“And you?”
Him? He was . . .
Happy. Dev blinked. It had been a while since he’d been happy. Simply texting Jia was better than dates with other women. How had it only been a couple of weeks since she’d come into his life? Perhaps it was all the extracurricular time he’d spent watching her videos, but it felt longer. Like he knew her. “I’m doing great.”
Hudson clapped him on the back. “Good. Hey, listen, would you like to come over for dinner next week? My wife’s a great cook. Bring a date, if you’d like. And your niece, of course; she might like my daughter.”
Dev was touched. Hudson might be a bit conceited, but he was kind.
A date. Of course, there was only one woman he wanted to date. “I will, thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll text you the address.” He jerked his chin toward Fred. “Looks like Fred’s free. You might want to catch him now.”
Dev nodded. They said their goodbyes, and then Dev made his way over to Fred. He felt vaguely nervous, which was odd. He’d always merely had to raise an eyebrow on any set and the director had fallen over himself to help him.
These nerves were good. If he was going to be self-sufficient, he needed to actually be self-sufficient.
“Fred?”
The smaller man blinked up at him through his thick glasses. “Dev! My man. You’re killing it.”
“Thanks. Sorry for all the takes today.”
Fred waved his hand. “We got it finally, and that’s what counts.”
“Do you have a minute?”
“Sure.” Fred got to his feet. “Walk with me, I gotta get something from my car. Is anything wrong?”
“It’s my character.”
“What about him?”
“I feel as though he’s . . .” Dev hesitated, looking for the perfect English word. “One-dimensional? As a villain. All we know about him is that he’s cheating. He has no identity outside his relationship with Chase.”
Fred nodded. “Yup.”
Dev raised an eyebrow at that ready agreement.
“You’re playing the hell out of him, though.”
“I . . .” This was confusing. “You want him to be a one-dimensional character?”
Fred stopped and looked up at him with sympathy. “Why are we all here, Dev?”
“On this planet, you mean?”
“Nah. On this set.” Fred jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Hudson is here to score the E for his eventual EGOT. I’m here to direct a big-budget TV tearjerker of a show that’ll give me enough money that I can pick and choose future projects.” He pointed at Dev. “You’re here to make a splashy debut in Hollywood. Do you know how we all do that?”
“Create a fun television show that people find exciting and interesting?” Dev suggested.
“No. We do it by reinventing the wheel. Handsome square-jawed white guy with marital and friendship problems is the wheel. The rest of us are the oil that keeps that wheel running. No offense.”
“None . . . taken?”
Fred patted Dev on the chest. “You deliver your lines as best you can, buddy. You probably won’t get an Emmy, but we’ll get enough attention that you’ll get some amazing future roles. Consider it paying your dues.” Fred checked his wristwatch. “Now I don’t know about you, but I could really use a big lunch. You’re welcome to join . . .”
“No, I’m good.” Dev watched his director saunter away.
You don’t seem happy.
He narrowed his eyes. He was happy in the country, yes. He was happy being away from the brunt of his family’s fame. He’d even be happy paying his dues, given his latent guilt over how easy it had been to start his acting career, compared to other struggling actors.
But no, he wasn’t happy with this particular show.
There was nothing he could do, though. He couldn’t see them killing off their foreign villain for no reason. Not when he had some name recognition that could help them on the way to the Emmys.
Emmys for them, but not him, as Fred had so cheerfully explained to him.
So what if you’re unhappy? What’s the other option? There wasn’t one. When he’d spoken to his former costar yesterday, he’d been hit by a wave of homesickness, but for the show and the family he’d built there, not for the place.
Into the box go these feelings as well. You are happy and grateful to be working. All you wanted was a fresh start. You got it. Don’t complain.
Dev shifted. He was simply tired from the long night. He’d go home or to his trailer and take a nap, and then everything would be fine when he woke up.
To busy himself, he checked his phone as he walked to his trailer. Jia hadn’t texted him yet today, so he sent her a good morning text.
Hi. What are you up to?
He paused, the dopamine hit from her immediate reply making him dizzy. I just finished shooting. What about you?
I need to get out of the city, so I decided to take a road trip. I heard there was this place that was good for photography. I’m at the studio packing up my stuff.
His fatigue vanished. Disappearing for the day sounded like a dream. How long had it been since he’d gotten in a car and driven far away? Had he ever done that?
Only, he couldn’t go on a road trip with Jia. That wouldn’t be proper.
You’re so boring. Live a little. What century are you stuck in, anyway? Like unmarried people don’t hang out in private all the time.
Rohan’s voice was too loud in his head. He supposed he was being overly conservative. He had indeed spent private time with his single female friends in the past. Jia was different.
Because you are interested in her.
He rubbed his ear. This revelation wasn’t that earth-shattering. Obviously, he was interested in her. He’d bought a serum on her recommendation last night, for crying out loud, and he didn’t even know what a serum was.
However, even if he did want to come, how did one invite oneself to a road trip? What was the etiquette for that?
Want to come with me?
His smile was slow. Yes.
It’s like two and a half hours away. But we’ll be back tonight.
That wasn’t a problem. Luna wouldn’t even be home till tomorrow. Sounds good.
Cool.
He thought for a second, and imagined going on a road trip in her cramped little Beetle. Can we take my car?
Chapter Fourteen
JIA HADN’T planned on hitting the road today, but Ayesha’s words had so burrowed into her brain, she’d feared if she didn’t leave soon, she’d pace her room for hours and then grow even more anxious when she didn’t get anything done.
It was a bonus that Dev had been able to come with her. She’d felt a little shy at first, getting into his car, but he’d quickly put her at ease, telling her about his costars and Luna’s first sleepover.
Between the warmth of the car and the low hum of Dev’s radio, Jia dozed off at some point. She jerked awake when a phone rang.
She stirred and looked over at Dev. He’d told her he’d come straight from set, but she would have guessed as much from the eye makeup that he hadn’t quite wiped off all the way. The dark liner on his waterline made his eyes pop even more than usual. “Is that you or me?”