Page 74 of Too Much In Common
“Thanks for coming. Alex was going to help me, but he got called out because of some St. Patrick’s Day thing. Anyway, you know the drill. Your goal is the purse.”
He raised his eyebrows. She had to be kidding. Abbie smiled. Chris turned to the wall of safety gear. He took off his jacket, set it on the shelf and put on the head protection.
“Ready?” asked Abbie.
“Yes.”
“Begin.”
Hoping for a different outcome than the last time he’d spared with Abbie, he turned and stepped into his attack. Only it wasn’t Abbie, with the bag slung over her shoulder. It was Tian. Already on his second step, he faltered.
“Get the bag,” ordered Abbie.
As he had with Abbie a couple of months ago, he reached for the bag. Tian’s arm shot up, and he was on his back, looking at the ceiling.
Tian leaned over. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve fallen for you.”
Laughter filled the room. Chris turned his head and recognized the students in the shadows as his fellow Hastings team members and Tian’s roommates. The Ogilives were also there. Two could play at this game. He rolled to his feet and took off the safety gear and put back on his jacket. Tian still stood on the mat, accepting a hug from Abbie.
Chris dropped to one knee. “Tian, I have fallen for you in more than one way.”
The chatting in the room died instantly. Tian stood with her right hand over her mouth. Abbie gave her a gentle push forward. Chris clasped her left hand. And pulled the ring box out of his pocket.
“Christian Rae Johnson, will you marry me?”
* * *
Two weeks later.
The county clerk handed the clipboard back to Tian. “I asked for your information, not his.”
“Thatismy information.”
“But—” The clerk looked from one form to the other.
Chris leaned forward in his chair. “Our drivers licenses should clear this up.”
The clerk held both licenses at eye level, comparing the photos with their faces. “You have the same name?” He lowered the cards. “How do you tell yourselves apart?”
The man shook his head as if ridding his mind of a trance. “Sorry, stupid question. Of course, you can tell yourselves apart. In all my years working here, I’ve never seen a couple with the same name.”
“Our middle names are spelled differently.” Tian pointed out the difference that needed to be clear on the license.
Chris squeezed her hand. “That is how we knew which one of us was called to jury duty.”
The clerk looked at his monitor. “So if someone does the Brangelina thing with your name, it comes out as Christian, which is your name.”
Tian and Chris exchanged a look. “It’s better than Tiris.”
“No one will believe this at the convention.” The clerk laughed with them.
“I’m more worried about the IRS questioning our joint tax return,” said Chris.
“On the bright side, I don’t have to worry about changing my passport or anything else.”
The clerk looked up. “That is a bonus. However, I am seeing more and more marriages where one spouse doesn’t take the other’s name.”
