Ryan
I sat on the edge of Aanya’s bed for a few minutes after shutting the door behind me, my fingers tapping absently against my thigh. The moment she called me a mafia king instead of a boyfriend echoed in my head. It wasn’t just the slip of the tongue. It was what followed—the way her eyes widened, her lips parted in shock, and then how quickly she tried to cover it up.
That single word from her meant more than she knew.
Boyfriend.
I had smiled it off, teased her, but the truth was, that word nestled deep in my chest like a secret I didn’t want to let go of. I looked over my shoulder toward the closed door. She needed rest, but I needed to make sure she was taken care of for the entire day. If she wasn’t going to listen, I had to outmaneuver her.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ga
