“Well, I’ll make sure to hurry on that one,” Diya jested with a wink. “Let me help. This is crooked. How about a low bun? Make you look like a classy, sexy woman in STEM begging for him to undo your hair while he talks dirty into your ear.”
“Been reading too many rom-coms? Also, not sure if I should be offended that you just reduced my entire career to what could possibly be the beginning of a porno?”
“No! And it is a good idea for a rom-com. You know? I think I’ll write a book one day. How hard can it be?”
“I’m sure it’s easy and fast and will yield loads of cash and fame,” I replied dryly.
“I think so, too.”
There was a knock at the ajar bedroom door. Assuming it could only be Kimo, I replied, “Come in!”
It was not Kimo, but Sunny led by that Denzel voice that had Diya pausing in mid–bobby pinning to swerve her head toward the bedroom. Just his voice. That was all it took.
“Hey, I’m a little early. You have time, don’t worry. Just came by to say…can you please…um…”
“I’m not wearing sweats!” I yelled. What the hell was wrong with him? Was he seriously telling me to dress nicely for his friends? Well, shorts and a tank top were all they were getting.
“Damn,” Diya muttered. “He sounds fine as hell. Voice certainly matching that face.”
I rolled my eyes and pointed at my hair. She unrolled the bun and went for two French braids, saying, “Forget classy. You need to look more like, come hither and pull on these braids, Daddy, but still talk dirty because, damn, that voice.”
“Shut up,” I hissed.
Diya grinned at me through the reflection of the mirror, where my face was getting redder by the second.
“Thank god.” He sounded as if he was going through his suitcase, sounds of lugging it out of the closet and the zipper opening.
“Why are you so obsessed with what I wear?”
“I always notice what you wear.”
“Obsessed,” Diya whispered. “Yes, Daddy.”
Sunny went on, “I thought about what you said, and let’s agree to two months? We’ve been dating for two months and it’s nothing serious; that’s why I didn’t tell my friends.”
Diya tugged on my braid as she worked, her eyes giant circles through the reflection as she mouthed, “What?”
Oh, no. This was not happening.
“Everything else is the same. Separate cities, work, keeping it discreet, and—” Sunny’s last word ended abruptly as he came to the slightly open bathroom door, his eyes first landing on Diya, then on me. Then on my cleavage. Then down my legs. Everywhere his gaze swept left a rising fire. Probably sunburn, though. I needed to make sure I kept up with my sunscreen here.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought you were alone.”
“No,” I said flatly. “My sister, Diya. Diya, this is Sunny.”
A flicker of recognition hit his features. “Ah. I think I saw you at the front desk earlier?”
“Yes,” she said sweetly as she quickly finished my hair. “I’m the GM and was helping with our reservation glitch. So glad you could join us! I’ve heard nothing about you, but need to know everything.” She hooked arms with his and led him away as he glanced back at me with so many unspoken questions.
“So you’re the boyfriend, you said?” Diya was asking as I finished up and hurried after her.
Kimo was nowhere to be found; he’d probably headed out. Diya was practically fawning over Sunny as they sat on the couch.
“Boyfriend?” He curiously looked to me and all I could do was blankly blink.
“You just said you two were dating.”
“Oh.” He was still looking at me, silently asking if our ruse had spilled over to my family.
Of course not! I intervened with, “Diya. Don’t get all excited for nothing. We’re not—”
“Oh, look!” Diya squealed with her buzzing phone in hand. Before anyone could blink, she had our mother’s face on the screen waving at me before turning the screen back to herself. “Mummie! What a surprise.”
I nearly lunged for the phone, but not before Diya slipped away, telling our mother, “Did you know Motiben has a boyfriend?”
Mummie’s shrieks of joy catapulted out of the phone. Diya had to lower the volume and hold the phone away from her.
Mortification enhanced by deep regret crashed into me like pounding waves. This must’ve been what Sunny felt when I opened my big mouth to his ex, who then told his friends, who now believed the same thing my sister and mother believed. Turned out, karma was real because what went around came around. By my own execution.
If I could go back in time, I’d tell that ex of his to watch her tone and be kind to my lead dev instead of: Shut your face, he has a girlfriend, now everyone be quiet.
“I just met him!” Diya was talking this entire time while I stood stunned into place.
“Let me see, let me see,” Mummie insisted with unbridled joy.
There was no humanly possible speed at which I could block or snatch the phone before Diya flipped the screen toward Sunny so he could see my mother grinning like she was meeting her future son-in-law for the first time. The way she lit up, you’d think Sunny had just succeeded in giving her the first grandchild.
Crap.
