Page 87 of The Encore’s Crown

“It's only a big deal if you make it one.”

That might've been the only lie she'd ever told me. I raised an eyebrow. She looked away again.

“Do they know? About me?”

She hesitated, and my mouth went dry.

“My mother knows. My father would be informed before you arrive. If you decided to.”

I laughed, because the alternative was passing out. She frowned.

“This isn't funny.”

“It's a little funny. You’re talking about smuggling a bassist from a metal band into your elite family's palatial estate.”

“I'm talking about inviting my boyfriend to a family holiday.”

Boyfriend. The word threaded through the air quietly. We'd used it before. Usually in arguments or introductions when explaining our situation became complicated. Her boyfriend. My girlfriend. Still, the way she said it then made it sound official, like a place I had agreed to stand, beside her. Radhika must have seen something change in my face because she rushed to fill the silence.

“You don't have to come.”

I blinked.

“It's a whole week,” she continued. “That's a long time. Even with the tour ending, your schedule is difficult, and my entire family will be there. It could be overwhelming.”

I let the silence stretch. Her confidence began to crumble in real time.

“It was only a thought,” she said. “You're busy. Forget it.”

“Would we have a room together?”

“There would be separate rooms,” she replied, enunciating the word separate with the discipline of a teacher. “There will be guests, family. We'd have to be respectful. My parents have staff; they'd notice.”

“Perfect. They can show you the fastest route to my room.”

That caught her off guard enough to make her grin. “You'll have to behave,” she said.

“I don’t behave.” I leveled my gaze at her and let it say everything I was thinking—every position I could put her in, every sound I could coax out of her, and how much I’d enjoy watching her fight to stay quiet in a house full of people.

She stared right back at me, completely unflinching.

Eventually, I relented. “I’m serious. What kind of hosts make two people in love sleep on opposite sides of the house?”

The words came out before I thought about them. In love. Her face softened as mine probably did something equally incriminating. I covered it with a grin.

“A week with you?” I said. “If you promise to be naked for most of it, I’m sold.”

She laughed, finally.

“My parents will be there.”

“So only naked ninety percent of the time, got it.”

Radhika shook her head, smiling now. She covered her face with one hand. I could see her trying not to laugh again. That made the decision for me, not that there had been much of one. I wanted to see her world. More than that, I wanted to be a part of it, even if I didn't understand what that really meant.

“I’ll go,” I said.

Her hand dropped. The smile disappeared from her face, replaced by something softer.