She chuckled. She did her business quickly, eager to get back to bed. It was as she was washing her hands that she noticed the bottles next to the sink.
She picked up the familiar cleansers, and then the essence. There was a serum she loved, too, and a snail mucin she was rather fond of. Had Dev stocked her favorite skin care supplies for her?
She shook a bottle. They’d been used, though.
Jia left the bathroom, a quizzical smile on her face, and her husband’s attention snapped right back to her. “I have to ask you something.” She came to a stop next to the bed and nudged him over. This was her side.
He moved to the other side without protest, and opened his arms. She flowed right into them and twined her legs with his hairier ones. “What?” His chest rumbled.
She stuck her thumb over her shoulder. “What’s the deal with the skin care stuff? It’s too much of a coincidence that we like the same exact products, right?”
The room was dim, but it couldn’t hide his ruddy cheeks. “Ah. I bought whatever you recommended online. It got to be a habit.”
Jia rolled her lips in tight. It wouldn’t do for him to think she was laughing at him. “That’s adorable.”
“It is?” His shoulders lowered. “Oh good. I just realized it might seem a little stalker like.”
“Oh, if you weren’t so handsome and talented and married to me, it might be. Context really is everything.” She snuggled deeper in his arms, sleepily smiling when he kissed her forehead. “Hope you used my affiliate links.”
He pulled her close, spooning her tight. They lay in silence for a little bit, and though Jia wasn’t a huge fan of silence, it felt rather right here.
“Any regrets?” Dev asked.
“About the sex?”
“About anything.”
“Nope.”
He stroked her arm. “Can you stay the night?”
She paused. Boy, they really hadn’t talked about important stuff. Here they were married, and he was asking if they could have a sleepover. But instead of delving into things like their future living situation, she kept it light. “I’d like that.”
He rolled her over. “Good. We’ll order dinner in ten minutes.”
It turned into an hour, but she didn’t mind.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
UNTIL HE’D lived with Luna and his uncle, Dev had never really been eager to get home. Home had just been a place to sleep. After only a couple of days married to Jia, though, Dev found himself counting the minutes until he could leave the set.
While he waited for production to wrap he scrolled through the photos of the house his real estate agent had sent him. The flat was fine for now, but they needed more room. He was loath to touch his grandfather’s money, but he had enough saved on his own that he could manage a decent house.
“Hey, man, congratulations.”
Dev lowered his phone and smiled at Hudson. He’d been fielding congratulations all day. Paparazzi had been camped outside his building since the news of his wedding had “leaked,” but he and Jia had managed to dodge them.
The surprise wedding had caused a small stir, but not nearly of the same magnitude as the engagement. Unless Jia’s waistline started expanding soon, the media would eventually lose interest. It would be nice to settle into marriage with some degree of normalcy.
“Thank you.”
Hudson dropped into the seat next to him. “You should have said something. Can’t believe we found out about your marriage from the gossip sites.”
Chandu had released a statement, along with one of their wedding photos. In it, he’d been looking down at Jia while she gazed bashfully at the floor. He’d wanted to choose one of the photos where they’d been smiling and laughing, but his agent had assured him the one they’d run would get better press.
Whatever. He was more concerned about the fact that Jia still hadn’t moved in. He’d brought up a potential living arrangement and she’d vaguely said something about not being in a hurry. He didn’t want her to think he was in a hurry! So he’d dropped the topic like a hot potato. She could keep ferrying clothes back and forth from her home, and they could decide at a later date what they’d do long-term. In the meantime, he’d keep looking for houses that would suit them. “Apologies, it was a sudden decision, and a private affair.”
“I understand, totally. The engagement sounded sudden, too.” Hudson paused, like he thought Dev might give him some dirt. When he remained quiet, the other man tossed his blond hair. “I had no idea what a big deal you were until that story broke, by the way. I thought you were a big fish in a little pond, but there you were, on supermarket tabloids, no less.”
Dev raised an eyebrow at the edge in his costar’s tone. “Are you saying India—the country—is a little pond?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Not really. There’s literally billions of us.” He gestured at the set, and Kalpana the makeup artist, who wasn’t far away. “And that’s not counting the entire diaspora.” He downplayed his fame out of humility and to distance himself from his family, but this golden child’s condescension was annoying. “I was the lead of the top ranked serial for a decade. I am a big fish in a massive pond.”
Hudson’s face went tight, though Dev had kept his tone mild. Hudson waved the script he was holding. “No offense, dude. I came over here to offer my congrats and make sure you saw the rewrites. Looks like you get some time off to swim, big fish.”
“What?” Dev accepted the sheaf of papers and thumbed through it, his alarm growing with every page. He’d essentially been cut out of the next episode, his role reduced to a few lines.
Hudson made a sympathetic noise. “I know, man, bummer. It happens to the best of us. Don’t complain next time, or they get kinda cranky.”
But Hudson had told him to . . . Dev nearly slapped himself. Of course Hudson had sabotaged him. The man’s role had expanded to fill Dev’s space, and he was chasing that shiny Emmy. “Thanks,” he said, through gritted teeth, and came to his feet.
Hudson’s smile was sweet. “No problem.”
Dev texted Jia as he walked away from the asshole. Where are you?
Home.
On my way.
How do you feel about Chinese? she asked.
Sounds good. He hesitated, but put his phone away. Talking about his feelings instead of shoving them down in a box was hard enough in person. He didn’t need to do it over text.
Jia was already unpacking the Chinese food when he got there. She gave him a bright smile when he walked in, and he responded. She was dressed in dark skinny jeans and a loose hot pink blouse. Her feet were bare, her toes painted a matching pink. She’d taken her hijab off but hadn’t combed her hair, and a clump of it stuck out on top of her head. Beautiful.
“Hey there, handsome.”
He smiled, some of the emotional weight leaving him. “Hello.” He pressed a kiss on her cheek, though she turned her face so it would land on her lips. She was so sweet. Simply being in her presence eased him. “Smells good,” he remarked, and went to the sink to wash his hands.
“Thank you, I’ve been toiling away all day to make it.” She dumped lo mein in a bowl and handed him a pair of chopsticks.