The Registry Office. The "Meet-the-In-Laws" Room. Corporate style.
Personally, I would've picked something a bit more romantic, just so it didn't feel like a high-stakes business merger, but my parents outvoted me two to one.
We didn't have to wait in the hallway for long. Christina No. 1 arrived in full regalia: a white dress, full makeup, and even a veil, which she flat-out refused to wear on her head. I caught a glimpse of them before we even stepped inside. She was complaining about something to her parents, and for a second, it almost looked like she was scolding them. Then again, that might've just been my mind playing tricks on me after hanging out with Christina No. 2, who treated her parents as total equals.
Honestly, I know it's bad manners, but I couldn't help comparing the two. Christina No. 1 was... prettier.
But we barely got a chance to actually talk. They seated the two of us right next to each other in the "honored spots" for the bride and groom, while our parents did ninety percent of the talking among themselves. All Christina and I could do was steal sideways glances at each other, instantly snapping our eyes away whenever we got caught red-handed.
I wanted to hold her hand so badly, but my palms were sweaty. Instead, I gripped the sides of my chair and started rocking back and forth, hoping to "accidentally" bump my shoulder against hers. She had bare arms, while I, unfortunately, was suffocating under a dress shirt and a full tuxedo. I didn't feel like a grown man preparing for marriage. I felt like a little kid who'd been forced to share a desk with a girl as a punishment. Except now, I was hopelessly into that girl.
Two hours vanished in the blink of an eye. I almost forgot to exchange contact info entirely. I'd never been so nervous in my whole life, and I blame my parents for every second of it. If they hadn't been constantly eyeing us, we definitely would've talked. As it was, even a simple "Bye" made us both flush red, and I couldn't even muster up the courage to say, "I'll call you."
My dad chewed me out for that the second we got home. Apparently, I'd come across as a total bumpkin to her parents. My folks had to cover for me by claiming I was just "inexperienced in matters of the heart" because I'd been saving myself specifically for their daughter. Classic smooth-talking from my parents. Of course, they knew full well I wasn't some hopeless romantic. I was just lazy.
Mom, by the way, wasn't overly impressed with the bride. In her opinion, Christina No. 1 was way too passive and boring. Even her own parents couldn't really say what their daughter did in her free time besides getting straight A's.
But at the end of the day, I was the one who had to live with her. UKARI had tailored her personality specifically for me, so my opinion was the only one that mattered.
"I love her."
That was the sum total of my thoughts. I didn't care what her personality was like. If this meant we got to hold hands and kiss, I was all in. Just the thought of hugging her made a physical ache swell in my chest, and there was so much more waiting for us down the line.
I pulled out my phone and texted her right then and there:
[ If you're up for it, maybe we can go for a walk sometime? Just the two of us, no parents. ]
Her reply came an hour later:
[ I have to do homework. ]
Right. I'd totally forgotten she was a straight-A student, and grades like that don't just fall from the sky. They take hours of painful cramming. I was experiencing some pretty contradictory feelings right about now. She was so drop-dead gorgeous, captivating, really, that I didn't even care if she was smart anymore.
[ I can come over to your place and we can study together, ] I sent.
A second later, I reread what I'd typed and realized how utterly dirty it sounded because I hadn't actually specified what we'd be studying together. Sure, I definitely didn't want to study homework, but homework was what I'd meant. I just wanted to sit next to her a little longer. Even if we were both buried in our own books, I just wanted to be close to her.
And, okay, look at her chest a little longer too. Her face was great, but her chest... Man, why was I acting like such a total pervert?
[ Study for school, I mean, ] I sent quickly.
Instantly, I realized I'd made it ten times worse. Clarifying it like that was basically a full-on confession that my mind hadn't been on studying in the first place.
[ That's inefficient, making you commute all the way over here and back, ] Christina No. 1 replied.
She was one hundred percent right, of course. The only problem was that my legendary laziness seemed to have taken a leave of absence, a vacation, a honeymoon, and sick leave all at once. I was done for. Christina had completely spellbound me.
[ I fell in love with her, ] I reported in a quick text to Christina No. 2.
I'd promised to keep her updated on her "rival." That's what she'd called her, though she'd repeated about three times that it was just a joke. God forbid I started taking on ridiculous responsibility like people do in UKARI's homeland, where folks love taking the fall for other people's mistakes and turning minor glitches into tragic melodramas.
Anyway, as Christina No. 2 had put it, if I ended up disliking Christina No. 1, I could always blame everything on the system error and get back into the free matching queue... probably.
[ Happy for you! ] Christina No. 2 replied, throwing in a heart emoji. But literally a minute later, another text popped up:
[ What's it actually like for guys? What does falling in love feel like? ]
[ Your heart races, your chest feels heavy, you can't focus on a single thing, and living without her feels impossible. It's basically like catching a cold, but without the fever. ]
[ My condolences, ] Christina No. 2 shot back instantly, attaching a fever thermometer emoji.
[ But it feels amazing, ] I argued.
[ Honestly, I've never been in love before, ] she texted back. [ Not like that, anyway, no racing hearts or tears. Sure, I've liked guys before, but nothing crazy. I could definitely live without them. ]
Just as I read that, Christina No. 1 proposed a compromise via video call. That way, we could see each other and talk without me having to travel anywhere. It wasn't at all what I actually wanted, but I agreed without a second thought.
[ Kinda jealous, to be honest, ] Christina No. 2 finished her thought.
[ Don't worry, your turn will come, ] I cheered her up. UKARI might be full of bugs, but the system still worked.
I placed the video call to Christina No. 1. She popped up on my screen in casual clothes, though hers looked more like proper, high-end everyday wear. She was wearing a white blouse with a ruffled frill that mostly hid the outline of her chest. Luckily, her phone was propped against a stack of textbooks on her desk at roughly a 45-degree angle, giving me a fantastic low-angle view.
I smoothed down my messy hair, turned on my camera, leaned my phone against my desk lamp, and settled in to stare at the love of my life through a screen.