Chapter Eighteen
Eighteen
Sunny
I wasn’t going to lie and pretend that watching Bane squirm under embarrassment wasn’t entertaining as hell. She groaned, sinking into her chair so that her parents had a full view of me on video call. By now, I’d had enough practice acting the part in front of friends and getting acquainted with Bane’s sister to turn on the charm. My exes probably hated me, but their parents loved me.
Draping an arm on the back of Bane’s chair, I smiled. “Hello again.”
“ Oh . Such a nice voice!” Auntie crooned.
I chuckled. “I get that often.”
Bane shot me daggers from the corner of her eye, which prompted me to give her shoulders a gentle squeeze.
Diya was holding the phone toward us while leaning against Kimo. They were a very lovely couple, and knowing this side of Bane would make it harder for me to continue giving her crap when we returned to work. They were all ear-to-ear grins, which had me wondering if carrying out this lie on them was harmful. My friends would be annoyed, but family? That was different. Or maybe they were as surprised by the idea of Bane being in a relationship as I would be.
“Oh, hah, he is handsome. Look!” Auntie said to a man beside her, whom I presumed was Bane’s father.
“Oh my god,” Bane mumbled, her hands covering her face.
I tugged down on her wrists and replied, “Thank you! May I return the sentiment? I see where your daughters get their lovely features from. What a beautiful family.”
Bane peered at me from between her fingers, but not with death glares as I’d expected. She seemed…confused? No suspicious . Ah, normal Bane-ish tendencies.
She returned her hands to her lap as her parents engaged in further conversation.
Auntie had been asking, “Beta, where do you work at? What do you do? What are your parents’ names?”
“Mummie,” Bane warned. “Let’s not.”
She pouted. “What, you think I’m going to research him?”
“I know you already have.”
She smiled sheepishly, her focus returning to me. “He’s such a smart man. Why didn’t you tell me you work together!”
“That hot office romance,” Diya said.
“Oh my god,” Bane muttered beneath her breath while I stifled a laugh and proceeded to answer her mother’s biodata questions. This had become a thing that typically happened when I met the Indian parents of anyone around my age, and most especially the parents of single women. And my parents had done this to others, ambush and all.
Diya mentioned how I’d helped Bane during her episode of heat exhaustion, and suddenly the word “hero” was being thrown around.
“What fresh hell is this?” Bane grumbled.
Tamping down laughter was getting exponentially harder. I caught Kimo’s amused look when he shook his head. He’d probably gone through the same thing. He got it.
“So, so. How long have you been dating and why am I only now learning of this, huh?” Auntie asked, although she could’ve been talking to either one of us. “And how serious are you? My daughter isn’t getting younger, you know?”
“Okay,” Bane said, holding up a hand and shifting to face me…a practically hysterically laughing man.
While Diya and Kimo partook of the laughter, Bane was watching me as if she were studying an alien.
She slapped my thigh. “Don’t laugh! You’re only encouraging her!”
I flashed my best impish expression and said, “But, babe, we should be polite.”
She fumed.
“You met my friends with such gusto, I have to return the favor,” I teased.
“How many children do you plan on having? Where do you live?” Auntie was asking.
I opened my mouth to respond when Bane shot to her feet and pulled me up, pushing me ahead of her and shoving my drink into my hand while she grabbed hers.
I played deadweight, unmoving, as she pushed against me. Her breasts suddenly pressed against my back in her momentum, her hand at my waist, her touch searing through the fabric of my T-shirt like a fire. I was fine right where I was until she muttered, “You better move.”
“Can’t miss the sunset! Talk to you later, Mummie, Papa! Love you! Smooches!” she called behind us.
“Goodbye!” I told them with a wave, noting that Diya had turned the phone so that it was still trained on us as Bane dragged me to the rock wall across the lawn to watch the rest of the sunset.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Being friendly,” I said, my smile slipping but my wink teeming with amusement.
She poked my side and I flinched. “Not with my parents!”
“You did with my friends.” I grabbed her hand and kept hold.
“Okay, but your friends will get over it once you break the news. My parents might be devastated.”
I frowned. I didn’t want that. “They’re very nice.”
She looked back and groaned. “They’re still watching. Probably making up a big fat Indian wedding checklist for us. I’m going to end you.”
“More like making plans to have me over for dinner when we get back.” I released her hand and took a sip of creamy, tart, semisweet drink, my focus affixed to the sunset. Wow. It was glorious and soothing and breathtaking all in one.
She poked my side again. “So you better be ready for that, because I’m not telling them.”
The thought of being with Bane and her loud but hilarious family eating home-cooked meals didn’t suck. “I wouldn’t mind.”
“What? Breaking my parents’ hearts?”
“Dinner. With them.”
Bane was staring at me as if discovering I was indeed an alien. The last rays from the sunset hit the side of her face in a deep, orange glow as the sun completely dipped beyond the horizon, sinking into the ocean. She blinked up at me with her incredibly long, thick lashes framing chestnut eyes. My gaze skimmed down her nose to full lips bathed in pink from the drink. I’d always noticed when she walked into a room, even when I was ignoring her. I’d never denied how attractive Bane was—no one could, even when she was stomping around my last nerves—but god damn, those lips.
“Too far?”
“Are you joking?” she barked.
“No?”
“Is that a question or an answer?”
“Both?”
“Don’t mess with my parents.”
“I would never. But dinner does sound nice. Maybe?” I asked, hopeful. What was wrong with me? Why in the world would I want to spend more time with her?
She scowled. “Seriously? This isn’t some dumb joke?”
“I would joke about you to you, but I wouldn’t joke about your family.”
“Oh…”
The ocean breeze picked up as she took a sip. Goose bumps skittered over her skin, and she shivered.
I draped an arm around Bane’s shoulder. “Are you cold? It’s like eighty degrees, weirdo.”
She swallowed her drink, but didn’t move away, even when I mindlessly rubbed her arm and subtly pressed her against my side. Bane was still shivering.
“It’s not another episode of heat exhaustion, is it?” I asked, panicked.
“Oh! No,” she assured.
“Is…that okay?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “Wait. Do you mean touching me or meeting my parents?”
“Both. We could tell them we’re just friends?” I suggested. “This was all a misunderstanding. I think that’s a good way to break it gently to them.”
Bane nodded. It was a good way…although it wouldn’t work on my friends. That was going to be an awkward conversation with no other way around it.
“Would be nice not to argue at work for once,” I added.
“You’re the only stress I have in my life. Would be so much better without the back-and-forth.”
“See, you don’t stress me out at all. But useful to know that I get into your head and stay there all day.”
“You wish you were that important.”
I squeezed her shoulder, inadvertently pressing her against me, feeling every curve on point of contact. “I know I am. It’s okay to admit it. The truth will set you free.”
We broke apart when Diya promised she’d hung up the phone, and we sat with her and Kimo on the lounge chairs around a crackling fire pit encased in a curved, grated metal cover. The evening filled up with more decadent drinks, conversation, laughter, and watching two sisters hilariously poke fun at each other.
For a while, hours longer than I’d anticipated, there was no nagging pinch at the base of my thoughts to constantly check my phone about work or the interview, wonder how Papa was doing, or dread having to be around Sejal again.
For a while, I was content.
For a while, I found myself watching Bane. In all her irritating beauty.
“It’s late. I have to work in the morning, oh my god. I don’t want to deal with these bitches,” Diya crowed.
Bane squawked, “Language!”
Diya pointed at me and clucked her tongue like she was giving me a thumbs-up.
“Okay, you’ve had enough,” Kimo said, swooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder. “Gotta put you to bed.”
“ Byeeee! ” she called back to us.
Bane shook her head. “Please forgive my sister. But yeah, she made some strong drinks. That’s why I only had one.” Bane held up an almost empty glass before slurping the rest.
“Should probably get some sleep, too,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“On the couch, I guess.”
Bane rolled her eyes, her shoulders slumping. “Diya will be all in my business wondering why I kicked you out.”
“You want me to sleep in your bed again?”
“Rules of the pillow fortress apply.”
“It’s more like a pillow barrier, but okay.”
“Can you manage not to get snarky with me? Or is that an impossibility for you?”
I rose to my feet and offered a hand. “Should I throw you over my shoulder, too?”
“You mean carry me like a princess, so I don’t have to walk after nearly dying out in the scorching wild today?” She stood. “It’s the least you could do.”
Bane pointedly glanced at her feet as if I should actually swoop her into my arms again.
I shrugged. “Okay.” I took a step toward her, and she backed away.
“No. Like earlier,” she commanded.
I smirked. “Sure.”
“Sunny. No,” she spat, as if she were telling me to sit, promptly followed by a squeal when I ducked down and nearly tackled her.
Okay, so this wasn’t going as smoothly as when Kimo had done it, but Bane was over my shoulder, clutching the back of my shirt so that night air whooshed up my back.
“Calm down! I almost dropped you!”
“Don’t blame me if you can’t even carry me,” she bit out, kicking the air. “Don’t smack my head against anything, Sunny!”
“I’d never hurt you, Bane.”
I carried her, wobbly because of course I’d had a few of Diya’s strong-ass smoothies, and somehow made it to the bedroom without smacking any part of Bane’s body against the doors and without dropping her.
She must’ve pushed the door closed when we walked in, because it slammed shut behind us. “Okay! Let me down!”
“Shh. Your sister needs her sleep for work,” I chided.
I meant to gently lower her to the bed but the amount of alcohol in me had me losing an iota of balance. Bane went toppling into bed, her hair everywhere, her tank top halfway up her stomach as she heaved through an onslaught of laughter.
I dropped down beside her, out of breath. “Damn, you’re heavy.”
“You’re tipsy, jackass.”
Pushing myself onto my elbow, I realized how closely I’d fallen next to Bane. She shoved hair out of her face above me while I looked eye-level at her stomach. Shit. How was she so perfect beneath all her frumpy clothes?
What did her skin taste like? Was it as smooth as it looked? What would she do if I kissed her stomach? If I licked her navel? Bit her hip? Slid lower? Licking and kissing. Would she clutch my hair? Push me down? Arch into me? Moan my name?
Fuck .
I rolled onto my side of the bed, crossing the barrier separating us, and smashed my face into my pillow. And not into Bane.
The next day, Bane and I walked the back route to the usual meeting point on a warm Friday morning. This was a longer way, but scenic and serene between sprawling golf courses and the ocean, dotted with small, rocky beaches. The morning hours were pleasant and cool, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t constantly checking on Bane to make sure she wasn’t suffering from another episode of heat exhaustion.
“I’m fine,” she promised.
“Got plenty of water this time.” She had her bottle and I carried three more in my backpack. Plus sugary snacks because she’d mentioned sugar helping.
“You sound like my mother.”
“Water, snacks, SPF, shades, floppy-ass hat. Good.”
She ignored my quip. Bane hadn’t mentioned last night. Either she hadn’t noticed that I was about to lick her as if she were the last scoop of ube ice cream in the world or she didn’t remember. Either way, good. Excellent. We didn’t need a lapse in judgment affecting the rest of our working relationship.
“I’m surprised you haven’t asked if I’m wearing a swimsuit,” she said. “You’d seemed so concerned with me looking nice for your friends.”
“Please don’t wear sweats to the wedding is all I really asked for.”
She shimmied in her short shorts and long…I dunno…was that a silk cardigan? Was she wearing a swimsuit underneath or a tank top, or was this thing a top?
“It’s called a cover-up,” she explained, as if reading my perplexed expression. “I’m wearing a swimsuit beneath this just in case, but there is a less than one percent chance of any of it showing.”
“Are you wearing a bikini?” I mused aloud.
A sly smile curved her lips and I wanted to kiss it off. Damnit. Not even one hour around her and my brain cells were frying themselves. Must’ve been too much sun. “Why are you asking?”
“To be prepared.”
“Nothing will prepare you for seeing me in a swimsuit. In fact, your eyes might melt from the sheer glory.”
“I bet,” I mumbled.
“ What? What are you possibly trying to mutter under your breath? Because nothing you say will burst my self-esteem.”
“I’m not arguing. I bet you look fine as hell in a swimsuit.”
She studied me pensively. “What new angle of snark is this?”
“It’s not snark. I believe I’m not ready to witness you in a bikini.”
“You’re not.” She side-eyed me in the shade from underneath the bouncy rim of her giant hat.
“Agreed.”
“All wet and wild.”
“Okay…”
She shoved me with her shoulder, although without any weight to it, I didn’t budge.
“Don’t start with me, Bane.”
“You’re the one wondering what I look like underneath my clothes.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything because I wasn’t just wondering, I was imagining.
“So your friends rented a boat for a few hours?” she asked.
“Yep. At least there will be some shade for you, or we can shove you into the water to cool you off.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Can’t swim?”
“I can swim but there are deadly things in the water. No thanks.”
At least we could agree on that.
When we met the others, they greeted Bane like she was the missing link to our circle while Sejal kept a cordial distance. We drove out to the marina and excitedly stepped onto a good-size boat large enough for all of us with plenty of space to spare.
Aamar and Maya had splurged on the couple by renting a boat to take everyone out into stunning turquoise waters. I wasn’t a water guy, but the intensity of these colors in clear water was tempting.
Even Bane was leaning over the railing, holding her hat on her head as the boat sailed out. Sun glistened on her skin, speckled with ocean mist kicking up from the side of the boat. She beamed at the water, on her tiptoes and so close to teetering off that I almost grabbed her before she could fall overboard. The silky belt of her cover-up flapped in the breeze. What would happen if I caught it? Tugged at it? Would that open her cover-up and reveal her swimsuit?
How the hell was a piece of clothing so interesting? Was she wearing a bikini or a one-piece? Just a top to go with the shorts? What color was it? Red? Black? White? How did white hold up when wet? Shit, now I needed her to get into the water.
“So beautiful,” she was saying.
When I didn’t remark, Bane looked to me and said, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about work instead of enjoying this.”
“I was actually thinking about how to get you wet.”
Her mouth dropped, cheeks flushed.
“Um…in the water. The ocean , Bane.”
I walked away before I said anything dumber, only to find one chair left, kitty-corner to Sejal and Pradeep. I had every intention of standing when Sam slapped my shoulder, inadvertently sitting me down. At least Sam had placed a cold water in my hand. Others had beers or iced coffee.
Minutes went by and my body relaxed, melted into the chair with the breeze whipping through my hair. I tried to stay in the conversation, mainly wedding things and snorkeling information, but my focus kept wandering toward Bane. The wind kept raising her cover-up higher and higher, the long ends fluttering up and away, revealing sneak peeks of light brown skin. Ah. So, a two-piece?
“Did you hear me, Sunny?”
“Hmm?”
Leave it to Sejal to interrupt me. She was wearing a string bikini clearly seen beneath a lacy dress and sitting on Pradeep’s lap. He placed a hand on her thigh and kissed her neck. Even though I didn’t check, I knew the others were watching me. Waiting for a reaction that never came.
I expected to have one. Jealousy. Annoyance. Pain. Anything. Maybe Sejal was right that I didn’t have emotions, at least not enough or the right kind a girlfriend needed, because I felt nothing. As long as she was nice to Bane, her presence floated by unnoticed.
“Where’s your girl?” Sejal repeated.
“My woman,” I corrected, “is doing whatever she’s doing.” She was obviously on the boat, so why was Sejal asking as if Bane had jumped ship and swum off? Although it wasn’t a horrible idea. If Bane fled, I’d follow her.
Bane pushed away from the railing and walked past us on her way to the nose of the boat in her floppy hat, short shorts, and sneak-a-peak cover-up giving me all sorts of glimpses of skin. Cute, awkward, kind of hot. My eyes followed her. Damnit, what was she wearing?
“Bhanu! Why don’t you sit with us?” Sejal crooned.
“Oh, okay.” Bane looked around for a chair. Before I could give her mine, Sejal suggested, “Oh, you can just sit on Sunny’s lap.”
I stiffened, and so had Bane. Her expression went deadpan, and the others had quieted to watch our little weird interaction of current and ex-girlfriend. Were they expecting something to happen? They seemed ready to jump in to douse any situation that might arise, but I wasn’t having any said situation get that far.
I shifted to get up when Sejal said, “I’m sure Sunny won’t mind. Since you are his girlfriend, aren’t you?”
I lowered my feet off the footrest and began pushing myself up when Bane calmly replied, “That doesn’t seem comfortable.”
“Oh, it’s fine! I’m doing it.”
“I need more space for all this, I guess.”
My brows shot up and I imperceptibly leaned back to conclude, that yes, Bane had a nice, full backside.
Sejal stuttered, like she didn’t know how to respond.
Bane twisted toward me. “Were you just checking out my butt?”
I nodded with grave appreciation. “It is nice.”
Bane rolled her eyes, trying not to smile, and told Sejal, “I was on my way to look at the water. There are dolphins out.”
She smiled and walked around my chair to lean down from behind, running a finger up my arm, setting every inch from her touch on fire. She whispered in my ear, “You’re welcome to join me…”
And with that, I jumped to my feet and announced to my now silenced friends, “Yep. Dolphins.”
I hurried after Bane, my hands on her hips. She didn’t hurry, and now I had my chest pressed to her back, vaguely feeling the curves of the nice backside I’d just been admiring. She fit so perfectly against me.
“Look!” She pointed out at the water where two dolphins jumped into the air, spinning.
“That’s pretty cool.”
We leaned against the railing, and I kept an arm around her, pulling her to my side, my hand precariously low on her back. She stiffened and I was quick to ask, “Too much? Should I move?”
“Are they watching?”
I stole a glance over my shoulder. “Yep.”
She snaked an arm around my waist, inadvertently twisting into me so that two things simultaneously happened: My hand slipped lower, nearly groping the top of her butt, and her breast grazed my side. In response—I swore to the gods I hadn’t meant to—my hand twitched, an imperceptible squeeze where it rested much too low on her backside.
I braced for her reaction. It didn’t come.
Where was Bane’s shove? Her pushing me into the water? Her quick remark to put me in my place? Or was she…was she so uncomfortable that she couldn’t move? I should move.
From this angle, I caught her profile. The rim of her hat hid her eyes, shaded her nose, but left her mouth to my hungry gaze. She was biting her lip.
Did she…like it? Did she like me touching her?
Because I was bold or stupid or really wanted to get slapped into the ocean…I gave a slight squeeze.
Bane heaved, her petite fingers clutching my shirt over my hip. If she bit her lip any harder, she was going to bleed. But damn if I’d ever been more turned on.