The chapati was slightly blackened at the edges. It reminded Aria of Mexican tortillas, but it didn’t taste like tortilla. The dust from the flour glazing it came off on Aria’s hands. She nibbled around the edges. One of Aria’s little quirks was that she had always loved the flavor of burned bread. Aria pulled open one of the little bubbles in the bread and imagined herself inside it. She imagined what it would feel like to live in the soft light of the little dough cave. The bread was unmeasured. It felt rustic. As with all the food in his culture, the amounts of the various spices and ingredients were determined only by the fingertips of the cook. It was an emotional art form, not a science. Aria could taste his grandmother’s hands in the bread. The war of potent flavors in the food that was laid out before her had reconciled into a harmonious dance.

Although it made her feel shamefully unsophisticated, eating Omkar’s food suddenly opened up a whole new world to her. It had never occurred to her that every culture and country might have its own foods; foods which, unless someone traveled to that part of the world, they would never see or taste in a lifetime.

“Have you ever tried Indian food?” Omkar asked, surprised by the way that Aria was acting.

“It’s kinda embarrassing, but no. I mean, I’ve seen Indian restaurants and stuff, but no one has ever taken me in one,” Aria responded. She felt ashamed to admit it, afraid of how Omkar would see her once he discovered just what kind of unsophisticated life she came from.

Omkar sat back, watching her relish the food like a hungry animal. He guessed she ate with such fervor due to hunger as much as because she liked the taste of the food.

“So tell me about your family,” he said. Aria felt herself at a crossroads. She could skirt the issue or she could tell it to him straight. Aria wanted him to love her. She wanted him to hold her in high esteem. But then again, she would rather have him decide to reject her now rather than after she had already become attached to him. So she threw the truth at him as if it were a test for him to pass.

Omkar stayed silent as she spoke for over an hour.