Page 98 of One Hellish Wedlock
She was surprised. Her father remembered? That stirred something deep inside her. She stared at the bowl, lost in thought.
“You want me to serve?” Reyansh offered softly.
Her eyes snapped to his. Even Radhika turned to listen.
“Only serving, Reyansh?” Radhika teased.
He rolled his eyes, that trademark smirk curling his lips. “I could feed her too.”
Aanya nearly choked. Was he drunk? Or just possessed? The giggles from Radhika, Rishi, and her father didn’t help.
Before she could react, Reyansh had served her two rotis and a generous portion of Paneer Mutter. He poured her a glass of water too.
“Want me to feed you?” he whispered, leaning closer.
Aanya jerked slightly, startled. She needed to rein this in before it spiralled out of control.
“Stop doingthis…” she murmured, her voice low but firm.
“This?” Reyansh asked, lifting a brow, clearly waiting for her to clarify.
“This,” she repeated, pointing at the plate in front of her. “This whole act… the extra buttering. If you’re doing it for Di or to impress my parents, you can drop it. It’s overkill.”
“I’m not overacting,” he replied smoothly. “And it’s hardly my fault. If I get to be near my wife after a week, this is exactly how I’ll behave.”
She rolled her eyes, annoyed and flustered all at once.
“Oh, I see. So all this sweet talk… this pampering—it’s just your way of convincing me for South Africa, isn’t it?” she whispered through clenched teeth.
But before she could add more, he lifted a piece of roti and fed her without warning. Her lips parted on instinct, catching the bite mid-sentence. She nearly choked, not on the food, but on her own rising heat.
A soft flush crept up her cheeks, all thanks to his steady, admiring gaze as she chewed.
“You eat like a little kid,” he muttered with a smile.
She swallowed quickly, barely managing to process the food, let alone his words.
Just as she opened her mouth to retort, Anand’s voice cut in, pulling them both back to the dinner table and reality.
“Reyansh, when are you flying to South Africa?”
“Next week,” he answered without hesitation. “For three days. Aanya’s coming along. I hope Di doesn’t mind.”
Aanya gritted her teeth. Why had he gone ahead and confirmed everything without even asking her first?
Radhika lit up. “Why would I mind? That’s wonderful news! You two deserve a little getaway.”
Aanya clenched her jaw but kept eating. It was hard to resist her favourite dish, even harder to ignore the man beside her orchestrating the entire evening.
Kyle noticed Aanya’s disinterest in this conversation.
“Aanya doesn’t look excited. Everything okay, dear?”
Aanya gave a tight smile. “I’m just unsure if I’ll get the leave approved. It’s a new job.”
“Oh,” Radhika frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“She’ll talk to her boss tomorrow,” Reyansh interjected. “If needed, I’ll shift my schedule around hers.”
