Dating Dr. Dil (If Shakespeare was an Auntie #1)(73)

It was a jolt to the system to realize that he’d bought something just for her. The coffee, the breakfast. It was all more than she could’ve ever imagined.

Fuck, how the hell did she get this deep?

Prem slid the soft scrambled eggs out of the skillet onto a plate and put the plate in front of her. They were light and fluffy, just like she preferred.

“You made me eggs,” she blurted out, not knowing what else to say. Her heart practically stopped at the sight of them.

“Yeah,” he said as he turned off the range and dropped dishes into his sink. “I remember you said that’s your preferred breakfast food.”



“I love eggs, too. My mom used to make them for me when I was a kid, and now there is a sense of nostalgia attached to them.”

“Scrambled? Fried? Over easy? Hard-boiled?”

She laughed. “Scrambled. The delicious soft way that looks all bright and yellow. There is nothing like scrambled eggs with coffee.”



He wasn’t even looking at her as he rushed through his kitchen, grabbing his tablet, his bag that he’d left on the other barstool, and his car keys.

“You’re not going to have any?”

“I had some before you woke up. You never told me how you liked them, so I had to make an educated guess.”

Kareena stared at her fork like it was a snake.

“So?” Prem prompted. He walked over to the front door and slipped into his sneakers. “How are they?”

She tried to smile at him, even as her stomach knotted, and her head pounded in rhythm with her heart. She forked a tiny piece at the edge of her plate and slipped it in her mouth.

Butter. Just a little wet. Scrambled. With . . . chaat masala?

She dropped her fork with a clatter. “How did you know to put chaat masala on my eggs?” she blurted out.

Prem snorted. “Seriously? We had a food eating competition. Half the time you mumble to yourself over your plate. You season everything you eat, and you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Kareena nodded. She had no words. Prem Verma, Dr. Dil, had just produced the perfect scrambled eggs.

“They’re . . . great,” she said.

“Awesome.” Prem strode to her side, grabbed her chin, and pressed a hard kiss against her mouth. “If you want to stay, feel free to hang out until I get back. I don’t know when that’ll be, but definitely by dinner.”

“I have to work,” she said. “This week, I have a client case that I’m working on.”

“Damn, and I’m in back-to-back procedures. I have to pick up a weekend shift, then prep for my show.” He pressed another quick kiss to her mouth. “Then next weekend. You want to get away with me?”

“Get away? Like where?”

“I don’t know. I’m not on call, and they’re doing a rerun of one of my old episodes because there is supposed to be a special broadcast conflicting with the time slot. We can go to the beach if you want?”

“You mean the shore,” Kareena replied. “You’re in Jersey. It’s the shore.”

Prem kissed her again, this time longer, and with a small lick of his tongue. “Fine. The shore. Come with me.”

“I’m helping with my sister’s engagement party,” she said.

“Fuck it.”

These bubble moments with him were . . . amazing. She felt like she didn’t have to worry so much when it was just the two of them. “Fine,” she said before she could change her mind. “Let’s do it.”

“Great. Front door code is my birthday. Let yourself out whenever.” He started walking backward, juggling his bag, files, coffee mug, and keys. “We need to talk, but I have to go. I’ll text you later.”

Kareena nodded and waited for him to close the door behind him before she picked up her fork again. She’d just agreed to go with him on vacation to a place that would be especially hard for her to leave.

Her mind turned back to focusing on the eggs. The last time anyone made her eggs with chaat masala was when her mother was still alive. It was so special. Those Sunday morning breakfasts with eggs, and hot milk with just enough tea in it to make her feel special.

Kareena took another bite, and then a third.

Prem took her out on the most fun dates she’d ever been on. She’d never had mind-blowing sex the way she’d experienced with him. And most importantly, he listened to her. She could sleep when she was with him, and he was constantly feeding her.

She took her time finishing the eggs, and when her plate was clean she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

She’d been prepared for almost every scenario: losing her mother’s house, living alone in some rental property, and having to sell her car. Or worse, settling for someone she didn’t love at all.

The one thing that Kareena hadn’t prepared herself for was falling in love with a man who could never love her back.





Chapter Twenty-Four

Prem




Prem: Mom, don’t freak out, but I met someone.

Mom: Oh my goodness, really?? My beta, I’m so proud!!

Mom: ::religious meme::

Mom: ::religious meme::

Mom: ::party meme::

Prem: It’s Kareena. The woman who interrupted my show.