“I don’t know.”
“Well, how do you feel?”
He thought about that for a second, pushed past his bruised pride. “I’m annoyed but not devastated. Luna is right, this show isn’t for me.”
“Do you miss your old job?”
“I do,” he confessed. “I thought a drama here would offer me the same things.” It didn’t.Hope Streethad no passion, no excitement. If he was bored, how would viewers feel? He longed for his old show, missed the wild storylines, the over-the-top characters, the dramatic close-ups.
“Oh no, Desi soaps are their own breed. There’s nothing quite comparable to them here.”
“I needed the move, though. I like it here. So it’s not like I’ll be able to return to my old job, even if the show hadn’t ended.”
She made a sympathetic noise. “You wrote for the show. It’s clear you had a passion for it.” She reached across the table and put her hand over his. “Maybe you should restart the soap here.”
He chuckled. “They killed me off in the finale.”
“How many identical twins did you have over its run? There’s no such thing as dead in a soap opera.”
“This is true.” Dev turned his hand over and held hers. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a place for myself here.”
“I have no doubt of it.” She cocked her head. “Isn’t it interesting that we both kind of hate our jobs? Like we’re at a crossroads at the exact same time.”
“I imagine we’ll face many more crossroads over the years.” He liked this part, talking them through with her. His problems seemed less intense when he had someone to share the burden with.
He wanted to accelerate this domesticity. A house. Once he had a proper home for them, and once Adil Uncle and Luna came back, he’d have more of that family feel. He didn’t know yet how he’d balance that with the whole not rushing her thing, but he would. He’d vowed things would proceed at her pace, and he’d stick to it.
Her eyes smiled. “I imagine we will.”
They may have only enjoyed a couple of days of wedded bliss, but he recognized the tone in her voice. Dev came to his feet and walked around the table to tug Jia up.
“Excuse me, I’m not done eating,” she teased.
“We’ll eat later.” He kissed her, and she responded instantly, rising on her tiptoes. With their height difference, the logistics of intimacy were a little difficult, but not impossible. He hoisted her up and deposited her on the table, unsnapping the button on her jeans.
“Here?” She breathed.
“Unless you have an objection.” He kissed her again.
Her head was shaking, but she gave him a verbal confirmation as soon as their mouths separated. “Nope, zero objections.”
They were getting good at taking their clothes off fast, though they only stripped off the bare minimum now. Heactually liked this, when they were in too much of a rush to take everything off.
The best part of sex was her, and he paid attention to her cues. She liked his hands and his mouth, so he gave her both generously. It didn’t take long for her, with his fingertips slicking over her clit and his lips on hers.
She gasped when she climaxed, her head tipping back. He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses all over her neck and fell into her arms when he shuddered out his own release.
“I like this,” she whispered into the silence of the room.
He let out a laugh. “Me too.”
“It’s going well so far, right?”
There was an odd note in her voice and he straightened up, pulling away from her. “Yes, I think so. Don’t you?”
“Yup.” Her smile was bright. “I like how we’re going really slow, you know? Getting to know each other. Not rushing.”
He feared his smile was too tight. It was good he hadn’t demanded she move in properly, then. She needed time.
