Runaway bride

“Okay… you seriously think I’m going to go through with this?” Mario muttered, adjusting the strap of the lingerie as if he still couldn’t believe his own reflection.

“Of course you are,” Ethan shot back without hesitation. “That was the deal.”

“The deal,” Mario stressed, raising a finger, “was to help formalize the ceremony. The real bride ran off with one of the groomsmen weeks ago, remember? At no point did I agree to be your ‘wife’ indefinitely, much less… —” he gestured at his own body “— participate in all of this!”

Ethan folded his arms, watching him with a calm, almost teasing patience.

“From the way you acted at the reception… so dedicated, so careful… those improvised vows… I figured you were already getting into character.”

“Of course not!” Mario snapped — a bit too quickly. “I’m a man! I only agreed to this because I owed you. And that debt will be paid after tonight, end of story!”

But the truth was different.

Mario was having way more fun with the situation than he wanted to admit. That whole “debt” excuse was already wearing thin. And from Ethan’s look — that evaluative stare paired with a slow, knowing smile as he took in every detail — it was clear the spot left open by the runaway bride wasn’t going to stay vacant for long.

And Mario… judging by the way he reacted… maybe he wasn’t as opposed to that idea as he pretended to be.