“What?” Aiden asked. He was actually interested.

“When she shows up for her interview, she finds her ex-boyfriend, a photojournalist, at the same interview. She hasn’t seen him in years and they broke up because she thought he was cheating on her.”

“Was he?”

Antonia took another drink. “No, it was some stupid misunderstanding. She’s shocked to see him at this interview after all this time has passed. He’s all: ‘hey baby, nice to see you.’ And she’s furious all over again. But it turns out the magazine editor wants the both of them. They have to go to Bangkok and cover a touristy story for middle-American readers. Augusta is pissed.”

“That’s the main character’s name?”

“Yes, and her ex-boyfriend’s name is Bryon.”

Aiden nodded. “And she’s mad that she has to work with him while they still have this giant misunderstanding looming over them.”

Antonia grinned. “Exactly.”

“And even though she’s just getting her feet wet with this new job, I’ll bet she’ll get bored with a cover story about rice paddies and elephants.”

He gets it! “Right.”

“What does she do?” Aiden asked.

“She goes to Thailand with Bryon, but she wants to spice this story up if she can. I’m thinking she’ll want to investigate sex-trafficking and somehow that might be connected to the Migration Crisis of 2013.”

His brows furrowed. “The people from Burma?”

“You’ve heard about it?”

“I have. It’s just... Well, how does Bryon feel about all of this?”

“He’s totally against it,” Antonia continued. “He just wants to make a paycheck at this point in his freelancing career. Plus, he’s already been there, which makes her so angry because it was an old job with National Geographic that she wanted. Anyway, he was already there during the Thai “red shirts” protest and saw some seedy stuff. He doesn’t want to experience it again nor does he want to expose her to it.” Talking her plot out with another person was quite exhilarating, Antonia realized. Whether Aiden understood it or not, she could hear her own good ideas out loud for the first time.

“So how are you going to get these two to come together and have sex by page one hundred forty-one?” Aiden asked. His tone was completely serious.

Antonia stared at the bottom of her glass. “Well, that’s where I’m stuck. I read this book that said it’s supposed to be midway through the plot. Which is fine, except I’m nervous because I’ve never written anything smutty. So far, I’ve got a lot of stolen glances and near-kisses.” She looked up to see him studying the fire, contemplating her statement.

“I see...”

“I mean, I published capital L literature, the high-brow shit. Paperback romances never came across my desk.”

“But you obviously like reading them,” he said. “Which are your favorites?”

She paused to regard him warily. “Your promise to not laugh extends to this as well.”

His eyes widened in feigned insult. “I’m not judging you.”

“You’re a literature professor,” she said through her buzzed laughter. “Everything I’m saying goes against everything you teach.”