Girl Gone Viral (Modern Love #2)(59)

“Hey, it’s okay.” Bikram knocked his shoulder against Jas’s. “I’m fine with not being the heir. Relax.”

“Easier said than done,” he muttered.

Bikram sighed. “I’m scared he means what he says, Jas. That was harsh. Come to the parade.”

He rubbed his hand over his chest. It ached at the thought of his grandfather considering them to no longer be family. “I can’t come.”

“I don’t get this at all.” Bikram’s frustration was evident. “You were so willing to smooth things over with me when I was cranky with you. Why not him?”

Jas lowered his head. Because he didn’t know how to tell his grandfather why he couldn’t come to the big, noisy, crowded event. The words were there in his head, he simply didn’t know how to force them past his lips.

Bikram pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket and offered it to Jas.

“Telling me my breath stinks?” Jas tried, a rough attempt at a joke.

“Nah, it’s not too bad, but it could be better. Especially if you find yourself in close quarters with someone you want to kiss.”

Jas froze.

That was his mistake.

Like a predator scenting prey, Bikram faced him. “Oh my God. You kissed someone.”

“I did not.”

“Who?”

“No one.” Too quick, damn it. He had answered too quick!

His brother nearly bounced on his toes. “It was Katrina, right? I knew she wasn’t just a client!”

Jas growled. “Shut up.”

“I like her. This is great.”

“You didn’t like her this morning.”

“I changed my mind. Have you eaten her cobbler? It’s amazing.” Bikram paused for a breath. “You kiiiiiiiissed her.”

He resisted the immature urge to pull his brother into a headlock to get that smug look off his face. “Bikram.”

“Admit it. Admit it, and I’ll leave you alone.”

He gritted his teeth. “I kissed her, okay?”

The words slammed between them and Jas closed his eyes. He hadn’t meant to say that. He shouldn’t have said that. Not to Bikram, not when he hadn’t so much as apologized to Katrina.

Bikram whistled.

Jas scrubbed his hands over his face. “I didn’t mean that.”

“Uh-huh. When did it happen?”

“You said you’d leave me alone if I admitted it.”

“I lied. You don’t seem happy about this. Did she not like it? Are you a bad kisser?”

Jesus. How had they even gotten from talking about his grandfather potentially disowning him to this? “I don’t think so.”

Bikram’s face turned grave. “You don’t know if someone likes it when they’re kissing you yet? Oh, Jas. That’s so sad. How much did you come in? How much did she?”

“What?”

“There’s a seventy percent test when you want to kiss someone.” Bikram crossed his arms over his chest. “You lean in seventy percent. Then they lean in thirty percent. If they don’t lean in, you lean back. How much did she lean?”

He replayed the kiss in his head, but trying to figure out the percentages of their leans baffled him. “I don’t know.”

“Hmm, yes, yes, I see.” Bikram paced in front of him, stroking his beard. “What about eyes? Open or closed?”

“Mine or hers?”

“Both.”

“I don’t remember, Bikram.”

“This is important stuff.”

He threw up his hands. “I don’t see why.”

“Because I don’t think you’re upset about the kiss, you’re upset because you don’t know if she liked it. Like, if she had liked it, would you be okay?”

Yes. If she had liked it and wanted it, he’d be better than okay.

“Aha,” Bikram said softly. “Knew it.”

Jas tugged at his collar. It might be cool outside, but he was too warm. “Knew what?”

“One thing you learn when you spend a lot of time with crews is how to read people. Whenever you’d call, I would count how many times you said Katrina. Katrina said this, Katrina did that, Katrina’s so smart, Katrina . . . after a while I had to stop counting. Especially after Hardeep died and you moved to Santa Barbara.”

Probably because he’d no longer felt so guilty about coveting his boss’s wife.

Bikram shook his head when Jas stiffened. “You were so gone on her, I think that’s when I kinda started assuming she was keeping you wrapped around her finger.” He pointed at the house. “But she’s earnest and sweet, and she really loves that big dog, so if you are wrapped around her finger, I think that’s okay.”

Bikram was a sucker for animal lovers. “Where are you going with this?”

“I’m saying . . . I don’t know if she likes you, or liked that kiss, but I know you like her and you liked that kiss. You could try telling her that and see what happens.”

Like was too weak a word. He liked his mom’s rotis and he liked the smell of rain.

He . . . well, he more than liked Katrina.

When he didn’t reply to Bikram’s suggestion, his brother gave a half laugh. “Okay, fine. Bury down your feelings on this if you want, or you could have a conversation like damned adults. You might be surprised what comes of it.”