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What if he really was incapable of being loved?

The thought festered, twisting something dark inside him.

No. He wasn’t that man. He refused to be.

He could move on. He would prove it to himself and to the world that he was ready to let go.

And right now, there was a woman sitting in front of him. A woman who, for some unfathomable reason, had chosen to be here tonight, waiting for him.

Something snapped inside him. Something reckless and desperate. And without thinking, without pausing, he closed the distance between them, grabbed her face and kissed her.

It wasn’t just about silencing Grandpa Keshav’s voice in his head—it was about reclaiming a part of himself that he had knowingly tucked away, bruised and buried for far too long. About proving that he wasn’t broken beyond repair.

But the moment their lips met, he knew it. This was a mistake.

A reckless, stupid, catastrophic mistake.

Who kisses his blind date at the first meeting? Without even sharing pleasantries?

And yet… he couldn’t stop.

Because the moment she gasped against his mouth, the moment her fingers fisted into his shirt instead of pushing him away—he was lost.

Her scent, warm and intoxicating, filled his senses.Jasmine and vanilla.The kind of scent that crept under your skin and refused to leave.

That scent… It wasn’t just pleasant—it was familiar.

But he shoved that thought down, refusing to let it ruin this moment. This was about taking back control, about proving something to himself. Not about getting lost in pointless distractions. His hands tightened around her waist, drawing her closer. Her legs, once elegantly crossed, loosened, parting slightly as he stepped between them, deepening the kiss.

She gasped softly against his mouth, and a strangled sound escaped him in response—becausethat, too, was familiar.

A warning bell rang in his head, but he ignored it. Again. For a man who lived his life meticulously in control, this moment was chaos incarnate.

And for the first time in a long time… he let himself get lost in it.

Then…Boom.

Fireworks erupted outside, cheers ringing in the New Year. The sudden burst of light from the windows flooded the room,breaking the moment. As their lips parted, he pulled back from her, his dazed mind scrambling for clarity.

Realisation slammed into him like a thunderclap as his gaze locked onto her wide, startled eyes.Those familiar doe eyes.

No. No. No.

First shock hit him hard, then rage.

Because standing before him, flushed and just kissed, was not his blind date.

It wasNandini Raichand.

Grandpa Keshav’s granddaughter.

The last woman he had expected to be lurking around in his house tonight. And yet, he had just devoured her mouth like a man starved.

F*ck!

“You?” he blurted out in pure disbelief.

Nandini gasped, scrambling off the table, her own expression mirroring his horror.