Page 109 of The Rules of Playing with Fire

Aai smiled and said, “Ho na, kharach!”

Aaji kept her admiring gaze locked on him as he continued to smile back with love.

“Ugh, let’s go inside,” I mumbled. “Too many people swooning over you,”

He gave me an amused look, then followed me, but not before gesturing namaste again to Aaji. She was about as impressed as I was annoyed.

“Appa, we’re using your study. Hope you don’t mind.” I didn’t wait for his response before stepping inside.

Mihir strode along and whispered, “Are you jealous of all the attention I’m getting?”

“Please!” I huffed. “Do you even know what they were saying about you?”

“No, but judging from those bright smiles, I assume it’s something good.”

He took a seat on the small sofa in the study while I slid into Appa’s chair. “Aaji thinks you look like a prince, and Aai wholeheartedly agrees.”

“Really?” He sat upright with a bright look.

“And Aaji would know,” I added with a smile. “She was the princess of Sangli.”

Mihir’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“Yes, her husband was a Sardar. They were the landed aristocracy. She would know all about princes,” I teased as Mihir soaked it all up with glee.

“Her son is a technocrat, though,” I added. “He’s the CTO of a software company here.”

“Fascinating!” Mihir blinked his eyes in thought.

“Enough of that. Tell me what you have. Where are we going today?”

His jaw squared as his eyes turned harsh. A thick vein emerged on his forehead as he pulled up an address on his phone and showed it to me.

“That’s Dadar, not too far from here,” I said. “Who are we looking for?”

“His name is Jayant Kamte. He knew my parents.”

I nodded, debating if I should be nosy and ask for more details.

“I need some information from him,” he said upon reading my face.

“Give me a few minutes to get ready. You can sit here or go back out to be swooned over.”

Back in my room, I took a quick shower and used a curl tamer to calm down the frizz. I swiped my signature day color over my lips and wrapped a stole around my neck to compliment the short Indian top I wore over jeans.

A happy crowd was gathered around the dining table when I returned. Mihir nursed a mug of coffee, a genuine smile on his face while Appa chatted on. Aaji ate breakfast, her eyes still glossy from admiring Mihir, and Aai sat looking at Appa with unmistakable love in her eyes.

“I’m ready,” I said, and everyone gave me dirty looks like I was raining on their joy.

“What about your breakfast?” Aai said.

“I’ll grab something on the way back,” I said to her, then looked at Mihir. “Come on, get up.” I gestured with my hands.

“Don’t be rude,” Aai rebuked.

“I’m sorry. Shall we, Your Royal Highness?” I looked at Aai. “Is that better?”

Mihir and Aai shared a smile before I groused and led him out. While our driver, Sanjay, drove us through the morning traffic to Dadar, I inquired about his parents.

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