with a football team in Dallas. I've trained for four years for a chance like this. If I go to London now, all that work will have been for nothing." "I love you. But I can't throw away everything I've worked for just to be with you." When the five of us had dinner that evening, Chloe took my hand. "My biggest dream is to get married in London. If I could exchange rings with the man I love beside the Thames, I could die happy." "Right, Wren? We're best friends—we even want the same things!" I forced a bitter smile, then spent an entire week shut in my room, agonizing over what to do. I couldn't even eat. In the end, I tore up my acceptance letter from London. He had his dreams, I told myself. I couldn't be selfish. But I could move to his city. So I slept three hours a night, working on my GPA and getting my applications together. I wanted to go to Dallas. After graduation, I wanted us to live in the same city, so we wouldn't have to be apart again. Last month, I got accepted into a graduate program in Dallas. I hid the letter under my pillow, planning to surprise him on our date. But now he'd changed his mind. He was flying to London with Chloe. So he could go to London. He just wouldn't give anything up for me. I didn't remember getting back to my apartment. I'd spent the whole night in the rain, and now I was feverish and barely conscious, trapped in one nightmare after another. When I opened my eyes, Quinn was watching me with concern. He felt my forehead. "Your fever's down, Wren. How did you let yourself get this sick?" Chloe crouched beside the bed, sounding close to tears. "Wren, thank God we came back to check on you. What if your fever had gotten worse?" Ethan sounded almost accusing. "Wren, you know you can't handle your alcohol. Why did you drink so much the other night? Quinn went to so much trouble for this date, and you missed the whole thing." Luke cleared his throat and joined in, pinning the blame on me. "Yeah, Wren. We finally all rolled sixes, and Quinn waited at the field all day. When you didn't show because you'd blacked out, he was crushed."

I couldn't believe they could blame it all on me with straight faces. Quinn was still trying to soothe me. "It's okay, Wren. We haven't seen each other in three months anyway, and you're sick. I'll make an exception this once and spend the next few days with you." Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe that was why he'd offered to stay. Chloe gave him an annoyed look and pushed him aside, then sat on the edge of my bed and gently helped me rest my head on her shoulder. "God, you guys talk too much. Wren's sick. Stop giving her a hard time." "Wren, a date with just Quinn would be boring anyway. Besides, we haven't spent time with you in ages. It's spring break. Pick anywhere you want to go." "If any of them complain, I'll kick all their asses." I leaned into Chloe the way I had countless times before. But there was no comfort in it anymore. Back in high school, she'd been my knight in shining armor. If anyone mocked me or picked on me, she'd be the first to jump in. "Wren's my best friend. Nobody gets to mess with her!" Now all I could see was that kiss at the proposal. I closed my eyes. I was too exhausted to accuse them of anything. "I don't want to go out. Have fun without me." She frowned. "Wren, I can't just leave you here alone. How about we have a party here, just the five of us, and watch some football?" Ethan and Luke immediately agreed. "Sure. We'll head to the store now." Chloe stood and looked at Quinn. "Quinn, stay here and take care of Wren." His first instinct was to refuse. He didn't want to be with me. He wanted to stay glued to Chloe. Chloe gave him a discreet look. I saw the reluctance in his eyes before he gave in. "Okay. You guys go. I'll stay with Wren." I didn't know whether I was supposed to be touched or laugh. Once they left, Quinn put on a convincing act. He sat on the edge of the bed, took off his ring, and set it on my nightstand. I caught a glimpse of the initials engraved inside—Quinn's and Chloe's. "That's a nice ring, Quinn." On Valentine's Day in freshman year, I'd asked how he would propose to me. He'd smiled down at my hand, using his fingers to gauge my ring size. "I'll invite everyone who matters to you. I want them all there to see it. And I'll have our names engraved inside the ring. That's what will make it special." He'd given all of that to Chloe. Quinn snatched up the ring and closed his hand around it. Then he caught himself and regained his usual composure. "Your brother insisted I wear it. He said all the guys on the team are wearing them now. I'll take it off if you don't like it. It gets in the way anyway." His lies were so flimsy. Yet I'd never doubted him. I was too numb to hurt anymore. "It's fine. Keep it on. It looks nice." He relaxed, slipped the ring back on, and bent to tuck the covers around me. "Okay. Thanks, Wren." While he went to get water, I answered my advisor's email. He'd secured a three-year research project in Sydney. He'd been urging me to join him and had even helped get my travel paperwork ready in advance. But I wanted to be with Quinn in Dallas after graduation, so I'd kept putting off my answer. Now I emailed him back and said yes. In three days, I'd be flying to Sydney with him. I'd just finished listening to my advisor's voice message when Quinn suddenly asked: "Wren, who's going to Sydney?"