It had been fifteen minutes and I had grown right to the edge of the van’s leather seat. I felt anxious, curious, and more than a little irritated that no one was saying anything to me yet.

After our conversation last night and the sheet-tangling events that followed and left me flustered, Ethan and I had woken to Khalid relaying something “urgent.”

There’d been no time for lingering in the afterglow of our connection. Just declarations. All Ethan said was “Get dressed. You’ll ...