“Priya?” Puppa asked. “Are you listening?”
“Uh-huh…Photos…Fire…” Her words trailed off as Ethan picked her up and sat her on the table.
“And I need that number from my address book. Do you still have it?”
“Yes,” Priya replied, as Ethan kissed her neck, his hands tracing a slow path down her back. “Yesss.”
A saltshaker toppled to the floor as her legs wrapped around him.
“Yes,what?” Puppa snapped. “What’s going on over there, Priya?”
Priya hopped off the table, giving Ethan the side-eye. He was clearly enjoying distracting her.
“I have the address book right here,” she said, flipping to the page with Mr. Foster’s number and giving it to Puppa.
“Mumma and I will call Mr. Ethan later,” Puppa said. “He is a real-life hero for saving you and Moksha.”
Ethan flexed his biceps, then mimed a slam dunk just as she hung up. “Would you look at that?” He grinned. “Your father likes me. I might have to swing by more often. Maybe even stay in the coach house again when I’m back in September for TIFF.”
“You’ll be back in September?” Priya asked, surprised.And he’d want to see me?
“Yeah. My movie with Sienna is premiering at the film festival.”
Priya frowned. The timeline she’d built for their fling, ending neatly with Ethan’s departure, scattered like leaves in the wind. If he was coming back in a few months’ time, that was going to complicate things in a big way.
“Try not to faint from excitement,” Ethan said, catching the look on her face. He caught her hand in his, tugging her closer,and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Want to come with me to the premiere?”
“To themoviepremiere?”
“No, darling, my highly classified sock-puppet performance,” Ethan said with a laugh. “Yes, the premiere.”
“Like on the red carpet?” Priya bit her lip. She couldn’t imagine walkinganyred carpet. With or without Ethan. What would she even wear?
“Would that really freak you out that much?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t want to be plastered all over the media, Ethan,” she said, letting go of his hand. “I thought we agreed this was just a fling.”
“I’m not asking for anything serious, Pri. Just a fun night out—get dressed up, hit the town, maybe go out after. You could come with Brooke if you don’t want to be seen with me,” he offered, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile that almost looked sad. He glanced away, and Priya felt awful. Ethan didn’t offer himself up for rejection easily, not after the way his father had hurt him. Yet here he was, nudging the boundaries of their arrangement. A part of her soared, buzzing with the possibility that he might want more. But another part was terrified. They were so different, and they lived in entirely opposite worlds.Hewas Hollywood;shewas…Moksha.
“I totally get it if you’re not ready,” Ethan said. “The press, the limelight, the attention…it can be overwhelming. And even though you’ve upgraded to Priya 2.0, you still like to live life as if it’s a program you can code. Neatly. Line by line.”
“Yeah, well, the program’s malfunctioning,” Priya said with a dry laugh. Her divorce, her career, and her bank account flashedthrough her mind. And now, as Ethan nibbled his way down the side of her neck, she realized her firewall had been breached too. Her whole system was breaking down, byte by byte, and despite how scary it was, she was loving every second of it.
“Okay, okay. Time-out.” She caught his hands before they wandered farther. “There’s work to be done. Photos to send, a fridge to empty…”
“Fine.” Ethan drew back in mock disappointment. “You look after the photos, then we’ll tackle the fridge together.”
“How noble of you. My parents would be mortified if they knew you were moonlighting as a janitor in their absence.”
“It’s the least I can do. Especially considering what I plan to do with their daughter later.” He cradled her chin, brushing his lips over hers in a slow, tantalizing kiss. Just as Priya started to melt, he broke away.
“Chop-chop, Pri.” He grinned. “And no slacking off until it’s done.” With a cheeky swat to her backside, he turned her around and sent her on her way.
Nineteen
“You slacked off,”Ethan teased. Lying under the faded quilt in her room, he looked far too content about it.
Priya laughed. “I was dealing with some very important matters.”
