Marriage and You

Part 4 : Pillow Prince

Gulf honestly didn't think it was possible for him to be so smitten over his husband so quickly but he guessed there was no helping it.

P'Mew was nice to a fault, attentive and charming, amongst many other qualities Gulf was certain he would soon discover in the coming days. His husband's handsome face was just an added bonus, and despite his reservations at the beginning, he couldn't deny the fact that he was enjoying the other man's company. It wasn't to say he was completely at ease with the arrangement because he wasn't, at least not yet, but part of him was sure he would get there sooner than he thought.

He watched the older man disappear into the bathroom and chuckled, shaking his head, aware that his face was on fire at the very obvious sexual insinuation. He took his gaze from the closed bathroom door to the stuff he'd unearthed from the red pouch and snickered.

Were the organizers seriously expecting them to consummate their marriage on the first night like how normal couples would? Maybe they did, otherwise, this stuff wouldn't end up in the room they've checked into, on the bed they were expected to lie upon given the fact that they knew the arrangement.

Did it mean there were couples that joined the program like him and P'Mew who did it on the first night? Was putting these supplies here meant they've prepared ahead just in case?

The thought made him shiver, somehow.

Well, it wasn't like the thought didn't cross his mind. It did, of course, of course, but it was just a fleeting one and something he didn't dare think about again in fear of scaring himself in the process. The prospect of doing it with a stranger wasn't a foreign concept, not at all, but it was just that he wasn't the type who would consider it. He was aware of how one-nightstands worked, sure, but that wasn't something he'd actively thought of trying and that's that.

To be fair, it was the same when he'd learned of the program's existence through his sister. Apparently, the program was established three years ago by a marriage counseling company based in the US, whose main clients were same sex couples. The concept, as weird as it sounded, was like this: participants could only be gay, lesbian, bisexuals (but with certain restrictions), and trans, who wanted to find a partner through the program. They must be willing to go through a series of psychological tests, health checks and interviews to assess their overall well-being for very obvious reasons. Once paired, couples were to be married, legally, for two months. After that time frame, it would be up to the couple if they wanted to stay married or get a divorce.

Joining the program was quite simple, too.

Participants were welcomed first by asking them to fill out an online application form stating their personal details, their occupation, and their reason for wanting to be part of the program. These application forms would then be filtered, according to whatever qualification the company was looking for. The applicants who made the cut would then be contacted through email, with details of when they should come in for an interview.

In that interview, applicants would be facing a five-person panel, with questions ranging from ridiculous to utterly ridiculous. Nobody knew what the participants would be asked or what answers would make the cut, but apparently, it depended on the person's characteristics as well. Conscious answers were good but they weren't exactly what the panel was looking for.

To be honest, Gulf wasn't certain why he got through either.

Obviously, someone amongst those five who'd grilled him with questions for almost three hours thought they'd give him a chance. Maybe, they thought he was pathetic, a poor soul looking for someone to connect with, a lonely man in his early twenties looking for someone he could be lonely with.