Page 54 of Since You Stole My Heart

He gave a casual shrug and patted the cushion. ‘I find this comfortable.’

Looking at how he was twice the size of the two-seater sofa, she was unconvinced.

His gaze lingered on her. ‘Couldn’t sleep?’

Kashvi shook her head.

He tilted his head slightly. ‘Want some hot chocolate?’

Her spirits lifted at the thought, but she hesitated. ‘It’s really late. You should probably get some sleep.’

Swayam let out a soft laugh. ‘I won’t mind some hot chocolate myself. Maybe it’ll help me get some sweet dreams.’

Kashvi nodded with a chuckle. ‘Okay.’

She followed him into the kitchen. She flicked on the switch, and a soft amber glow spilled over the white marble counter. The hum of the refrigerator filled the room.

Swayam opened the cabinet and pulled out a jar of cocoa powder. Kashvi got the milk and placed it beside the saucepan.

She leaned against the counter next to him. ‘Thank you for making it.’

He glanced at her before switching on the gas. ‘You can save that. Abhay and Siya made it very clear that my life would be in danger if I didn’t take good care of you.’

Kashvi scoffed. ‘That sounds like them. Siya has always been the mother hen, and Abhay Jiju can be just as bad in his own fussy, big-bro way.’

A rich, warm scent wafted through the air as he stirred the chocolate.

Swayam chuckled. ‘I see that. It took me years to figure out how not to end up on Siya’s hit list as a friend, and now I get to discover all the creative ways she can threaten me as her brother-in-law.’

‘You’ve still got it easy because Siya is all bark and no bite. I’m more scared of mothers-in-law. I’ve heard too many horrorstories,’ Kashvi said, tapping her fingers lightly against the marble counter.

His shoulder tensed for a moment before he resumed stirring. Swayam hummed softly, his attention fixed on the stove. ‘You don’t need to be. It’s been twenty-eight years since I last saw my mother, so you won’t have to deal with any such horror.’

Twenty-eight years?

‘Oh,’ was all she managed.

Her mind drifted to an old conversation she’d once had with her sister when she had asked about his family.

‘Swayam doesn’t like to talk about them, so we never bring it up,’ Siya had said.

It had become an unspoken rule after that, something everyone seemed to follow. Kashvi wasn’t sure if she had the right to cross that line either, so she skirted around it.

‘You don’t have to take Di and Jiju seriously. They may say things like that, but they don’t mean it. You don’t have to do all of this,’ she said, gesturing towards the saucepan.

Swayam lifted it off the flame and poured the hot chocolate into two cups.

He handed her a cup, his fingers lightly brushing against hers. ‘Actually, I don’t mind doing this. I love pampering my wife.’

It shouldn’t have affected her as it did, but the way he said it made her heart skip a beat.

As they walked back to the living room, she asked, ‘Since I’m so special to you, does that mean I get to ask you things no one else does?’

‘Of course,’ he said simply.

The ease in his answer softened her hesitation. ‘Has it really been nearly three decades since you last saw your mother?’

His gaze dropped briefly to the cup in his hand, his expression unreadable as they sat down on the sofa.