First Comes Like (Modern Love #3) - Alisha Rai Page 0,34

Jia had told Ayesha about Dev, but only because she told Ayesha everything. Of all the conversations for Zara to overhear . . .

“Imagine my surprise to find out my youngest daughter is going around with a boy and I know nothing about it,” Farzana announced, hurt dripping off her words.

“I’m not going around with him.”

Her eldest sister snorted. “You are clearly talking to him.”

Talking to was the euphemism all her sisters had used for dating until they got engaged or married. Their mother got scowly at the thought of her daughters engaging in American dating, what with its premarital sex and all.

Except Jia had literally only been talking to the Person Formally Known as Dev. She opened her mouth, but her mother continued. “I would not have been opposed to this, Jianna. It is time for you and Ayesha to settle down. And obviously, Devanand Dixit, well . . . he is not the star his grandfather was, but clearly he is from a good family and well-off. You did not have to hide him.” Farzana’s mouth turned down in a frown. “Am I so scary you could not tell me?”

Yes.

Jia rubbed her hand over her forehead. But that wasn’t the issue right now. She hadn’t told her mom because there had been nothing to tell. “It’s not about that . . .”

“Despite his wealth and family, he’s still an actor,” Noor said, but it wasn’t with the same level of accusation as when the call had started. She liked to be on the same page as their mother. Noor’s eyes turned calculating. “I bet the wedding would be bonkers fun, though. The Dixits probably know how to throw a party.”

Wedding! “I’m not marrying Dev Dixit,” Jia blurted out.

Zara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure you’re not. Then why were you squealing over how sweet he was with Ayesha?”

Did her sister have bat ears? “We did talk about Dev, but I’m not dating him.”

“So you’re just kissing him in public? Sorry, nuzzling. Full mouth to neck action.” Noor’s lips puckered up, like she’d eaten something nasty.

Jia’s neck went pink at the attention. “He didn’t have his mouth anywhere on me!”

Farzana gave a small growl, like she hadn’t heard Jia at all, which wasn’t unusual. “That, I will not tolerate, Jia. What would people say?”

“We weren’t doing anything—” Jia was interrupted by Noor’s coughing fit. She watched helplessly as her sister bent over almost double from the force of it.

“I’m coming over,” Zara said to Noor, when she subsided.

“No, it’s fine.” Noor cleared her throat. “When I get too worked up or emotional, it’s like my lungs can’t quite keep up.” She said it in a detached, almost clinical way. Her sister’s job as an ER doc required she be clinical.

“There is nothing to get upset over,” their mother said soothingly, her manner completely changing. “Everything is fine. It’s okay, Jia.” Her mom sniffed. “I will forgive you keeping this from me for who knows how long. Dev is an actual good prospect for you. I did not think you would find someone so eligible.”

Well, ouch. She felt that backhanded compliment like a slap to the face.

Jia twisted her fingers together. She hadn’t seen that beaming look of pride in her mother’s eyes in a long time, and she hated that she had to ruin it now. She was going to tell them the truth—that she’d been catfished. That was exactly what she was going to do. She could anticipate their reaction.

Hollywood has ruined you.

You must come home.

Typical Jia.

It was the last one that was the worst. Typical Jia, flighty and unpredictable. Someone who had to be kept stuffed away, lest she embarrass the family. The disappointment.

She was going to tell them everything. Except then Noor gave another slight cough, and what came out of Jia’s mouth was “Yes, he’s a good guy.”

Uh-oh. Whaaaaaat.

“Of course, we’ll have to meet him to be sure of it,” her mother mused.

“What?” Whaaaaaat.

“Oh yes.” Farzana waved her hands. “I’ll talk to your father about this. You know how protective he can get. We’ll try to come out in a few weeks.”

Her father was protective of his daughters, but he was a pussycat compared to her mom. “Wait, you probably won’t get to meet . . . Look, this is all still new. I haven’t been talking to him for long, nothing’s determined. Imagine if things don’t work out, you’ll have made your trip for nothing.”

“Not for nothing. We haven’t seen you in over a year.