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I give her a smirk. “Guess we’re doing this.”

She nods, not backing down. “Try not to look so smug.”

“I make no promises.”

We lean in. The room falls totally silent. A record scratch might’ve felt less dramatic.

I go for a quick kiss. But the second our lips touch…

She lingers.

Just a second longer than needed.

But that second feels like stepping off a ledge and realizing you never wanted to hit the ground.

The kiss is soft, unexpected, and just enough to short-circuit logic.

When we part, no one speaks for a moment.

Then James claps slowly. “That was not a spin-the-bottle kiss. That was a ‘we’re writing fanfic about this later’ kiss.”

Mandy shakes her head with a flustered grin. “Shut up, James.”

Kira fans herself. “I need ice.”

I laugh under my breath, but my pulse is racing.

Because that wasn’t just a kiss.

That was something else.

The game goes on. People spin, people kiss, people laugh.

But Mandy disappears into the kitchen. I wait a minute, then follow.

She’s standing by the sink, refilling her drink, her hand resting on the counter like she’s bracing for an earthquake.

“Hey,” I say.

She turns. “Hey.”

“That was a hell of a welcome to the neighborhood.”

She lifts a brow. “Pretty sure that’s not in the lease.”

“No, but I’d definitely pay extra for that kind of greeting.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously charming, though.”

Her lips twitch. “You keep telling yourself that.”

There’s a pause.

Mandy grins and turns toward the sound. “Better get back before she starts assigning us karaoke duets.”

We walk out together. She rejoins her friends. Mikey cracks a joke. Mandy laughs bright, effortless.