Page 28 of Not Your Basic Love Story

“What’s next for you, then, Mr. Graduate?”

He pushed his salad around for a second and avoided eye contact while he spoke, his shoulders slumped. “On to work, I guess. My dad had been waiting for me to take over the business so he can take a step back. He’s been working six days a week as long as I can remember.”

“At the autobody shop?”

“There’s a few of them I’d be helping run. Really, I didn’t need to go to school for it, but I wanted to get a degree, and they were supportive, of course. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been in the shops, detailing cars at first, but then he showed me how to write estimates, and I learned the basics of painting and everything else.”

“Hmm. Sounds interesting.”

He shrugged. “It is, I guess.”

“Is that what you want?” I asked, sensing he had more to say.

Dev looked up from his food and sighed. “I really like school, you know? The atmosphere of it, the people. I got along well with my professors. I like the idea of continuing, maybe getting my MBA, but there’s no point in it, and I’m needed at the business. My dad has only one son, and he wants to keep our family involved. Priya’s not interested at all, so that leaves me.”

I chewed slowly. “Have you talked to them about it? Getting your MBA?”

“No. I’d want to go to UBC. I’ve had my eye on their program for a while, but it’s a long commute from Surrey.”

“It’s like a twenty-minute train ride from here, though. If you did want to go back to school, you could live here.”

I hadn’t even realized what I suggested. The words had simply flown out of my mouth. Dev and I both looked up at each other from across my dinky Ikea table.

Dev smiled and took a sip of his sparkling juice. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”

My cheeks reddened. “Well, before your exams, you were here all the time anyway, and it would be convenient. I don’t mean right away, but it would make sense.”

“Do you need me to help with the rent or something?”

“What? God, no! That’s not—I didn’t mean that. Let’s forget I said anything.” I got up and began clearing the dishes. Standing at the sink, I remembered I was practically naked under my apron and turned to see him checking out my ass.

He grinned, apparently admiring the view.

I wasn’t in the mood now, though, and regretted my choice of clothing. I turned back to the sink, face hot. A moment later, he was behind me, his arms wrapped around my torso, his lips on my neck.

“Trust me,” he said quietly in my ear. “I couldn’t imagine anything better than falling asleep next to you every night and waking up with you every morning.”

I leaned into his embrace. “Surrey’s a long way from here. It takes an hour drive, or longer with traffic. It’s not fair to you to keep driving all this way, especially once you’re working full time. And it would take me forever to get to you on transit.” I closed my eyes and relished the sensation of his arms wrapped around me.

Gently, he pulled me around to face him, tucking a strand of loose hair behind my ear. His eyes still made me melt.

“I’m not going to pretend that what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. It does. But I’m not sure if moving in together is the next logical step, you know? Meeting each other’s parents generally comes before that, maybe a vacation together.”

“We were already in Mexico earlier this year, so that leaves meeting the parents.”

Dev looked uncertain. Then a mischievous smile brightened his face, and he reached around me to untie my apron. He lifted the strap over my head, revealing a red and black corset with ruffled black underwear, complete with a garter belt and stockings (which had taken forever to put on).

He took a step back, eyes widening. “Part of me wants to push all the stuff off the table like they do in the movies. But the rest of me doesn’t want to deal with the mess,” he said, fingers trailing down my chest.

I laughed.Great minds. “Couch?”

Lingerie is a good idea until it’s time to take it off. Once Dev was finished thoroughly enjoying my little gift to him, he helped pull it off, which would have probably gotten a million views on a comedy YouTube channel. We left the dishes for later and settled down, surfing Netflix, our glasses topped off with our respective drinks of choice.

Dev had changed into some grey sweatpants I’d gotten him as a gift to wear around my apartment. Really, I’d gotten them for me because his package looked amazing in them. I was wearing yoga pants and an old, faded tank-top, happy we were into a more comfortable phase in our relationship where we could wear chill clothes, and I didn’t have to be done up all the time.

One of the suggested titles popped up asMeet The Parents. Obviously, I selected it, a coy smile flashing over to Dev, who nudged me back with a smirk.

A week after our celebratory dinner, I still hadn’t received an invitation to Dev’s family home.

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