I’m new at work and the same lunch table never seems to have room

There were two empty chairs at the lunch table. When I asked if I could sit, a colleague said they were saving them. Both stayed empty until I left.

I joined six weeks ago. A group of five colleagues usually eats together, and I’ve tried joining twice. The first time, they spent most of lunch talking about a wedding I hadn’t attended. This time I took my food back upstairs.

They’re helpful at work. I haven’t been left out of a meeting or refused an answer. I also know colleagues don’t owe me a friendship because we share an office. Still, lunch is becoming the part of the day I dread.

Would you try again, invite one person for coffee, or find another routine? I don’t want to turn one awkward table into a whole theory about whether I belong here.