Chapter 4

Around noon, Chloe whined about wanting sushi.

The intercom kept looping the announcement about the lunch break, but nobody paid it any attention.

They were busy picking a restaurant, and Ryan came over to grab my wrist. "Come on. Tomorrow I'll come back with you myself, re-queue, and get you flowers. We'll do it right."

I pulled my hand back. "My mom cooked. We agreed we'd have lunch at her place after we got the certificate. She started at six this morning."

Ryan's face twisted with irritation. "Let her wait. She's reheated everything a dozen times already. A little longer won't kill anyone. We didn't get it done today anyway. What's the point of visiting now?"

My mom had reheated dish after dish, waiting for us, and he called it pointless. But a meal with his friends was non-negotiable.

I asked him one last time. "Can you give me ten minutes and finish what we came here to do?"

Ryan didn't say no outright. He glanced back at his friends. "You want it done today so badly, and that means I have to ditch everyone else for you?"

Chloe burst out laughing. "Emily's got weddings on the brain. She won't even let Ryan have lunch. He already said he'd marry you tomorrow. You think he's gonna run off tonight?"

The group cracked up again.

Chloe walked over awkwardly. "Emily, I'll stay with you."

Ryan cut her off. "You don't have to. Give her a few minutes. She'll come around on her own. Hasn't she always?"

Everyone laughed.

I shook my head at Chloe. "Go with them."

Chloe bit her lip and then picked up her bag.

Before they left, Ryan even called me an Uber. "I told the driver to be at the door at 12:05. But I'd come out early if I were you. No point waiting around just to prove a point."

He pocketed his phone, that easy expression back on his face.

The group filed out, and the hall went quiet.

Then the group chat started blowing up.

Buddy A: [How many minutes till Emily walks out?]

Another one answered instantly.

Buddy B: [She's dying to marry Ryan. Five minutes tops.]

Ryan didn't stop them. He just dropped a restaurant location.

Ryan: [Come over when you're done sulking.]

I didn't reply.

With two minutes to spare before lunch break, James finally came through the doors, file folder in hand, running.

He reached me but didn't hand anything to the clerk yet. "Emily, are you sure about this? Nobody's forcing you?"

I shook my head. "No."

James still didn't move.

So I added, "I'm not using you to get back at Ryan. I chose a different person to marry. I chose you."

James finally walked to the counter.

The clock on the wall ticked past noon. The clerk stamped the papers. A registration receipt and a certified copy slid across the counter toward us.

James asked, "You want to keep this quiet for now?"

I picked up the marriage certificate, took a photo, and posted it straight to Instagram.

Emily: [Just married. Taking my husband to my mom's for lunch.]

*****

Back at the sushi place, the laughter was still going.

Chloe put on a high-pitched voice and mimicked me. "Ryan, did you confirm the schedule? Did you confirm the bouquet? You have to marry me today, okay?"

The whole table burst out laughing.

Ryan leaned back in his chair and let them mock me.

Someone was about to record a video and send it to the group when her phone screen lit up with my Instagram post.

She stared at the photo for a few seconds and then shot to her feet. "How did Emily get a marriage certificate?!"