Chapter Fourteen #2
“Oh shit!” Priya said. “We have to give Brooke a heads-up. Her brother just showed up…” She trailed off as Rachel’s eyes flicked past her and settled on something behind her.
The chatter around them slowed, then stopped entirely, like a record scratching to a halt.
Priya didn’t need to turn around to know that Ethan had made his entrance.
The silence seemed to grow louder, broken only by the sound of his footsteps.
His presence shifted the atmosphere, curiosity rippling through the room.
She watched as he strolled into view and headed for the couch, unbothered by the attention trailing him.
He shrugged off his jacket, draped it over the armrest, and sank onto the cushions.
After tugging his boots off and stretching his legs toward the fire, he locked eyes with Priya and flashed her a grin.
“You coming?” he drawled, patting the seat beside him.
Heat rushed into Priya’s cheeks. Beside her, Rachel’s mouth fell open. She shot Priya a stunned glance. Priya swallowed and forced a smile before crossing the room. She lowered herself next to him, keenly aware of how every set of eyes was glued to them.
“You’ve officially silenced the room,” Priya whispered, trying to ignore the flush crawling up her neck.
“Good.” Ethan grinned. “I wasn’t in the mood for small talk.”
Before Priya could respond, Rachel interrupted.
“Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Priya?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Oh sorry, Rachel,” Priya said. “This is Brooke’s brother, Ethan.”
Rachel gave Ethan an appreciative smile. “Brooke’s been holding out on me.”
A sudden, possessive warmth flooded Priya’s chest. Without thinking, she moved closer to Ethan, letting their shoulders touch. Rachel’s gaze flicked between them, eyebrows lifting.
“So…are you two an item?” she asked.
“No,” Priya mumbled.
“Not yet,” Ethan added smoothly, a grin playing on his lips. “I keep asking, but Priya keeps shooting me down.”
Priya’s jaw nearly dropped, but Rachel cut in before she could say anything. “Priya, you and Brooke are officially the worst at sharing.” She shook her head with exaggerated offense. Then she flashed a mischievous smile and wandered off to deliver the juicy gossip to the rest of the room.
“Why did you say that?” Priya hissed at Ethan as soon as she left.
“It’s easier this way.” He stretched his arms out along the back of the couch. “If she thinks I’m interested in you, she’ll leave me alone. No small talk. No flirting. Nobody’s feelings get hurt. It’s a win-win.”
“And what about me?” Priya shot back.
Ethan leaned closer, his voice dipping. “You don’t like the idea of everyone thinking you’ve got me wrapped around your finger?”
Priya’s pulse quickened. She wasn’t mad that he’d lied. She was mad because, for a second, she’d let herself believe that Ethan really was into her. Her heart had felt like a shaken-up can of soda, ready to burst.
“Never mind,” she muttered under her breath.
Ethan slid his boots back on and gave his jacket a shake before putting it on. “Come on, Pri. Let’s get out of here,” he said, rising to his feet.
Priya squared her shoulders and followed him out, pretending not to feel the weight of stares. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, she exhaled sharply. “You’re such a troublemaker, Heathen Knight.”
“Troublemaker?” Ethan chuckled, his face soft and indistinct under the night sky. “Pretty sure everyone in there thinks you’re the troublemaker. Turning me down left, right, and center.”
“Yeah. No doubt you’re real torn up about it,” Priya said dryly, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Just wait till Brooke hears about tonight. She’ll be so mad you didn’t tell her about your big fat crush on me.”
“Why don’t we go tell her right now?” Ethan said with a grin. “Where’s your room? I can drop off her phone charger while we’re at it.”
Alarm bells rang in Priya’s head. There was no way she could risk Ethan walking in on Brooke and Caleb.
“Uh, that’s okay!” She waved her hand dismissively. “Brooke’s probably asleep already. She had a headache earlier. Just give it to me and I’ll pass it on. You don’t want to deal with Grumpy Brooke.”
“Better you than me.” Ethan handed her the charger. “It’s too nice a night to risk my sister’s wrath.”
Relieved that Ethan hadn’t pressed to see Brooke, Priya slipped the charger into her pocket. “It really is pretty out here,” she said, glancing around. The air carried a freshness from the earlier rain, and the moon cast silver shadows across the gravel as they walked to the parking lot.
“How about a ride before I head out?”
“You want me to hop on with you?” Priya had never gotten on the bike with him before.
“Unless you’d prefer to ride solo,” Ethan teased.
“Sure. Let me just pull out my top-secret motorcycle license,” Priya said, mock-patting her sweatpants.
“See? I knew it—Priya Solanki, undercover biker.”
“Busted.” She grinned, throwing her hands up.
“Here, put this on.” He shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her.
“What about you?” Priya asked, eyeing his thin T-shirt.
“I’m used to it.” He guided her arms through the sleeves. When the jacket settled over her shoulders, he zipped it up snugly to her chin.
Even through her sweatshirt, Priya could feel Ethan’s body heat radiating from the jacket. It caught her off guard, and she glanced away, toying with the sleeves and feeling uncharacteristically shy around him.
Ethan pulled her hood around her face. “Ready to roll?” he asked, nudging her glasses back into place.
Blinking at him from behind her round lenses, Priya nodded. Ethan paused, glanced at her with a chuckle, then swung his leg over the bike and gripped the handlebars. The engine came alive with a growl, its echo rippling across the night.
Priya mounted the bike and shifted her weight, her feet finding the pegs, as she looped her arms around Ethan. If she could, she would have happily suction-cupped herself to him.
“Whoa, take it easy, hotshot,” Ethan said.
“Sorry.” She let out a nervous laugh and loosened her hold.
“Not that loose.” Ethan guided her hands back around his waist, gave the engine a quick rev, and pulled out of the parking lot.
As they sped away, Priya’s heart picked up.
Headlights pierced the darkness, casting an arc of light before them.
The road stretched out ahead, a rain-slicked ribbon weaving through open fields.
In the aftermath of the storm, the stars seemed to shimmer even more brightly.
Bathed in moonlight, away from any lights, it felt as if they were the only two people on earth.
Priya had never felt this kind of freedom before, unrestrained and electrifying, coasting toward an endless horizon.
As the wind yanked her hood away, something stirred within her—a craving she didn’t fully understand.
It wasn’t the gentle adolescent longing of a fifteen-year-old. It was fierce and electric.
With each curve they rounded, Priya became acutely aware of the way Ethan’s muscles moved under his T-shirt, the rush of clinging to him, and the steady, powerful vibration of the engine beneath her.
The night air nipped at her face. Shadowy grass swayed in their wake, and the world whizzed by in a mosaic of moonlit fields.
Priya snuggled closer, her arms gliding up Ethan’s torso to his chest. For a fleeting moment, he tensed, looking over his shoulder as she nestled her cheek between his shoulder blades.
Then he grinned and turned back to the road. “Please, make yourself right at home,” he said, over the roar of the engine.
Priya smiled and closed her eyes. The smell of his jacket and fresh wet earth wrapped around her senses, embedding itself in her mind.
In the years that followed, whenever the earthy fusion of leather and damp soil hit her, it took her straight back to this moment—the feeling of holding Ethan tight, of dancing on the edge of a dream, of never wanting the road to end.