They bought it

                 

Mateo and April walked down the aisle towards the exit of the church when the wedding had ended and somehow he found himself admiring her. He had to admit she was beautiful and graceful and he was secretly thankful to her.

Mateo wasn't sure that he would ever make it to this point. After his bride went missing he thought he'd hit rock bottom but she had miraculously showed up and saved him even though he had used emotional blackmail on her. He wasn't proud of it but he was glad he had been smart enough to convince her. Now he was eligible for his inheritance.

The usher's by the door opened it then made way for them to pass through. One of the numerous photographers stopped in front of them and yelled out, "let's get a photo before the guests comes out."

Mateo frowned but nonetheless he stood for the photo with April by his side. 

"Close the distance" the photographer said.

Mateo wrapped his arms around April's waist and pulled her against him, ignoring the way her body tensed in his grasps. He had expected the reaction from her but for some reason, it had frustrated him. Part of him had thought that after the heated kiss they shared, she'd have grown used to his touch and loosened up a bit but he was wrong. 

As though Mateo's hands had a mind of their own, he softly caressed the delicate curve of her back, causing her to raise her head and then let out a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Get it together" He lowered his head and whisper in her ears annoyed by her reaction then he went ahead to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear so the people watching would see him as an affectionate husband.

April smiled bitterly at him, "I'm trying my best, unlike you, some of us aren't good at faking it twenty four hours."

"Don't act like I forced you into this" he whispered harshly.

"I--"

"I'll need you guys to switch the style." The photographer interrupted their bickering. To the crowd, they looked like a loving couple but in reality, they were on each other's neck.

"Give me something more intimate. I suggest you recreate your wedding kiss." The photographer instructed.

Mateo scowled at the man. He was already tired of the wedding and the photographer was adding to his stress by telling him to change poses. He wished to be anywhere but there so he attempted to walk out.

He hadn't taken a step forward only to be pulled back by April but before he could come to terms with what was happening, he felt her lips on his.

April felt Mateo freeze, probably due to shock as he didn't expect April to kiss him suddenly, so she slightly pulled back and muttered. "Your grandparents are coming towards us."

Mateo immediately understood what she meant and pulled her close to him before resuming the kiss. His arms curled around April's waist, tugging her closer and she let herself succumb to the sweet sensation he was giving her. Her lips parted and her eyes shut close.

This was wrong!

Mateo tried to convince himself that kissing her wasn't right but he couldn't bring himself to stop. Kissing her was addictive. Why was he feeling this way when their relationship was all an act?

He didn't care anymore. He threw all his retrains out the window and focused on kissing her. Mateo thrust his tongue into her already parted lips and let his tongue play tag with hers.

Halfway into the kiss, April slowly opened her eyes, looked in the direction of where she saw his grandparents approaching from and discovered that they were now very close to them. 

She figured that they had already seen she and Mateo eating each other's faces which was the plan so she placed her hands on Mateo's chest and pushed him back softly. 

"They bought it." She smiled triumphantly. She had purposely kissed Mateo in the presence of his grandparents so they'd think that they loved each other so much so that they couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

April's words felt like being doused in ice water to Mateo. Something about her comment caused a tight ball to form in his chest, making him feel uneasy. Her words shouldn't have hurt, it was the truth after all but it did. He tried to wave the feeling away but for some reason, it wouldn't budge. Was it because he bought it too?

"Congratulations, son. I'm proud of you." Mateo's grandfather, Harold said and patted Mateo's shoulder. He then turned to April, his eyes gleaming in excitement, "my daughter in law, come here, sweetie." He said and when she came close, he enveloped her in a big hug.

"Dear, what's your name?" Mateo's grandmother, Caroline asked after her husband had finished speaking with April. 

"I'm April." April smiled politely.

"Give grandma a hug." Caroline said and April happily obliged. Seeing the old couple's excitement, April felt guilty for deceiving them.

"Hi, sister in law." A young man who April just noticed, greeted. "I'm Oliver, your brother in law." He said cheerfully.

Unlike Mateo, the man had a very sunny disposition with a bright smile lingering on his face at all times. If Mateo was to be the cool evening moon, Oliver would be the morning sunshine.

"Hello Oliver, I'm April." April returned his greeting with a smile.

"You know," Oliver began. "When I heard Mateo was getting married, I thought it was some kind of sick joke given his reputation. We didn't get to see the bride so it made me think he was lying. Until today--" he continued blabbing then he suddenly gasped in realization. "Did my brother pay you to act as his bride?" He dramatically placed his palm over his mouth. "Did he blackmail you? I-"

His words were interrupted by his grandma's spanking. "Ouch, that hurts" he whined and rubbed his shoulder where his nana had hit him.

"You talk a lot." She chided him. 

"Don't mind him, he talks without thinking." Harold said, causing April to chuckle. She found Oliver adorable.

"We'll leave you two alone." He added and walked out with his wife, dragging Oliver along with him.

"Come to me if you need help escaping!" Oliver yelled out before he let himself get pulled away.