Faking It With a Billionaire || MaAn

Chapter 41 | Anuj

Anupama's head falls to my shoulder as we ride the elevator up to the penthouse. We lean against the back wall, the both of us tired from the past twenty-four hours. "I'm so happy to be home," she speaks up, breaking the silence.

I have to swallow the growing lump of emotion in my throat. "Me too," I get out, not elaborating that I felt more at home in bed with her at that inn than I've felt here at my own place alone. Truth be told, I'm happy to get back to our own space, to the mundaneness we've created in the past month. Nothing has really felt like home until her, but I'm excited at the thought of this penthouse slowly becoming one because of her.

Her stomach growls loudly, making her giggle as she covers it with her hand, a bashful look on her face. "Clearly I'm starving." She laughs again, shrugging.

The elevator chimes, the doors to the penthouse opening wide. The usual smell of the cleaning solution the cleaning service typically uses hits my nostrils. As I roll our suitcases in, the both of us stopping in the gallery, a different smell hits our nostrils.

Anupama looks at me, excitement lighting in her eyes. "Do I smell Chinese food?"

I can't help but smirk at her excitement as she beelines for the kitchen, not bothering to take off her shoes. "Oh my god, I've never been more excited to see takeout in my life!"

Following the sound of her voice, I find her already tearing into a white plastic takeout bag that sits on the edge of the kitchen island. She pulls out two containers of soup, a small box of egg rolls and then two large boxes with our entrees.

She wastes no time tearing open a packet of chopsticks, opening one of the bigger boxes and popping a piece of chicken in her mouth. She moans loudly, her eyes rolling back in her head. "Holy shit. I forgot how much I missed New York takeout."

I pull my phone out of my pocket, firing off a text to my house manager to thank them for running the food by. I watch her shove a large bite of chowmein into her mouth, noodles dangling by her chin before talking. "We had it like two weeks ago after you begged me for it."

She smiles at me through a mouthful of food. If anyone else did it, I'd find it revolting, but with her it's endearing and cute. Every little nuance of her is. She swallows the food in her mouth. "Exactly. It's been way too long."

I roll my eyes at her dramatics, pulling my arms from the sleeves of my jacket and tossing it over the far edge of the island. "I'm sorry that the home cooked meals you've been living off of have been so awful."

She slurps a noodle into her mouth. "I never said they were awful. But you're talking to a girl who was broke in college who collectively shared one pot and one pan with her two other roommates. We never cooked for ourselves and we could make Chinese leftovers last for days. You cook almost as good as you... you know, Anuj, but that doesn't mean I don't miss some overly GMO sesame chicken from time to time."

Her uttering the word brings my mind back to the plane ride, how it felt to bury myself inside her while my staff waited for us. It hadn't been my intention to on the plane. I'd really just wanted to slip the ring on her finger and know the world viewed her as my fiancée, but I got carried away. I seem to be doing that a lot when it comes to her. 

Not that I really mind it.

She manages to shove a few more bites into her mouth before I point to the chairs at the island. "Would you like to maybe actually take a seat and eat your food?"