Page 7 of About That Rule

The judge crossed his arms.

“Because our two friends had just eloped and we were all celebrating,” Nate quickly added.

“Yes,” Samantha interjected to sway the judge. “It was a happy moment for everyone. We went out, danced, took pictures, drank champagne—it was a night all about love.”

“We indulged too much because of their marriage. This morning, after seeing the pictures on our phones and realizing what we’d done while in an intoxicated state, we came here to annul what had happened.” Nate didn’t understand why there were so many questions. Wasn’t it enough they didn’t want to be married?

“May I see the pictures?” the judge asked.

“Yes, sir,” they both answered, then stepped to the bailiff and handed her their phones. The judge analyzed each picture before giving their phones back.

“I see this happen too often. It’s nauseating the way people reject a loving partner.”

Oh, shit. This was bad.

“Your request for an annulment is not granted. You two need to learn a valuable lesson, which I think will turn out to be exactly what you need. Try to make this marriage work. Spend time together, be faithful, learn about your partner and yourself. If in ninety days you still want the annulment, we can revisit. The verdict may change only if I see you gave it your all and you still don’t want to be married. Let’s see how the ninety days go.” He slammed his gavel down and exited the court room, leaving Nate and Samantha with their jaws hanging open.

THIS WAS THE WORSTcase scenario. They could probably get an attorney and repeal the decision, but she was sure that would require more of her time in Vegas. And that wasn’t even considering the money for the legal fees or the hassle that appealing could take longer than the ninety days the judge demanded of them. She wasn’t sure what the better option was: being tied up in court or marriage—and not the fun kind of tied up.

Both made her shudder.

Both were like a prison sentence.

Both didn’t give an immediate solution.

“What are we going to do?” Nate sounded numb, which she understood. This had been a surreal experience. “I don’t want to be married. Ever.”

She sensed a major breakdown approaching. Whether it would be from him or her was up in the air. This was a disaster. The two infamous singletons were now married to each other.

“We can’t freak out.” Samantha wasn’t sure if she was selling this advice to herself or Nate.

For the past hour since they’d left the courthouse, they’d been sitting in front of the Bellagio fountain in silence. Everyone around them was enjoying Las Vegas while they were in mourning of their old, single status. She wished she’d packed something black to wear to pair with her gloomy mood.

“I’m trying to remain calm.” There was an edge to his voice she wasn’t used to be on the receiving end of. “But I recently found out I’m married to a childhood friend, a judge refused to annul said marriage, and now I have to put effort into this fucking union, even if I don’t want to.”

“Hey, we’re both in the same boat, don’t give me an attitude,” she sassed him right back.

His head dropped to his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. What are we going to do?”

Samantha scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “We’re going to continue living our lives and just see more of each other over the next three months. We’ll take pictures for proof of how we spent time together. We come back to Vegas in ninety days and show the judge we tried, then we get our annulment.”

He lifted his head to look at her. “Wouldn’t it be quicker to appeal the decision?”

“When I Googled it, it said it could take a month, but often, it lasts longer. Some have quoted years. It just seems easier to go along with the judgment and come back.”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly. We can do this our way, though. It’ll be the only way we survive the next ninety days.”

“I live in New York. You live in California,” he muttered.

“We already visit each other. It’ll just be more frequent now. Who cares? We always have a good time together.”

“He said we have to be faithful. I’ve never been in a serious relationship and now I can’t have sex for ninety days.”

Samantha laughed. “Think of this as a good workout for your arm muscles. It’s not like I’ll be having sex either. This will just be a really long dry spell. If it means we won’t be married in ninety days, I can do it. Let’s try to be positive and not let this decision ruin our lives.”

She was proud of her positivity. Even though she was dreading the next three months, at least she had Nate to complain to. They could do this. It wasn’t like they were married for real.