She wasn’t looking at him there!
She grabbed her phone and toggled through her recorded messages until she found the one she needed. “Hi, Jia,” came her own cheerful voice. “I guess you had a good night and you’re battling some physical attraction to this man. So I’m going to say this as nicely as I can: make like a fourteen-year-old, and get home and get in a cold shower.”
Jia took a deep breath. Yes. Very good advice from her to her.
“What are you waiting for? Girl, go. Go!”
She threw her car into drive and went.
Chapter Eleven
“KAKA, I’M fine.”
Dev removed his hand from his niece’s forehead and tried not to give in to the urge to roll her in bubble wrap and place her in her bed.
When he’d come home on Friday, she’d been bundled under her covers, moaning from a stomach ache and burning up. Dev didn’t have much experience with illness. He’d shoved his panic down and helped her sit up and drink liquids. After she’d fallen asleep, he’d sat outside her door and dozed.
She’d seemed better the next morning, her usual quiet self, but he’d taken her to a doctor anyway over her protests, and the woman had assured him Luna was fine. Though his niece had made it through the weekend pink cheeked and healthy, he didn’t love the thought of her going to school today.
“Let me check your temperature one more time.” He opened the kitchen drawer next to the fridge and pulled out their first-aid kit.
Luna rolled her eyes. “Do you keep one of those in every room?”
Since she’d come to live with him, yes. Never had Dev felt the sting of mortality so keenly as he did now that he had to care for a young child. “Come here.”
Dutifully, she lifted her face. He scanned her forehead and nodded at the temperature readout. “Very well. You don’t feel any symptoms of a cold or flu?”
“Nope.”
“You could stay home for one day—”
“Please, no. I’ll be that weird girl who started school and then left right away.”
She was responding to his English in Hindi, which eased his concern a little. If she was well enough to mentally translate languages, hopefully her illness truly had been a quick bug. “Are you hungry?”
“Where’s Adil Uncle?”
“I heard him late last night, binging a new season of some makeover show. I imagine he’s sleeping in today.”
Her smile was faint. “I’m not hungry.”
“How about a smoothie?” Starve a fever, feed a cold, right? Or was it the other way around? His mother used to stuff them with food no matter what they felt like. Food and turmeric milk.
“A smoothie would be nice. What are you eating?”
“I already ate.” His trainer had recommended disgusting protein shakes for breakfast, but Dev didn’t want to tell Luna that or drink them in front of her. He might be beholden to the industry, but the last thing he wanted to do was impose the world’s body image conventions on her.
He quickly pulled out the frozen fruit before she changed her mind. The chair squeaked on the tile as she settled at the counter.
“Don’t you have to film today?” she asked.
“No, I’m not needed on set. I’ll drop you off at school and then get some work done.” His agent had sent over a few more scripts. He was tied to this production for a season, but if it or he didn’t get renewed, he needed a plan B.
“Do you like it?”
“Like what?” He added a little water to the blender and set it in place.
She waited until the blending had stopped to continue. “The role?”
He glanced at her. “It’s okay.”
“It feels like you hate it.”
“That’s not true.” He was excited about . . .
About . . .
Uh.
There must be something about this show that excited him? He’d been excited to get the role, right?
Or you’d just been excited about getting a fresh start. No, it had been more than that. Being a crossover star was something anyone would want. “I haven’t been in this role long enough to love it or hate it,” he finished. “I played Raj Kumar for eleven years. It was different.” And exciting. There had always been some wacky twist, some grand adventure, some epic love story.
This show was muted, but that was what received awards and got attention, especially in America. Realistic, relatable drama.
He set the drink in front of her. “See how it is.”
Luna took a sip and made a face. “It needs more sugar.”
Dev was trying to limit their added sugar, but he wanted her to drink something before she went to school, so he pulled the honey out and drizzled some in, giving it another good blend. “There you go.”
She pulled it closer and took a draw. “Better.”
His phone buzzed and he pulled it out. How’s Luna feeling today?
“See.”
He glanced up with a vague sense of inexplicable guilt. “Huh?”
“You looked more excited about that text than you did about the show.”
Luna in a teasing mood was a nice thing to see, but not when she was teasing him about this. “Drink your drink. We need to leave in five minutes.” He quickly typed back a response to Jia. He’d updated her the next day, but he’d been a little cautious, given his worry about Luna. Much better. It seems like it was a twenty-four-hour bug.
Phew. Glad to hear it.
He leaned against the counter. Truth be told, he’d never been very good at texting. If he could, he’d borrow from his own show and scripts as well, but he didn’t know what lines Arjun and Rohan had lifted, and he couldn’t very well plagiarize himself plagiarizing himself. How is your week looking?
Pretty good. Dropping some stuff off with a friend, then heading to work. Have to film some spon con today.
It took him a second to translate spon con into sponsored content. Perhaps we could try for dinner again tonight?
He held his breath, but it didn’t take long for a response to come. I’m actually busy tonight.
Ah. Of course, that made sense. She was, no doubt, in high demand.
Three bubbles popped up at the bottom of the screen. That’s the spon con. I have to go to an art show and take some photos. Do you want to come with me? It’ll be public, but if you wear a hat or something, we should be able to skate by. Dress casual. No one will be looking for celebs there.
He quickly typed back. Yes, I would like that.
Cool, I’ll pick you up at 7.
He raised a brow. Jia had dropped him off the other night, but he was unaccustomed to a woman picking him up. You’ll pick me up?
I’m sure your masculinity will survive, no worries.
He bit the inside of his cheek to hide his silly smile.
“Who are you talking to?”
Dev quickly placed his phone facedown on the counter. “Nobody. Do you mind staying home with Adil Uncle tonight?” He’d have to tell his uncle, but the older man would believe him if he said he was only checking in with Jia to ensure she was okay after his cousin’s meddling.
“You have work or something?”
“I’m meeting a friend.”
Luna slurped the last of her smoothie. “Is it the same friend you met on Friday?”