Dev rested his hands on the counter for support. “I know. Uncle, you must have seen the messages that were leaked. Those were the texts between Jia and Arjun. Chandu did the first thing he could to kill the gossip, and said we were engaged.”
Adil Uncle narrowed his gaze. “But... in that case, you could say your people made an error.”
“That’ll hurt Jia.”
His uncle waved the spatula he was holding. Something red spattered on the stove. “You can’t get married to save a reputation, Dev. This isn’t the twentieth century.”
“I’m getting married to her because I admire her greatly,” he said simply. “And I cannot imagine a better partner and coparent to Luna.”
Adil Uncle scrutinized Dev for a long moment, and slowly, he lowered his utensil. “Youwantthis.”
“I do.” Dev controlled the quiver of his lips. Under the panic and the worry was pure excitement at the prospect of actually being married to Jia at some vague point in the future.
“You’re a romantic like your parents, I see. The rest of your father’s family couldn’t stifle that out of you.”
His cheeks grew warm. “I don’t know about romantic.”
“I do.” Adil dropped his spatula in the pot and stirred with vigor. “Well, now. This is a different story. I have been praying for you to find a good woman, and here she is. It calls for a celebration. We will invite her and her family over, and I will cook.”
“Actually...” He hesitated. “Aji has told me she is coming here to meet Jia.”
Adil’s head came up. “I see.”
Dev flinched at his uncle’s carefully neutral tone. Adil had never met his sister’s husband’s parents, and had only spoken with them on the phone when Dev and Rohan’s parents had died.
While his grandfather had sneered at any mention of hismother, Adil Uncle had been careful to never malign Dev’s father or his paternal family in his presence. Dev would never permit his uncle to feel left out of important family decisions. “Of course, you will be there as well. Jia has already met you, you will be a friendly face. You live with us, it is even more important you get along.”
Adil cleared his throat and dashed his arm over his eyes. “Yes, yes. I would like that very much. By the way, you should speak to Luna.”
Dev stilled. Oh no. That did not sound promising. “Did you tell her?”
“I didn’t have to. Her friends have been texting her all morning. She was deeply unhappy when I picked her up from her sleepover.”
He hadn’t gotten to Luna soon enough. “Unhappy how?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me or look me in the eye, only asked if it was true. I couldn’t tell her if it was or wasn’t.”
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Do that. And then we can discuss what you know of Jia’s favorite sweets. I must make her something when we come together.”
Dev didn’t think his uncle meant pancakes, so he made a mental note to ask Jia if there were any Desi sweets she liked or was interested in. “Yes, of course.” Dev patted Adil on the shoulder as he walked past him.
Dev knocked on Luna’s door. There was no answer, so he knocked again.
“What?”
He raised an eyebrow at the sullen tone. “Luna, it’s me. May I come in?”
There was such a long pause, Dev shifted, wondering if she’d deny him. “Fine.”
He opened the door slowly. “Hey, beti.”
Luna didn’t look up from her phone. “What do you want?”
“I heard you learned some gossip about me.”
She stiffened. “Is it gossip or is it true?”
