Page 113 of Entangled Vows
“Feeding you. You need to eat too.”
He took the bite, then brushed a loose strand of hair from her forehead. They continued eating in silence, the air between them no longer heavy, but quietly charged with unsaid closeness. With every bite they shared, it felt like something invisible was drawing them closer.
Once the plate was empty, he handed her a glass of water and she downed it in one go. Then they brushed their teeth side by side in an easy, comfortable silence.
When they returned to the bedroom, he turned on the dim lights and shut off the rest, filling the room with a soft golden glow. She was already sitting on the bed, cross-legged, a box of first aid kit resting on her lap.
“Come here,” she said, patting the space beside her.
He frowned. “Why?”
“You’re bruised. Let me put some ointment on it. Sit down.”
“It’s just a scratch. You don’t need to do that.”
“It isnotjust a scratch,” she bit out. “You’re hurt. So sit your arrogant ass down and let me look at it.”
He raised an eyebrow, amused despite the sting. “Easy, my baby dragon. You’re breathing fire.”
She glared at him. “Keep pushing me, and Iwill.”
Shaking his head, he gave in and sat beside her. When she was done, she placed the kit on the side table and curled into him without a word. He leaned back against the headboard, and she tucked herself against his body like she belonged there. Herhead rested just below his chin, and her palm settled over his heart. Her breath was warm against his skin.
Vikram’s arm wrapped around her instinctively, like it was second nature to him. It felt right… too right. And that scared the hell out of him. He wasn’t supposed to feel at home like this. Not with her. Not when everything about them was supposed to be temporary.
But then she spoke.
“Why do you call meMomo?” she asked softly.
He blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
“You always call me that,” she muttered, not meeting his gaze. “And I hated it, by the way. I thought you were teasing me for eating too much.”
Vikram pulled back just enough to look at her face. “Youwhat?”
She shrugged, trying to play it cool, her cheeks turning pink. “It made me feel... fat.”
A slow, incredulous smile tugged at his lips. “Mahika,” he said, his voice low, teasing. “I called you that because of the way your whole face lit up when you saw a plate of momos. Like it was the best part of your day.”
She blinked.
“You’d literally devour them in seconds,” he went on, the corners of his mouth twitching. “It was adorable. You looked... happy. And kind of feral.”
“I didnotlook feral,” she gasped, half-laughing, half-horrified.
“You actually growled at Suraj once when he tried to steal one from your plate.”
Her jaw dropped. “That never happened.”
“It absolutely did,” Vikram grinned. “You were fifteen. I should’ve known then you were going to scare the hell out of any man who tried to mess with your food.”
Her laughter softened, and when their eyes met, something shifted. “What’s with thisbaby dragonnonsense? First Momo, now this?”
Vikram smirked, unbothered. “You don’t like it?”
She scowled. “It makes me sound like an angry cartoon.”
He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with fondness. “That’sexactlywhy. You puff up like a little dragon every time you’re mad… snapping, stomping, and flaring those eyes at me like you’ll burn the place down.”
