Chapter Thirty Five
Thirty-Five
As Ethan closed the space between them, the security guards retreated as if his presence rendered them irrelevant.
The noise, the flashes, the electric hum of the crowd became nothing more than a blur at the edges of Priya’s awareness.
Because, for the first time since he had ridden away that night, Ethan’s eyes were on her.
She stood immobilized, her heart pounding as Ethan stopped before her. Priya had feared a million different possibilities for this moment. That he’d be cold. Angry. Hurt. Resentful.
But there was nothing there. Not even a flicker of the Ethan she knew.
And that neutrality? That nothingness? It wrecked her.
She had turned him away when he was willing to fight for her, convinced she was doing the right thing. And now he was showing her what it meant to be on the other side of that choice.
“I’m guessing you’re on kitten duty for Brooke?” Ethan said, nodding toward the tote slung over Priya’s shoulder, his sister’s initials stitched neatly on the side.
It took Priya a second to process his words. She had been so lost in the moment that she had forgotten about Sir Puffington.
“Oh…yeah,” she managed, clearing her throat. “He got away from me.”
Ethan lifted Sir Puffington from the crook of his arm and held him out toward her. As Priya took the kitten from him, their fingers brushed for a second. The contact was featherlight, but it stole the air from her lungs.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice tight as she tucked Sir Puffington back inside the tote. She wanted to say more, but the words just wouldn’t come, so she adjusted the strap over her shoulder, holding it like it might hold her together.
Ethan gave a small nod and started to walk away, then hesitated and turned back. “I hear you really went to bat for me with my father,” he said. “He said you’re the reason he showed up today.”
“I just wanted the two of you to make things right,” Priya said, her throat thick with emotion.
Ethan studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Thank you,” he said, his eyes dropping to the pendant around her neck. For a fraction of a second, his expression softened. Just long enough for her to see the man she loved, to see that maybe this wasn’t easy for him either.
“Goodbye, Priya Solanki,” he said.
Priya’s chest tightened. This was where she was supposed to meet his goodbye with her own, to say the words that would bring them closure. But her voice failed her. So, she stood silently, her heart hammering in protest.
As Ethan turned to leave, something snapped inside Priya. This wasn’t how their story ended. Not with a hollow goodbye that felt like hammering the last nail in a coffin.
She reached for him without thinking, her fingers curling around his wrist. Ethan looked down at their hands, then back up to her face.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Priya pulled him toward her, heart pounding wildly, not giving herself the chance to hesitate. She saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes, and before he could react, she rose onto her toes, fingers sliding into the collar of his jacket, and kissed him.
The world exploded in a burst of flashing lights.
Ethan went completely still, his hands hovering at her sides. Priya knew that he didn’t owe her anything. Not forgiveness. Not love. Not even a reaction.
But that wasn’t why she kissed him. She kissed him because she wanted him to know that she was done hiding. Because, for the first time in her life, she was brave enough to love out loud, in vivid, breathtaking Technicolor.
Even if he rejected her. Even if he walked away.
Because loving Ethan Knight had been the truest thing she had ever done. And if she was going to lose him forever, she wanted him to feel it, to know that he had been loved. Recklessly. Entirely. Unconditionally.
She pulled away, breathless. But Ethan still didn’t react. Didn’t blink. Didn’t swallow.
The moment stretched impossibly long.
Priya took a step back. Now she could say goodbye.
But then Ethan moved. His hand curled around her waist, the other tilting her chin for a kiss that stole the air from her lungs.
It was hungry and desperate and punishing, like he had been waiting for this moment all along.
His mouth moved against hers with a heat that chased every rational thought from her mind.
It was fire and longing, frustration and surrender all at once.
Priya clung to his jacket, feeling the thud of his heartbeat. He kissed her like he had something to prove, like he needed her to understand just how much she had wrecked him. And god, she did. Because she felt the same.
Around them, shutters clicked in rapid succession, voices murmuring in shock, excitement, disbelief.
Someone let out a loud whistle, setting off a ripple of whoops and catcalls.
It all blurred into the background. Priya didn’t care.
Kissing Ethan in front of the whole world felt like a beautiful surrender, like leaping off a cliff and finally remembering how to fly.
She was breathless, buzzing, invincible.
Until a sharp sting shot through her.
Startled, she broke away from Ethan, and spotted Sir Puffington halfway out of the tote hanging from her shoulder—tiny teeth clamped onto her sweatshirt as he nipped on her arm.
“Shoot, I forgot all about him!” Priya exclaimed.
Ethan reached over and pried him loose. “Alright, tiny terror,” he scolded, lifting the kitten into his arms. “That’s my girl you’re chomping on.”
Priya laughed, rubbing her arm. “At least he’s sticking close to me. Brooke would have my head if I lost him again.”
“She’d have to go through me first,” Ethan said, adjusting his hold on Sir Puffington.
Priya’s heart skipped. There it was—that feeling again—that electric, terrifying, thrilling feeling, as if their lives had snapped back into place.
She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
What mattered was that she’d taken a leap, and instead of walking away, Ethan had caught her.
And now, all she wanted was to hold on to this beautiful, unexpected moment.
But the world had other plans. The press clamored for attention, each reporter shouting over the other.
“Ethan, Priya! Just one shot!”
“To your right. Over here!”
The flashes were relentless and blinding.
As the questions flew, Ethan shifted instinctively to shield Priya. For a split second, she felt it all. The scrutiny, the speculation, the razor-sharp assessment.
What the hell is she wearing?
What is she even doing here?
What does he see in her?
She knew what they saw. Frizzy hair. No makeup. A sweatshirt two sizes too big. Pajama pants. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed. Which, in fact, was true.
And yet, somehow, she felt like she was exactly where she belonged.
Standing beside Ethan. On the red carpet.
Just like they had planned. It was as if this moment had been cast in the stars.
She was meant to be here. Maybe not in the way the world expected.
Maybe not in the way she expected either.
But she wasn’t about to let anyone—reporters, critics, internet trolls—diminish her.
Let them talk. About her clothes, her failures, her background.
Let them post photos of her mismatched pajamas. Let them call her undeserving.
Priya nudged her glasses up the bridge of her nose, squared her shoulders, and sent Ethan a sideways glance. I’ve got this.
Ethan’s eyes lingered on her, his lips curving into a smile. He gave a small nod, a silent acknowledgment. Then, as if coming to a decision, he tucked Sir Puffington back inside the tote and reached for her hand, their fingers lacing together like they had never forgotten the way.
“Want to get out of here?” he asked.
“Can we?” Priya asked back, blinking in surprise. “I thought you had an after-party.”
“Forget the after-party. I’m more interested in an exclusive event starring you and me.
” Ethan turned toward Sienna and lifted two fingers in a quick, almost lazy salute.
Sienna’s lips pressed together in the briefest flicker of irritation before she caught herself.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she turned back to the cameras with a megawatt smile.
She wasn’t about to let anyone steal her moment.
Priya glanced between them, a pang of doubt hitting her. “I hope I didn’t—”
“You didn’t.” Ethan laughed under his breath. “Sienna’s not my date. We were never a thing.” He led them off the carpet and then pulled out his phone to send a message. Within seconds, a luxury sedan rolled to the curb.
Priya raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m impressed.”
“What can I say? I like to make quick exits.” Ethan grinned. “Coming?”
Priya slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow. This was her moment, and more importantly, this was her man. And she was claiming him before the world.
As the driver held the door open, the press surged forward, a whirlwind of questions, cameras, and eager eyes pressing in from all sides.
“Can we get a statement about your relationship?”
“Are we going to see you later tonight?”
“Was there any truth to the two of you being just friends?”
Security closed in, forming a barrier as Ethan helped Priya into the car, setting Sir Puffington’s tote beside her. Before slipping in after her, he turned and gave the crowd a final wave, only adding fuel to the frenzy.
The moment the doors shut, muting the deafening noise outside, Priya let out a long breath. Sir Puffington curled into a ball and let out a tiny purr. Ethan turned to Priya, his eyes narrowing. Then, without warning, he swept her hair to one side and looked behind her ear.
“What are you doing?” Priya asked.
“Checking to see if your beauty mark is still there,” he said, his thumb brushing over the familiar spot.
“Because the Priya I knew couldn’t even tell her own parents about us.
She would’ve been halfway across the city before letting herself be caught in a media storm like that.
” His lips quirked in a teasing smile. “Priya 2.0 seems to have had a major upgrade.”
Priya shrugged playfully. “It took a while to rewrite the code, but all the bugs are fixed. Stronger firewall. New security patches. No more crash reports.”
“And what about compatibility?” Ethan grinned. “Still runs with Knight OS?”
“Exclusively with Knight OS.”
“Good to know,” Ethan murmured, leaning in. Before he could kiss her, the driver’s voice cut in over the partition.
“Where to, Mr. Knight?”
Ethan’s gaze flicked to Priya. “I can only think of one place to keep this party going.”
She nodded, her lips curving as he gave the driver the address to the coach house. But just as the words left his mouth, Priya’s entire expression changed.
“What is it?” Ethan asked, concern creeping into his tone.
“That’s my car!” Priya gestured frantically toward the window behind him.
Ethan turned in his seat, just in time to see a tow truck hauling away a brand-new car down the road, its hazard lights blinking.
“I left it at the curb,” Priya groaned. “I was only going to be a minute.”
“Change of plans.” Ethan knocked on the partition. “Follow that tow truck.”
“Understood.” The driver pulled out, steering the car seamlessly onto the road.
“Here we go again,” Ethan said to Priya, glancing over his shoulder.
Behind them, a convoy of vehicles merged into the traffic, the paparazzi pursuing them as they pursued the tow truck.
Priya let out an exasperated sigh before nestling into the curve of Ethan’s arms. “Guess I better get used to it.”
“Look at you, rolling with the punches like a pro.”
“No matter what happens, there’s one thing I know for sure.”
“What’s that?”
Priya smiled and laced her fingers through his. “Life is never going to be boring with you.”
As their lips met, the driver shifted lanes, weaving through traffic to shake off the press. The city blurred in a kaleidoscope of colors. The chase was on, but Ethan and Priya were too wrapped up in each other to care.