However, it wouldn’t do for Luna to return next week and see Jia coming back and forth to the apartment, married or not, so he’d have to figure something out soon to give her the independence she wanted while still giving this marriage and them a chance.
It was a problem, but he’d always been good at solving those.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“WHERE AREyou?”
Jia glanced up from her computer and refocused on her phone, where Ayesha’s face was displayed. “What?”
“It’s not home and it’s not your studio.” Ayesha gasped, and she leaned forward, delighted scandal on her face. “Jia! Are you living with Dev?”
“Be mature. He’s my husband.” She paused. Besides, she wasn’t sure she could call the past week living together. She’d fetched a suitcase of clothes, and he’d only gotten around to clearing out a drawer for her yesterday. The most presence she had in this place was in the office, where he’d carved out a corner for her, and the bathroom, where they used the same skin products. “How is it going talking everyone out of a huge wedding reception?”
“Only Daddy is firmly on your side.” Ayesha lowered her voice to mimic their father. “‘We can’t allow the groom’s side to pay for everything, but five daughters isn’t cheap, I should get a break on one of them by now.’”
Jia chuckled. “Sadia saved him money!” The first time because she eloped, and the second because her husband was wealthy and insisted on paying for everything.
“The elders didn’t.”
“Well, I will.” Jia had felt obligated to post a couple wedding shots on her socials, but she still wanted glamorous photos of her and Dev, big Bollywood sweeping pictures. She even had locations in mind.
But social media and reality were two different things, and she wasn’t about to waste oodles of money and time on a fancy reception, even if her new grandmother-in-law was going to pay for it. She had more important stuff to focus on, like the contracts MakeOut had sent over this morning. They were only nondisclosure agreements so they could talk further, but she’d enjoyed speaking with the executives there so far. She had all her fingers crossed.
“Jia?” Dev’s voice came from the hallway.
“You sound busy,” Ayesha said, again in a singsong voice.
Jia rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to have a sex romp, Ayesha. It’s the middle of the day.”
“Oh. I can’t believe I have to tell you this, old married lady, but I’m pretty sure sex isn’t limited to after the sun goes down.”
Jia ended the call on Ayesha’s laughter and glanced up when Dev appeared in the doorway. Her heart melted a little, just as it did whenever she saw him. His face was bright.
He rarely looked stern anymore, and when he did, it was easy to tease him into a smile. She rose to her feet. “What’s up?”
“Are you busy?”
“Not too busy.”
“I have a surprise for you. Can you come with me?”
“Sure.” Jia eyed Dev as she neared him. He was practically jumping in eagerness. “What’s up with you?”
“Come. Hurry.”
He refused to tell her what was up, even as they left his apartment building and went to the garage. She got in his car when he held her door open for her, moving her skirt when it might otherwise get caught in the door.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they left the garage.
He casually picked up her hand. This one-handed driving had made her nervous in the beginning, but now she liked the self-assured way he drove, and the way he couldn’t seem to keep his hands away from her. “You’ll see.”
How strange. She could tell she wasn’t going to get any more information out of him, so she relaxed back into the seat. They drove through a couple of neighborhoods, then up through the twisting hills, through residential neighborhoods.
“I was thinking, the flat might get too small for us, once Luna and Adil Uncle are back.”
“Oh?” Her heart picked up speed. Okay, good. They were going to discuss what their lives were going to look like, long-term. It would be nice to not live out of a suitcase any longer.
“I’d like for us to have our own place. A proper fresh start, a more permanent one.”
