I had spent nearly an hour choosing what to wear before meeting Ethan’s parents for the first time.
I wanted to look nice without seeming like I was trying too hard, so I picked a simple blouse, dark jeans, and a small necklace Ethan had given me.
Dinner started normally.
But almost immediately, I noticed his father behaving strangely. Every time he looked in my direction, his eyes seemed to dart away.
Then Ethan’s mother gave me an amused smile.
“Well,” she said, “my son certainly knows how to make an entrance.”
I didn’t understand what she meant, but the way she said it made me feel incredibly self-conscious.
For the rest of dinner, I barely spoke.
On the drive home, Ethan asked why I seemed upset.
“Your parents were acting weird around me.”
He looked genuinely confused.
When we got home, I went straight upstairs to change.
That was when I saw it.
A bright pink sticker was stuck near the front of my blouse.
It said:
“PROPERTY OF THE BRIDE — BACHELORETTE WEEKEND.”
I stared at it in horror.
Then I remembered.
My sister had been testing decorations for her upcoming bachelorette party earlier that afternoon. One of the stickers must have gotten transferred onto my clothes when she hugged me goodbye.
I called Ethan downstairs and showed him.
He laughed so hard he had to sit down.
Suddenly, his father avoiding eye contact made sense.
And his mother?
She hadn’t been insulting me at all.
She had simply assumed the ridiculous sticker was an inside joke between Ethan and me.
The next morning, I texted her the explanation.
Her response was immediate:
“I was wondering when you’d notice.”
