“This station.” Ethan grinned, tapping the roof. “This old freight car. These forgotten train tracks. This patch of land that feels like it’s been frozen in time. If our destiny is truly cast in the stars, then the only way to break free is to become one. Take all that messy, angry, frustrated stuff inside you and push yourself higher.”
“Sothat’syour secret, huh?” Priya teased. “You used all that teenage rage to make it big?”
“I wouldn’t be where I am if my father hadn’t been so hard on me,” Ethan said, his voice quiet with reflection. “I had to provesomething, not just to him but to myself. It’s funny how our toughest challenges can unlock what we’re really capable of.” His gaze wandered toward the distant lights of his father’s estate.
Priya could still feel the deep sorrow in him, as if the memories of the past were wrapped around him like a heavy cloak. She had to try again. “Ethan, why don’t you reach out to him while you’re here? Maybe just try one more time?”
Ethan shook his head, his expression resigned. “It’s on him now.”
“Maybe he thinks you have it all, so you don’t need him.”
“Idohave it all.” Ethan let out a hollow laugh. “I don’t need him.”
“So that’s it? Fame, fortune, and fans. Nothing else matters?”
“It should be enough,” he replied with a weary sigh. “But life doesn’t work like that. You work so hard chasing after your dreams, but the second you reach them, there’s another one waiting. And then another. It’s an endless loop, and you never get to fully enjoy where you’re at because there’s always more to chase. Eventually, it wears you down, and all you want is to sit in silence, under a dark sky away from all the lights.”
He fell silent, letting the stillness wrap around him. “You know, I’ve always longed to return here,” he said, stretching out to look at the stars.
A lump rose in Priya’s throat. The way he spoke, like this place was still home, gnawed at her. And yet here she was, intent on sending him away. Swallowing hard, she stretched out beside him, lying flat on her back. Together, they lay beneath the sky, letting the night air fill their lungs.
“Everyone loves to watch the stars shine, but no one sees how they’re really burning from the inside,” Priya said so suddenly, she even surprised herself.
Ethan turned to her slowly. There was a quiet ache in his eyes that made her want to reach for his hand. But she didn’t. Because Ethan would leave, just as he had before, and nothing would change for her or her family if she gave in to his pull.
How had she ended up here—caught between wanting him to stay and knowing that she had no option but to send him packing?
Seven
The next day,Priya unpacked the Wi-Fi router and scanned the coach house for the best place to install it. Settling on a bookshelf, she plugged it in and connected it to the modem. As she waited for the lights on the front panel to change, Priya’s attention wandered to Ethan. He was deep in his workout, muscles flexing as he powered through his routine.
Priya turned her attention to the router, pretending not to be affected by the sight of him. But her eyes drifted back to his abs.
So ridiculously toned I could play a full-on xylophone melody on them.
Ethan looked up and caught her staring, his grin mischievous and knowing.
“If you flex any harder, you’ll pop a vein,” Priya said. “But hey, don’t let it stop you from trying to impress me. I’m thoroughly entertained.”
“Oh, I can tell. And judging by how long it’s taking you to hook me up to the internet, it might be a bittooentertaining. Want me to ease up, or are you planning to camp out here all day?” Ethan transitioned into his next move, his eyes locking with hers in a playful challenge.
Resisting the urge to react, Priya turned away from him and opened the Wi-Fi settings on her phone. She connected to the new network, entered the password, and felt a sense of satisfaction when she saw full bars of connection.
Ha! Priya, one. Xylophone abs, zero.
As she set her phone aside, it buzzed with an incoming video call from her sister.
“Hey, Pri,” Deepa greeted when she answered. “I’m almost done with my exams, and I was thinking—” She froze mid-sentence and leaned forward. “Wait…is that…? Holy shit, it’s Ethan Knight! Oh my god! I didn’t know he was there already.”
“Well, if you’d answered my call yesterday, you’d be up-to-date,” Priya replied.
Deepa, however, had lost all interest in their conversation.
“Oh lord, he’s shirtless,” she whispered, practically pressing her face to the screen. “Pri, how are you so calm? Move your phone! Right, right!”
“I’m not your personal cameraman, Dee.”
“Almost there, Pri,” Deepa said, ignoring her older sister. “A little lower.”
