Chapter 1

The Christmas break rolled around again, and once again, the only ticket I could get was a standing-room ticket.

Chloe, my best friend, slung an arm around my shoulders and laughed right in my face.

"Soph, you seriously have the worst luck."

"So it's the same as every year, right? Vince and I get first class, and you spend the whole trip standing by the door."

The thought of being crammed into a crowded train for ten hours made me dread the journey.

I turned to Vincent, hoping he could reconsider.

"I really don't want to stand the whole way. Why don't we just take an Uber together instead?"

"Or we could take turns sitting down? I'm always the one stuck standing, and I'm exhausted."

Vincent chuckled and ruffled my hair as if I were being childish.

"Soph, we got you the standing-room ticket for your own good."

"You're not in great shape. A little standing will do you good. You can't expect to take the easy way out every time."

Chloe slipped her arm through Vincent's, and the two of them started walking off together.

Before she left, she turned back and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Soph, Vince and I have something to talk about. Don't bother us."

"You won't die from standing for a few hours. Just deal with it."

I stared blankly at the standing-room ticket on my phone.

That's a ten-hour journey!

We'd agreed that all three of us would travel first class, yet somehow, I was the only one who'd ended up without a seat.

After sitting there in silence for a long time, I finally canceled my train ticket and booked an Uber instead.

I opened my phone and booked an Uber.

It had never really been about the seat I'd been trying to get.

It was about the two of them I'd spent three years loving without ever seeing them for who they really were.

……

I locked my phone and blinked back the tears that were about to spill.

We'd been dating for three years, and every holiday trip, I was always the one left standing.

Vincent always claimed he was too busy with work to book tickets.

He'd leave the release dates to me and act as though that settled the matter.

"Soph, you need to learn how to take care of yourself as my girlfriend."

"It's just booking tickets. You can handle that yourself, can’t you?"

"Besides, even if you don't get a seat, so what? You can stand for the trip. Stop being so damn sensitive."

His words hurt, but I kept making excuses for him.

I knew how busy he was, so I swallowed my disappointment and let it go.

The first year we were together, I finally managed to snag a standing-room ticket.

I was about to share the good news with Vincent when I noticed him poring over the train schedule instead.

Vincent adjusted his glasses and explained.

"Chloe couldn’t get a ticket. I'm helping her check the train schedule."

"Soph, she's your best friend. I can't just leave her stranded."

"If she still can't get a ticket, I'll drive her home myself. How does that sound?"

His words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

The excitement I'd felt just moments earlier drained away.

"So you're going to drive her back and leave me stuck standing the whole way by myself?"

Vincent frowned at the tremor in my voice.

He took a tissue and gently wiped my tears, his tone almost soothing.

"I only offered to help because she's your friend. Don't overthink it."

Then he added, as if he'd found the perfect solution.

"How about this? Next time, you book a first-class seat, and I'll pay you back."

He pulled out his phone and transferred the money before I could say another word.

[Payment received: 8,000 dollars.]

Once the transfer was done, Vincent seemed satisfied that he'd taken care of the problem. He didn't even look at me and called Chloe.

I sat there in a daze, listening to them laugh and excitedly plan their trip together.

My fingers trembled around my phone.

In the end, I still stood for ten hours and went home alone.

Vincent had taken time off work early to go on a road trip with Chloe, stopping at every attraction along the way.

Their social media was soon flooded with smiling selfies and happy photos.

Every time I saw one, my chest tightened until it was hard to breathe.

The second year, I’d learned my lesson.

I planned to book the tickets well in advance, but Vincent stopped me.

He opened his phone and showed me his chat with Chloe.

She'd sent a string of cute emojis, followed by a message in that sweet, helpless tone she always used.

[Can you get me a ticket too, please?]

Vincent took my ID, assuring me he was going to book two seats together.