Chapter Thirty Eight
Thirty-Eight
“What a fun evening,” Priya said as Ethan unlocked the door to the coach house. “It was so nice of your dad to host a dinner party for us.”
The last time Ethan’s father threw a party for him, it was a send-off to college.
But when Ethan had chosen his own path instead, the door to his father’s house had shut behind him.
Until now. So, tonight wasn’t just an engagement party.
It was a homecoming, an invitation back into the place he had once called home.
“What did you and your dad talk about when you disappeared?” Priya asked, as they stepped inside.
Ethan rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Not much. We visited my mom’s grave.”
Priya stilled. “Oh,” she said softly. “Are you okay?” Her hand found his arm, and she searched his face for what he wasn’t saying.
“Yeah. It wasn’t really planned,” he continued. “One second, we were in the house, and the next…I just knew where we were going.”
Priya’s heart ached. “How was it?”
Ethan was quiet for a moment. “We just stood there. Remembering her. And when we turned to leave…” His throat bobbed. “My dad put a hand on my shoulder. Just…this firm squeeze.”
Priya reached for his hand. “I’m glad you went.”
“Me too.” A small smile touched his lips, weary but lighter than before. Then he tilted his head, studying her. “And what did you get up to while I was gone?”
“I stayed on video chat with my sisters after you left. It was nice having them at the engagement party, even virtually. Then I watched Brooke work her magic. She launched Sir Puffington into superstardom in under five minutes! He has fifteen thousand followers already.” Priya pulled out her phone and flashed the screen at him.
“The Puffington Post?” Ethan laughed before scanning the page. “Pri, there’s just one photo on his account. One. And it’s with me.”
“Oh, really?” Priya grinned, playing innocent.
“This is a straight-up exploitation,” Ethan declared, staring at an image from earlier that night—Sir Puffington lounging on his lap with a digital crown perched on his head.
The caption underneath read, “Rescued at TIFF. Crowned at dinner. Living the dream. #BreakingMeows #FromRescueToRoyalty #KnightInFurryArmor #MoveOverEthanKnight.”
“I’ve been played, Pri. Look at all these brand deal pitches. My own sister is monetizing me. And look at this comment about me and my emotional support cat.”
Priya bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I mean…the internet is obsessed with you saving him at TIFF.”
“Oh, so the first image that goes viral since we got engaged is of me with…some pussy?”
“Ethan!” Priya gasped, smacking his arm as laughter burst out of her. “We’ve only been engaged for two days.”
“That’s way too long for my fiancée to be missing from my feed. We need to fix this right now.” Ethan gave Priya back her phone and pulled out his own. “Alright, future Mrs. Knight, let’s make it official.”
“Just like that? No PR strategy, no media rollout?”
“Are you backing out on me?”
“Not a chance.”
Ethan snapped the picture just as Priya’s grin broke through, her eyes crinkling with amusement. The ring wasn’t in-your-face obvious, but it was there, subtly catching the light. He took a few more, playing around with angles, before leaning in to press a quick kiss on her jaw.
“Which one do you like?” he asked, scrolling through the images.
“All of them,” she declared. “They’re definitely an upgrade from my red-carpet debut.”
“Then I say we post them all.” But instead of uploading them, he tucked his phone away. “Tomorrow,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers. “Tonight, I want you all to myself. No interruptions.”
Priya sighed contentedly, her fingers grazing the back of his neck, playing with the ends of his hair. But she knew the clock was ticking: In a few days, he had to leave.
“I’m going to miss you,” she whispered, pressing her forehead to his.
Ethan’s arms tightened around her. “Me too,” he said, his breath warm against her skin.
“But we’ll figure it out,” he promised. “Maybe get a place in both cities. One here, and one in L.A. Your app’s blowing up and everyone wants a piece of you.
You can work from anywhere now, Pri. Even join me on location.
” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her skin.
“But right now, I have a better idea. How about a midnight ride?” He flashed that signature grin, the one that made logic and reason entirely optional.
“Shouldn’t we at least change first?” Priya gestured toward their evening wear—her lavishly embroidered salwar khameez and his crisp dark suit.
“Want to throw on your trending pajama pants instead?” Ethan teased, plucking Priya’s jacket off the hook and holding it out for her.
“You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine.” With a mock sigh, Priya shrugged into her jacket. “But if we get spotted, you’re explaining to TMZ why Bollywood Cinderella and James Bond are joyriding at midnight.”
“They’ll just assume I’m rehearsing for my next spy thriller—Mission: Irresponsible.” Ethan tossed over her helmet and locked the door behind them. “Hop on, hotshot. I know just the place.”
The night was crisp with the smell of damp autumn leaves. The low growl of the engine echoed through the stillness as they coasted along the train tracks, then slipped onto winding back roads. Towering trees gave way to vast open fields, moonlight spilling over everything like liquid silver.
Priya let out a breath as they passed the campground site from her high school field trip. She caught glimpses of the lake through the trees, moonlight dancing across the water like drifting fireflies.
Suddenly, they were on that road. The road where Ethan had taken her on their first motorcycle ride. The moon loomed ahead—round, glowing, and impossibly large—as if they could ride straight into it.
Priya loosened her grip and raised her arms, her pulse thrumming with exhilaration.
“Whoooo!” she shouted, grinning as her voice carried through the night.
“Having fun back there?” Ethan called.
Their laughter mixed with the wind as the bike propelled forward.
Priya wrapped her arms around him again, her cheek pressing against his back.
Here, with Ethan, there were no limits, only the road stretching endlessly ahead—where the earth rose to kiss the sky and two worlds melted seamlessly into each other.
Priya’s heart filled with a quiet, thrilling certainty.
The universe was wide enough and wild enough to hold every possibility, and their story was playing out on the greatest screen of all, right there beneath the stars.