He went to the kitchen and started digging through her fridge. “Did Auntie bring you more ‘diet’ food?” Yup, she had. He pulled out a Tupperware container of shami kababs. “Want some?”

She nodded and he popped the food into the microwave. There was enough for an army platoon. Which meant he and Naina were going to annihilate it all in one sitting.

“I didn’t realize you held Sid Dashwood’s hand while he took the pictures.”

“Ha ha. I did know the histories of the people he photographed, and I helped him get under the skin of the project. We discussed the concepts for days and came up with the stories we wanted to tell.”

“That, you did do.” As the kitchen filled with the aroma of spices, Naina’s eyes filled with skepticism.

“And . . . ?” Vansh asked, knowing that look only too well.

“And I’m still unclear on why Sid helped us in the first place. He’s a seven-time Goodall finalist. He’s also not this friendly with the rest of your family as far as I know. He said the other day that he hadn’t even met Mina Auntie and Shree Uncle or any of your siblings.”

“And it’s impossible that he took a liking to me? Given how much you like me, that should be easy for you to understand.”

She grinned into her kababs, eyes all sparkly again. “I certainly hope you’re not doing the same things with him you are with me to win his favor.”

“Come to think of it, he is my type,” he said. “Maybe it’s our shared wanderlust.” Saying that reminded him that he hadn’t felt the need to leave in quite a while. She studied him, but he was going nowhere near that train of thought. “Or maybe this is about you. Maybe he’s trying to make it up to you since his sister has your ex.” He put more food on her plate.

She popped a luscious chicken patty into his mouth. “Fake ex.”

He loved that phrase almost as much as the flavors exploding on his tongue. “Thank the good Lord for that. And for this. You haven’t lost weight, have you? Because if Auntie stops sending this food, what are we going to do?”

She grinned as he slid a piece into her mouth. “I still think it doesn’t add up. There’s something else Sid wants out of this.”

“Why do you think everyone is using me? I’m not some babe in the woods, Naina. I’ve lived by myself—quite successfully—since before I was even an adult.”

She didn’t answer immediately. They leaned into the countertop and continued to feed pieces of kabab into each other’s mouth. “Without ever having to make any money or support yourself,” she said finally around a mouthful.