Married Strangers (complete)

3. Lost in a foreign land

Both men didn't realize that a simple task such as getting a meal would take more than an hour. It took more than half an hour to decide on what to eat. They realized that Xiao Zhan loved spicy food while Yibo could not stand spicy food. It was best to avoid anything peppery since they were going on a road trip.

Xiao Zhan on the other hand found it hard to keep down the foreign food, so he preferred something spicy to help. Both men argued back and forth until the waiter couldn't stand them anymore and decided to chip in. "You know, you both don't have to eat the exact same thing".

Only then did they remember their stomachs were not tied together. Yibo apologized saying "Sorry, sometimes when I argue with my husband, I find that I lose all of my common sense". He made sure to stress the words 'my husband', stating he had proof to back his claims. Xiao Zhan had never met someone so shameless, who was it crying over a broken relationship the previous day. While Xiao Zhan felt they were irritating others, others found the couple adorable.

"Your husband is so handsome? How can you even bear to argue with him? if I have someone as handsome as him, I'd agree to their every wish".

"I know, I know, now stop looking at him", Yibo feigned jealousy and Xiao Zhan laughed so hard. This was the real definition of shameless.

Also, Xiao Zhan noticed Yibo preferred coffee while he preferred green tea. That resulted in another round of arguments, each one trying to convince the other to try something new. By the time they set off on their journey, it was almost 2pm.

Yibo drove while Zhan sat on the passengers seat. Barely 20 minutes into their journey, Xiao Zhan brought out a pack of crackers. He offered Yibo some, again Yibo refused, stating he preferred to eat cookies. Xiao Zhan wondered how there could be someone whose preferences contrasted his to such a great extent. They had almost nothing in common. As Yibo watched him nibbling on his crackers, he chuckled.

"And...why are you laughing this time around young man?", Xiao Zhan felt this trip was going to be full of adventure.

"Nothing...you just remind me of a few years ago. I went with my ex-girlfriend to pick out a pet bunny and the bunny was eating carrots".

Xiao Zhan could not make out a connection. So he asked, "And what does that have to do with me?"

"You don't know? No one ever told you? Well, when you were eating just now you looked exactly like that bunny hahah...", Yibo turned to look at Xiao Zhan and the glare he met with shut him up instantly. He cleared his throat and whispered a "sorry".

Xiao Zhan was proud of himself. He never knew his looks could intimidate someone. Practice indeed makes perfect!

"Are you really 30? Or are you one of those people who like to inflate their age". Xiao Zhan was taken off guards when the conversation steered towards his age.

"I'd be 30 in a few months. I'm a solid 29 at the moment. Why? Do you have a problem with 30-year-olds?"

"No no", Yibo shook his head. "I just haven't dated anyone older than me with more than 2 years. Being suddenly married to someone 6 years older feels...different".

"First, you've only dated one person your entire life. Second, this marriage is null and void. Stop having ideas in your head. You might end up convincing yourself that its true. It's one thing to marry an unfaithful spouse but a gay man and a straight man....that's pure disaster".

"Also, you don't look a day over 25, and I'm not just saying this to flatter you, it's true".

Xiao Zhan was obviously flattered but decided to act cool. "Well, I'm 29. So...show your respects, don't make fun of my age, call me gege".

Yibo chuckled, the more time he spent with this person, the more he refused to believe he was actually 29. "Gege".

......

Soon Yibo noticed that Xiao Zhan had gone completely quiet. His breathing was steady and deep. It was obvious he had fallen asleep. Yibo adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner in the car to make him more comfortable as he slept. Yibo's eyes were on the road most of the time but he could still steal glances at the young man fast asleep beside him.

Yibo recalled the previous night. Both of them were drunk but he remembered everything that had happened. Obviously Xiao Zhan didn't remember. After they got to the hotel room, Xiao Zhan asked that they enter the bridal chamber and consummate their marriage. They kissed for a while, Yibo remembered that although he didn't remember every detail. He also remembered that they had both touched each other in an almost unimaginable way. He remembered they both stripped each other off their clothes and his body reacted strongly to Xiao Zhan's touch. They ended up doing nothing as Xiao Zhan slept off. He wondered if he would have gone all the way if Zhan didn't fall asleep midway.

Yibo woke up hours before Xiao Zhan, seeing them both naked, their legs still intertwined, Yibo could feel his face heating up. Good thing Zhan was still fast asleep. He took a shower while he replayed the events of the previous night in his head. After a short time, he came out. Zhan was still fast asleep. Yibo sat on a couch opposite him for a while, trying to figure out if the situation in his trousers was due to the normal morning wood or the naked man in front of him. He pushed the thought to the back of his head, went back into the bathroom for a second round of showering after consoling himself down there.

If Yibo wasn't sure at that time, he was sure now. Watching Xiao Zhan sleep peacefully beside him, he had the same look as he had this morning in bed, the only difference was that he was fully clothed. The situation he had going on in his trouser was definitely because of this man. Zhan had mentioned it a few times, he had only been with one person his entire life. Could he really be 'straight'? Yibo began to doubt his sexuality.

......

Xiao Zhan could feel the car was no longer in motion so he opened his eyes. Turned out they stopped to refill their gas. Not long after, Yibo returned to the car. Xiao Zhan could tell he was tired, after all they were both drunk last night. Having slept for two hours, Xiao Zhan felt energized and took over the driving while urging Yibo to get some rest. Yibo didn't sleep off immediately. He still talked with Xiao Zhan for close to an hour before reluctantly falling asleep. Yibo hated sleeping during a road trip. Once when he was a kid, the vehicle he was on missed their way because the adult who was familiar with the route fell asleep. It was a really frightening experience that left him unable to sleep no matter who was driving.

Yibo woke up an hour and 30minutes later and they were still on the way. There were no vehicles or buildings around. He figured something was wrong, they ought to have arrived about an hour ago. Zhan pointed to the gps, looked like he was on the right track. This didn't feel right. Yibo took out his phone to make a call that was when he realized they were out of network coverage.

The road was a narrow single lane. On both sides of the road, the bushes grew taller than an average height human. Turned out the navigation stopped when they ran out of network coverage, it was easy to miss so Yibo understood why Xiao Zhan kept driving. Looking at the gas, they had gone low, they were on reserve. They decided to continue driving until they got to the next gas station then ask for directions from there. Barely 30 minutes later, the car came to a stop. They were totally out of gas.

There wasn't anything they could do. It was almost sunset and they didn't know how far till they got to see any sign of life. Xiao Zhan wanted them to walk but Yibo felt it was getting late and it was best if they waited for a car passing by then ask for help.