HER EYES FLUTTERED open. She let out a loud yawn as she rubbed her eyes. Memories of last night and early morning resurfaced in her mind. She looked to her side to find her bed empty. She heard some clattering so she sat up to find Ryker's shirtless back in the kitchen.

"I could get used to this view," she said in a hoarse voice.

He twisted his neck and smiled while pointing a ladle towards her. "I could get used to that."

She looked at herself.

Right, she wasn't wearing anything.

She picked up her underwear and slid on a loose t-shirt. Ryker walked out of the kitchen with a plate of egg and bacon in one and egg and bread in the other. "Bacon's for me," he cleared. "I am thinking of giving it up though." He put the plate down on the table in front of her couch.

"Why?"

"Well, you don't have beef and pork and I thought you might not like the smell of it either. Plus, it's not like it's my favourite. I prefer seafood anyway. Are you fine with that?"

"You don't have to give it up." She said as she went into the bathroom. "I don't have it because I am half-Hindu and we pray to cows. Her tail has the existence of 330 million Gods and Goddesses."

"What?"

"Yeah." She applied toothpaste on her brush. "We have a lot of Gods and Goddesses." She threw the spit in the basin. "I like to be in touch with both religions. I may not be an extreme devotee of either but I still have faith. Do you?"

"I was raised a Catholic," he said. "But I only have faith in myself."

She washed her mouth. "Why is that?"

"That's a conversation for another day." He passed her a cup of tea when she stepped out of the bathroom. He sat on the couch while she folded her legs and sat on the floor to sit across from her.

"Mhmm, smells good." She sipped the tea. "Tastes even better."

"Thanks!" He said, mouth stuffed with eggs.

She put the cup down and took the plate on her lap. "Hey, I think we should talk to HR about us. Not right away but maybe in a couple of days."

He gulped the food without biting. "Really? But I thought we...were still experimenting?"

"I want to make it official." She smiled. "Would it affect our work life too much?"

"Not a lot but...we don't have to time our elevator rides anymore and your co-workers may not be thrilled about it but I will take care of it. Are you a hundred percent sure you want to do this? It's a big change."

"If I am being honest..." She bit her lip. "I am always afraid that one of us would end up hurting each other. We would find a flaw or I don't know but every time I am with you...it just feels right. I know I want you. And I am a hundred percent sure about that." She straightened her back. "So, yes I am ready for that."

"I will do everything I can to prove that you and I are an endgame, okay?" Ryker stood up on his knees and walked towards her. He picked up her plate and put it back on the table. He put her arms under her arms and picked her up, giving two spins as they both laughed in unison. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed his forehead when he stopped spinning her. "Because you make me so happy, Laav. More than I have ever been."

"I can see it on your face. I can't believe I hated you before."

"Do you, now?"

"Not a chance in hell." A thought passed over her. "Oh, and I am hosting a small thank you dinner for Sydney. Julie and Neel are invited too. I am cooking!"

"Babe, when I say this, I say it with love—" He put her down. "Spaghetti and sandwiches are hardly considered as dinner."

She jabbed his arm. "Well, good thing I have a boyfriend who knows how to cook."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

He smiled but suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, who is Neel? Is Jules seeing someone whom I don't know of?"

"Not exactly. It's complicated. Neel...or, well, Dr. Neel Khurana, Julie and I–all of us were in the same friend group during high school. They happened to cross paths with each other recently and they have this sort of beneficial deal."

"No way!" Ryker connected the dots in an instant. "They are friends with benefits. Ugh..." He gagged. "I didn't need to know that. She is my little cousin."

"Your little cousin is an oblivious piece of shit. She clearly likes him but refuses to date."

"What if we...nudge her down the slide a little?"

Laavanya arched her eyebrow. "What do you have in your mind?"