Technically

"I...I don't understand," he said to his bride, "what do you mean we won't be married, we're going through a whole ceremony."

"I...the officiant...she...the church she's ordained through...if...if a marriage isn't consummated, it's not, well, official."

"What do you mean it's not official?" he asked.

"No consummation, no marriage," she said.

"But...but we're going to...eventually." 

Her face reddened; she looked away briefly.

"What?" he asked.

"He...I mean...we were talking and...he doesn't think it's a good idea."

"But he promised," he said, "after we got married, he promised we could...could do that."

"You know how possessive he is," she said of her lover.

"But you'll be my wife...he can't reasonably expect we'll never do that."

"Not technically..."

"Not technically?"

"The consummation thing," she said. "Listen, we're going to be gone for ten days, I promise to talk to him about it when we're gone. I mean, it's a honeymoon, I'm sure he'll be in a good mood with all the sex."

He swallowed, touched his bride's leg, her garter. "I just...I just want you so badly," he said.

"I know, baby, I know," she said. "Listen, it's not terrible, I mean, everyone will just assume we're married, even if technically we're not."

"He...he's never going to let me..."

"Shhhhh," she put a finger to his lips. "Has it been so bad? It's not like we lack intimacy, it's not like we don't mess around. I mean, it's cute...how you're excited all the time. I don't want to lose that."

"But you'll be my wife," he said.

"Not...not technically," she said. 

Inspired by a request from Catherine