The Secret Boyfriend and the Rooming Game

On the night of our graduation trip, the class president suggested we draw room numbers for pairings.

Destiny decides your roommate, he shouted. Whether it's a guy or a girl, you stay in the same room. How thrilling!

Nobody knew that Faye Linwood and I had been dating for three years. Our relationship was a secret, hidden from every one of our classmates.

I pulled a ball from the box and waited for the results.

When it was Faye's turn, she called out, "Number seven."

Reece, the class president, suddenly raised his voice. "The other person for Room 7 isDXander Thorne!"

The guy Faye had once chased relentlessly during our freshman year flashed a wide smile.

The room erupted. Everyone started cheering, calling it a match made in heaven.

I stayed silent.

No one knew that before the game started, I heard Reece whisper to her in the hallway.

"Look for the ball with the tiny bump. I saved it specifically for you and Xander."

Faye's cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She walked over to Xander and reached out to straighten his collar.

I just smiled to myself.

It turns out three years of devotion couldn't even buy me a public acknowledgment.

This time, I decided to be the first one to walk away.

The room numbers were still being announced, but the atmosphere had already reached its peak.

Reece handed them red wristbands and shouted the rules again.

"Same numbers are a pair! You're tied together for this three-day trip. No solo missions!"

The crowd whistled. Some girls nudged Faye playfully.

Xander kept smiling as he put on his wristband and grabbed Faye's small handbag.

Faye's face got even redder. She tucked her petite frame behind his shoulder.

Xander took off his jacket and draped it over her. "Stop teasing her. Faye is shy."

"Wow, protecting her already? Watch out everyone, if we upset Faye, Xander is going to settle the score!"

The teasing became a roar of laughter.

I stood outside the circle, holding my ball in one hand and my heavy suitcase in the other.

Before the trip, Faye had stuffed all her things into my suitcase.

"You'll carry my bags anyway. I can't drag two cases," she had told me.

She even pointed at my new jacket. "That looks warm. I heard it gets cold in the mountains at night. I'll wear that."

In three years, she never showed me affection in public. She never wore my clothes in front of others.

I had been so happy, thinking she might finally go public during this trip.

But on the first day, she wore Xander's jacket.

The small bag she said I'd be carrying was now hanging off his shoulder.

The suitcase was incredibly heavy. It dragged at my arm, sending sharp pains from my fingers to my shoulder.

I set it down and cleared my throat, pushing back the bitterness in my voice.

I raised my hand. "Hey, guys..."

Everyone turned to look. Reece was still grinning. "What's up, Cyrus? Xander is your roommate back at school. Want to say some words of blessing?"

Xander stiffened, his smile turning awkward.

Faye looked up, her eyes flashing a sharp, warning glare at me. She was terrified I'd blow our secret.

But she was worried about the wrong thing.

I simply held up my ball. "Who has number three?"

Reece scanned the room and saw a girl in the back raise her hand. "I do."

It was Wren Harper, a girl who barely spoke in class.

Reece laughed. "Oh, Wren! I know you're single. Cyrus, what about you?"

"If you're single, you stay together. If you have a girlfriend, I'll swap you with a guy..."

I interrupted him softly. "I'm single."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Faye's eyebrows relax and then immediately knit together again.

She turned to look at Wren, but Reece was already pulling out the orange wristbands.

"Perfect! You're both single. Maybe we'll have another couple by the end of the trip!"

I took the wristband and nodded politely. "Thanks."

When I picked up the suitcase again, I felt her gaze burning into my back.

I didn't know what her face looked like right then.

But she was probably just relieved.

The rooms were set, and people started lining up for check-in.

Xander went to call his parents. Faye lingered, waiting until I was the only one left before handing over their IDs.

"Go to Reece," she whispered, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Tell him you don't want to stay with a girl. Swap with a guy or pay for a private room."

I was busy texting my parents to let them know I arrived. I didn't even look at her.

"Why?" I asked.

"What do you mean why? You aren't single. You can't stay with another woman."

"And what about you? Are you single?"

Faye's fingers froze. Her voice turned arrogant. "This is a game. I'm just following the rules everyone agreed on."

My voice stayed low. "Right. I'm also following the rules."

Her eyes widened in anger, but before she could snap at me, I took my key card and walked away.

Reece shouted to the group, "Everyone, meet in the media room in thirty minutes!"

"I booked it out. We're going to watch a documentary of our freshman sports day for nostalgia!"

I didn't stop walking. I just gripped my suitcase handle tighter.

The freshman sports day documentary.

The footage of Faye's legendary pursuit of Xander Thorne.

The media room was filled with snacks and drinks.

As soon as Faye sat down, she pushed a plate of grapes toward Xander.

A guy nearby chuckled. "Faye, you're so biased. You know Xander loves grapes, so you save the whole plate for him?"

Others joined in the teasing. Xander pushed the plate back toward the center, looking humble.

"Let's share. Faye actually bought me a lot already."

"If these run out, we can go to my room and get more," he added.

Faye pulled the plate back to him, a constant smile on her face. "No, I'll go get more. You just eat."

She stood up to leave, and the room erupted again.

"One word from Xander and she runs to fetch it! She's way too good to you!"

Xander ate a grape and looked over at me. "Cyrus, have some when she gets back."

"I remember you like grapes too."

Faye walked back in with two more bowls of grapes, placing them both in front of Xander.

She knew I liked them too.

In the past three years, I had bought them countless times. Every time, she would complain.

"Stop eating those. They're so sweet, you're going to break out."

I grabbed an orange instead. Reece called out to me, "Hey Cyrus, where's Wren?"

People looked over. I peeled my orange without looking up. "She had some stuff to take care of."

Reece looked disappointed. "Well, that's a shame. But hey, at least the other pair is going strong!"

Faye's eyes flickered toward me for a second before shifting back to the screen.

"The movie is starting," she said softly, handing Xander another grape.

The documentary lasted two hours.

Everyone was hyped. Every time Faye or Xander appeared on screen, the room went wild.

"Look, Faye is wiping his sweat again! He only ran fifty yards, and she's tighter on him than the cameraman!"

"She even had the water, the fan, and the sunscreen ready!"

"Xander, she chased you so hard the whole school knew. How did you resist? You made her stay single for four years!"

Xander looked at Faye, his eyes tender. "I just thought college romance wasn't stable. I wanted to wait until graduation."

"I didn't realize she would wait for me this long."

A girl piped up, "Faye, it must have been so hard waiting all those years, right?"

Faye looked at him and nodded slightly. "It was okay."

Two words. Supposedly containing four years of patience and longing.

The room sighed in collective sympathy, but I felt like laughing.

Hard? Hardly.

She had chased Xander for six months with no luck. Then she got into tennis.

I was the captain of the varsity tennis team. She begged me to coach her for six months.

By the start of sophomore year, she had confessed her love to me.

We had been together since then.

Our relationship was secret, but we were happy. Or at least, I thought we were.

I took a bite of my orange. A guy next to me pointed at the screen. "Cyrus! Is that the class secretary holding an umbrella for you? Did she have a crush on you?"

The focus shifted to me.

"No, she was just walking the same way," I said, shaking my head.

The guy continued, "Too bad she didn't come on the trip. She clearly liked you. You should think about it. You'd be a good match."

Faye was pouring water for Xander. Her movements were smooth, as if she wasn't listening.

I smiled faintly. "No, thanks."

"Actually, I have a girlfriend."

Faye's silhouette stiffened instantly. Her fingers gripped the plastic cup.

I knew her. She was terrified I was about to out us.

The guy grabbed my arm. "Who? Is it someone from our class?"

Dozens of eyes landed on me. I kept my smile steady and nodded. "Yeah."

The room turned chaotic. Everyone wanted to know who it was.

Faye's face darkened. She started tapping furiously on her phone.

My pocket buzzed twice. I didn't check it. I just said, "She's busy. She couldn't make it to the trip."

There were seven or eight girls who hadn't come.

Reece looked disappointed, but before he could dig deeper, Xander made a noise.

His cup had tipped over, soaking his jeans.

Faye immediately grabbed tissues to help him wipe it. Xander leaned down, looking apologetic.

"Sorry, my hand slipped."

"It's fine. I'll walk you back to your room so you can change. You don't want to catch a cold."

She led Xander out of the room. With the main attraction gone, the crowd started to thin out.

When I got back to my room, my suitcase was open.

Faye's clothes and makeup bag were gone.

I spent the night staring at my phone.

The two unread messages from her were still there.

"Don't you dare say a word."

"Don't ruin the vibe."

Right. I was the secret boyfriend. I couldn't ruin the romantic tension between her and another man.

It was just like the charity auction in junior year. I had raised the most money, but she made me give the trophy to Xander so he wouldn't lose his "coolest guy" status.

Or senior year tennis. Xander said he "wanted to try competing", so she made me drop out so his ego wouldn't get bruised.

For three years, Faye was good to me in the shadows.

She brought me water during practice. she knitted me scarves in the winter.

Aside from the secrecy, she did everything a girlfriend should.

But whenever Xander Thorne was involved, I was always moved to the back of the line.

The sun began to rise. My phone remained silent.

I watched the light hit the mountains, feeling a strange sense of peace.

The plan for the day was sightseeing.

Faye and Xander wore their red wristbands and stayed glued to each other.

The camera I had bought for Faye was in Xander's hands. He took photos of her at every landmark. They took endless selfies together.

While resting by a bridge, someone asked about my future plans.

"Cyrus, are you staying in New York or going back to D.C.?"

"I'm going back to D.C.," I replied calmly.

Faye, who was wiping sweat off Xander's forehead, shot me a quick look.

Reece nudged her. "Xander is a New York local. Faye, you're definitely staying here, right?"

Faye didn't hesitate. "Of course."

Xander looked down and smiled, subtly shifting closer until their shoulders touched.

A classmate looked confused. "Cyrus, I thought you already signed a contract with that big firm in the city? Why are you leaving?"

I laughed softly. "I turned it down. I want to be closer to my parents."

"No way. Is it for your parents, or for the mystery girlfriend?"

The group huddled around for gossip. My smile grew.

"Both. My parents are getting older. And she... she's decided to settle in D.C. too."

Everyone started guessing again, but I just shook my head.

At the next stop, Faye blocked my way outside the restrooms.

"You actually turned down that job?" she hissed.

She was panicking.

We had found those jobs together. The firm wanted me because of my grades, and my one condition was that they hire my girlfriend too.

Now that I had quit, she had no leg to stand on.

I nodded. "Yeah. My parents set up a stable position for us in D.C. We'll get engaged once things settle."

"Cyrus Miller!"

Faye exploded in a whisper, her face turning pale with rage. "Who gave you the right to decide my future!"

She stormed off in a rage.

The group was spread out. She grabbed Xander's arm and led the pack.

I stayed at the back, chatting idly with the others.

That evening at the buffet, Xander announced loudly, "The Perseid meteor shower is tonight! Didn't you guys know? Faye found a great observation spot nearby."

Everyone got excited, making plans to go.

Reece smirked. "Guys, have some common sense. You can see the stars from the hotel. Don't go to the observation point and be third wheels."

The group laughed. "Right, right. Leave the best view for the people who actually need it."

Faye was putting food on Xander's plate. She didn't say anything, but her blushing face said it all.

The buffet food was too heavy for me.

I chewed on some spicy seafood, but the seasoning felt like it was choking me.

I spat it into a napkin and got up to find something plain.

Reece followed me. "Hey Cyrus, I saw your post a few days ago about the meteor shower. Maybe skip the observation deck tonight? Don't crash Faye and Xander's moment."

I nodded. "I know."

"Smart man. Hey, since we're graduating, I'll tell you a secret. I rigged the room draw. I wanted them together."

I nodded again. "I heard you tell her that before the game started."

Reece looked surprised, but someone called his name, and he ran off.

I was opening the lid to the oatmeal when Faye walked up to get pumpkin soup for Xander.

Her tone was casual. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I get it. You're just acting out because I'm staying with Xander."

"But don't worry. Last night I took the bed and he slept on the floor. We just talked."

"Staying together is just part of the game. Nothing is going to happen."

I stirred my oatmeal. "Okay."

She didn't look at me. "Talk to your parents. New York is better for our careers. D.C. is a dead end."

"Once we're settled here, we can find a place together."

I didn't answer.

As I turned to leave, she hesitated and called out, "Cyrus... Xander is really excited about the meteors. I promised I'd watch with him."

"The Perseids happen every year. Next year, I'll go with you. I promise."

I kept my back to her. My hand was pressed against the warm bowl, but I felt cold.

I opened my mouth and whispered, "Fine."

She sighed in relief and walked past me, making sure to grab another plate of grapes for Xander.

After dinner, I went back to the room to pack.

I pulled out the outfit I had planned to wear while proposing to her under the stars.

I threw the engagement ring and the meteor shower brochure into the trash can.

I zipped the suitcase. It felt much lighter now.

I had bought a last-minute flight. I was leaving tonight.

Ten minutes before takeoff, the Perseids began to streak across the sky.

Everyone on the plane was pressing their faces to the windows, taking photos.

My phone buzzed with one unread message. It was from Wren.

"Everything is ready. Your parents are resting. I'm waiting for you at the airport."

The plane began its ascent. The silver trails of the meteors lit up the cabin.

I leaned back into my seat and slowly closed my eyes.

Faye, there is no next year for us.