Accidentally Married

55. Clothes

Zo stood in front of his wardrobe, staring helplessly at the neat rows of clothes hanging inside. His arms were crossed, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and the more he looked, the more lost he felt. It was already late on Friday night, and tomorrow was supposed to be his first proper date with Nai—his husband, his reluctant partner, and the man Zo wanted more than anything to win over.

The problem was, Zo had no idea what Nai had planned. He didn't want to overdress and seem like he was trying too hard, but he also didn't want to show up in something too casual and make it look like he didn't care. He wanted his outfit to say, I am serious about this. I am serious about you.

But what did that mean, exactly?

Nai had only told him that it wasn't a restaurant date, which ruled out suits and jackets, but beyond that, Zo was completely in the dark. When he had searched the internet for "first date ideas," he had been horrified by the sheer variety of possibilities. A movie, a walk in the park, golf, a weekend trip to the beach, even—Zo had blinked at the screen in disbelief—dance classes.

Dance classes? he had thought, baffled. Who goes to learn the cha-cha when you could just... be together?

The longer he scrolled, the more nervous he became, until finally he slammed his phone down and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. He felt pathetic. Here he was, a grown man with a wardrobe full of designer clothes, and he couldn't figure out what to wear for one simple date. More than that, it hit him just how little he actually knew about Nai. His husband, the man he was trying to build a marriage with, was still practically a stranger.

Zo let out a long, miserable sigh.

If he'd been smarter, he would have called Aum or Jui earlier in the day to try and dig for hints. But now it was late, and if he dared disturb Aum, Sailom would bite his head off. As for Jui, Saifah would definitely kick him for bothering her this late, especially since Saifah was still trying—and failing—to win him over. And Sak? Well, Zo didn't even have Sak's number.

Another loud sigh burst from his chest.

"What are you sighing about so hard?"

Zo jumped, spinning around. His eyes widened when he saw Nai standing in the doorway. Zo's heart leapt straight into his throat.

"When did you get home?" he blurted. Nai had texted earlier that he would be late, so Zo hadn't been expecting him.

"Just now," Nai said, his voice calm and unhurried. "You weren't anywhere, so I came looking. What are you doing in here?" He tilted his head slightly, eyes flicking to the open wardrobe. "Picking clothes for tomorrow?"

Zo scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and nodded. "Yeah... but I have no idea what to wear."

A small smile tugged at Nai's lips. He stepped further into the room, hands tucked behind his back. As he approached, Zo felt like a child caught doing something silly. Then Nai pulled something out from behind him and handed it over.

Zo blinked and accepted the paper bag. "What's this?"

"Your outfit for tomorrow," Nai said simply.

Excitement lit up Zo's face. Finally—answers! He eagerly opened the bag, only for his smile to falter when he pulled out... a plain t-shirt and a pair of convertible pants.

"This?" Zo asked, his voice strangled in disbelief.

"Yes," Nai replied, chuckling softly at his expression. "You will wear that."

Zo stared at the clothes. They were so far from what he had imagined that he didn't even know what to say. Nai, of course, seemed perfectly unbothered.

"I told you I would plan the date," Nai continued, that mysterious little smile still on his face. "All you need to do is come along. Don't worry about the rest."