My Fiancé Gambled Our Marriage for Fun

For the sake of a limited-time event, my fiancé Elton Lowe and Kirsten Chaney, his friend and longtime rival, pretend to be a couple. They agree to break up after a week, but Kirsten keeps pushing his buttons. "Elton, don't tell me you're chickening out! Do you dare to make a bigger bet? We said we'd keep playing this game for the rest of our lives. Whoever quits first is a loser!" Just when everyone thinks Elton will give up the game for my sake, he grits his teeth and refuses to back down. He even raises the stakes, taking their original game of playing a couple a step further by having them pose as husband and wife. For the past five Christmases, Elton has gone home with Kirsten to spend the holidays with her family. And this year is no exception. I look at another text from my mother, Mable Bullock. "Will Elton be coming home with you for Christmas this year? I'm afraid I might not be around to see another one." I tighten my grip on my phone. When I look up, I see Elton carrying in a pile of Christmas supplies before taking out several custom-made suits and holding them up against himself to see how they look. "What kind of clothes do you think Kirsten's mother would like?" When I don't answer, he lets out a scoff. "Forget it. I'm better off asking Kirsten that." As I watch Elton happily go about his business, I open a chat with someone I haven't spoken to in a long time—Landon Grimes. I type out a message, then delete it, only to type it again. "Does your offer from back then still stand? Come home with me this Christmas."