No, I found them. Thank you.
Of course.
This time, they don’t spew the same repetitive line. Either they don’t want to encourage any further questions, or they don’t want to be accused of being artificial again.
I close the chat and hand Alex’s phone back to him as our food arrives.
Alex returns to the other chair so he can look at me while we eat. “Well, it’s either a very thorough scam or an extremely shitty company. Seriously, who marries two drunk guys?”
“We’ll have to talk to the bartender when we return to the hotel. See if he’s our mystery officiant or if he knows who might be.”
Alex nods, satisfied with my suggestion.
We switch our focus to eating, occasionally exchanging casual comments on the café or the city. I finish faster than him, so I open the other email from Virtual Vows. The bulk of it seems to be congratulations mixed in with legal terms, some repetition of what the representative already told us. What I’m really interested in is the zipped file attached to the email.
When I open it, there are a dozen pictures and one video file. I tap on the first picture and don’t know whether to smile or grimace. Alex and I sit in the bar’s booth, the green leather providing a familiar backdrop. Our heads lean against each other and we smile for the camera. Alex’s cheeks bloom like red apples as he grins wide. My own smile is more subdued, but my eyes aren’t on the viewer—they’re locked on Alex.
It would be a perfect picture if it had captured a real relationship. Or if they’d left off the sparkling pink heart surrounding us.
In the next picture, Alex’s face is turned toward me, our lips meeting in a chaste kiss. This time they’ve plastered tacky red kiss marks all over the frame.
The third picture has my mouth going dry. It’s been left untouched, no silly decorations marring it, and there’s a slight blurriness, as if it was captured mid-motion. I’ve pushed Alex up against the wall. His hands are threaded in my hair while mine cup his face. I can only see the back of my head, but Alex is fully visible. Mouth open, a hint of tongue as he kisses me back with equal fervor.
“What are you looking at?”
My head snaps up and I close the pictures as my heart races like a teenager caught watching porn. “What?”
Alex cranes his head toward my phone before seeming to realize how rude the gesture is and settling back in his seat. “You were just really absorbed in it.”
“Oh, it’s the other email from Virtual Vows.” I clear my throat awkwardly before admitting, “It includes the video and pictures they mentioned.”
“Shit, really?” He leans forward again, peering at my phone. Then he looks around the café and cringes. “We should probably wait until we get back to the hotel to watch the video.”
I nod and tuck my phone back into my pocket. That’ll give me some time to think about what to do with the photo. Hiding it seems odd, too guilty when it involves both of us. But sharing it with him …
My eyes drop to his lips.
Would he be interested in recreating it?
Chapter Seven: Alex
The small corner store we find on our way back to the hotel can maybe fit five people inside before you start breaking fire code. The counter takes up half the store, with alcohol and cigarettes behind it. The other half has basic necessities, magazines, and not much else.
“What’s the best way to remove a ring from a swollen finger?” I ask, eyeing the minimal supplies. There’s a refrigerated section at the back of the store that looks like it might have butter and a few cooking supplies crammed onto a single shelf. “Butter? Olive oil?”
“Do you plan to return it?” Euan asks.
“If they’ll let me.”
He holds up his hand and examines the ring still stuck on his pinky finger. “It’s got a lot of crevices. Butter might get stuck in them and go rancid.”
I wrinkle my nose at the thought. There's no way the jeweler will take it back if it smells like sour milk. “So, olive oil then?” I ask, picking up a small bottle and searching for its price tag.
“That, or …” Euan trails off.
I look up to see Euan standing in front of a display with a dozen different brands of condoms and small sexy toys. “We are not using KY Jelly.”
He chuckles and picks up a small bottle of clear lube. “They don’t have the brand name stuff here,” he replies. “But it’s scent-free and should be safe for metal.”
