Before I can regret it, Ace sighs and nods. “Mia tells me all the time. So is my tongue going to fall off?”

I snort. “You don’t have to eat it if it’s too spicy.”

Ace gives me a sharp look. “Your grandmother made it. Of course I have to eat it.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I say, grinning. He wants to impress my grandma. I don’t know why that makes me so stupidly happy. “I don’t eat things that are super spicy.”

“So it’s...not spicy?”

“No, Ace, it’s not.” Probably. Today would be the day that Dadu decides to throw all caution to the wind in order to spite the random white boy in our house.

It turns out Dadu made pulao with chicken korma on the side, which is the best. Definitely not spicy. Still, I almost wish I could have seen the look on Ace’s face if my grandma had made shutki.

I move to help Dadu in the kitchen, but Ace waves me away. “I’ve got this.”

I raise my eyebrows but stay silent as he goes to help my grandma carry the food to the dining table. I can already hear her praising him for his manners. Being polite always wins points with Dadu.

As I sit down, my phone starts ringing with a FaceTime call from Nandini. I glance at the top of my screen and realize it’s almost 4:00 p.m., which means they’re out of school.

I hesitate but ultimately pick up. Nandini and Cora’s faces come into view on the screen and they’re grinning at me. “Hey babe, how are you feeling?”

“Better,” I say honestly. Being at home and watching feel-good movies is always helpful and relieving for my anxiety.

“Mrs. Ahmed, this smells incredible,” Ace says to my grandma as they come into the dining room together, her holding a plate of tuna kebabs and him holding the entire pot of pulao.

“Thank you, Alistair,” Dadu says, using her limited English.

“What did your Dadu just say?” Cora asks, her voice raising several octaves. “Did she just say thank you to someone named Alistair?”

I sigh and turn the camera around, giving them a perfect view of Dadu and Ace maneuvering around each other as they set out table mats.

Ace notices the camera and raises his eyebrows at me. Before I can protest, he comes around the other side to lean his chin on my chair, right behind my shoulder. He flips the camera and waves at Nandini and Cora. “I brought Karina soup.”

“I could have made you soup,” my grandma says under her breath, making me giggle.

She shoots me a fond look and disappears into the kitchen.

Ace nudges me. “What’s so funny?”