Married Strangers (complete)

2. Married

Xiao Zhan woke up with a splitting headache. The rays of the sun fell directly in his line of sight, waking him up from his uncomfortable sleep. He stretched his hand out to pick up his glasses, only then did he realize this was not his hotel room. The events from the previous day were hazy in his memories. He remembered he got drunk with that young man; Yibo. He must have been brought here by him.

He pushed aside the blanket and noticed he was stark naked. Although he was alone in the room, that didn't stop him from feeling awkward. It was fine, he was far from home. Such mistakes were not a big deal. He felt around his body and there was no sign that he had slept with someone, he sighed in relief.

Getting up to dress up, his clothes were nowhere to be found. His phone was beside him but he was out of battery. He looked for a charger but the one he found didn't match his phone brand. Just great, he thought to himself. He reeked of alcohol, the smell he hated the most. He decided to take a bath before anything else.

He sat in the bath tub, enjoying the feel of the warm water on his skin when someone walked into the bathroom. It was Yibo. They both said 'hi' to each other but they didn't feel awkward at all.

"Your clothes were stinky so I took them out for cleaning, they'd be back soon", Yibo explained while Xiao Zhan said his thanks.

Yibo was wearing a cream-colored shirt, the color complimented the tone of his skin, giving him an overall attractive look. Of course, Xiao Zhan knew he was handsome but this morning, he looked somewhat...different, especially with that smug smile on his face as he ran his eyes all over Xiao Zhan's body.

"Why do you keep staring at my body, you're not even making any attempt to cover up your gaze, aren't you embarrassed? Have you suddenly turned gay?"

Without shifting his gaze, Yibo replied. "What is the problem, can't I look at my husband's body?"

"..."

It took a while for Xiao Zhan vaguely recall last night after they left the casino. They had indeed entered a chapel, he pulled Yibo in. When they were asked if they were here to get married, they both said 'yes' in unison.

Xiao Zhan's face flushed in embarrassment. He came here to avoid his father, giving him time to let go of his anger, how could he return with a husband? Looking at the certificate, his signature was perfectly signed. How could this happen?

Yibo just watched the confused half naked man roam around the room while he said nothing, seemingly enjoying his befuddled state. After almost half an hour, Xiao Zhan finally found his voice. "Wang Yibo, we should get divorced ASAP".

Yibo displayed a look as though he had been wronged. "Divorced? Just like that that? Have I done something wrong? My girlfriend left me and now, my husband wants a divorce?"

If it were someone else, they would think Yibo was being bullied. "Cut the crap young man. This is serious, don't joke about this. Trust me, you do not want to meet your father-in-law".

After laughing at the still jittery Xiao Zhan, Yibo finally got serious. "I'm already on it. I've spoken to someone, I have contacted a lawyer who can help us. He said we would get an annulment rather than a divorce. I don't know how the law works here so he would guide us. Relax". That being said, Xiao Zhan was finally able to breathe properly. Not long after, his dry-cleaned clothes arrived.

Both men had nothing planned, they decided to head directly to the lawyer, the sooner they got this sorted out, the better. Yibo had a car he rented when he arrived in the country. He entered the address into the GPS and found out the lawyer was in a different city, a little over four hours from where they were. Seemed like they had to go on a trip. They both decided to go by road, it would be part of the experience in a new country. It was already past midday, both men decided to get something to eat. First they needed money. Both men preferred to go cashless, carrying only a card with them but in order to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, Xiao Zhan decided to withdraw some cash to take along. Yibo opposed his decision but Xiao Zhan insisted, claiming to be the 'older and more experienced one'.

"Stop complaining Yibo, let's go eat something, we have a long trip ahead of us". Little did both men know that this short trip was going to be a turning point in both their lives.