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Varun rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Okay, fair enough. But before I offer solutions, I need one honest answer.”

Shaurya narrowed his eyes at him. “What?”

Varun leaned forward, surprisingly serious. “Answer me honestly. Did you like the kiss?”

Shaurya’s death stare could’ve burned holes in concrete. “Are youseriouslyasking me that right now?”

“Yes.” Varun chuckled, back to his usual mischievous self. “Because if the kiss was that good, and she was clearly kissing you back instead of pulling away, then this isn’t a crisis. It’s a bloody opportunity.”

Shaurya dropped into the armchair, resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t want to get into a relationship again. Especially not with someone as… childish and impulsive as her.”

“Right,” Varun nodded.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Varun shot back. “By the way, just wondering… was there anythingchildishin the way she kissed you last night?”

Shaurya opened his mouth, then shut it again. The memories of last night hit him with full force. Her legs wrapped around him. His hands around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. The way her lips met his…tentative at first, then bold, then hungry… matching his need beat for beat. There had been nothing naïve or childish in that kiss. It was passionate. Fierce. Unmistakably that of a woman.

He fell silent, his thoughts hijacked by the flash of her flushed cheeks, the dazed look in her eyes, the softness of her mouth, and the way her breath had hitched just before she kissed him back.

Varun cleared his throat loudly. “I knew it,” he said, breaking into a grin. “That’s the face of a man who just replayed the kiss frame by frame in 4k slow-motion.”

Shaurya blinked back to reality. “What? No.”

“Bro, please,” Varun said, placing the mug down. “You’ve got the haunted look of a man who just realised he accidentally kissed his way into feelings.”

Shaurya groaned. “This is not helping, Varun. I have no feelings for anyone, okay?”

Varun leaned forward, his voice turning serious. “Okay, fine. Let’s reset. Last night, Rhea sent you a picture of her and her new husband celebrating the new year on a yacht. You get pissed, and instead of going for a walk or throwing darts at her face, you end up kissing your neighbour.”

Shaurya’s shoulders tensed.

“And the best part?” Varun added. “You’ve spent the last twelve hours, not obsessing over Rhea’s ugly games, but over Nandini. You don’t want to fix that old mess. You want to fix this new one, the one with Nandini.”

Shaurya went quiet. He hated to admit it, but Varun was right. The real reason his head was spinning wasn’t Rhea this time. It was Nandini.

The girl next door. The chaos-in-a-cute-dress tornado who had first looked heartbroken, then spitting mad, when he’d told her the kiss was a mistake and that it wasn’t even meant for her.

He ran a hand down his face. “I know what I said hurt her. I know I was wrong.”

Varun nodded. “Then be a man and tell her that.”

Shaurya looked up. “You seriously want me to walk over to her place and admit that I completely lost it? That even though somewhere in the back of my mind I might’ve sensed it washer, I still didn’t stop?”

“Exactly. And while you’re at it, tell her you kissed her like you meant every second of it,” Varun offered helpfully.

Shaurya glared. “I’m not saying that… because that’s not true.”

Varun stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “It is. If it were anyone else, you’d have shrugged it off and moved on by now. But instead, you’re pacing around, losing sleep, and calling me at 9 a.m. on a public holiday. Because you care.”

Shaurya didn’t answer.

Varun grabbed his coat. “Talk to her. Be honest. And if you really want to avoid her grandpa from coming at you with a lawsuit, you better do it before she tells him about last night.”

As he headed for the door, he paused and raised his mug once more. “Oh, and by the way… Happy New Year.”

Shaurya rolled his eyes. “This is the worst start to any year I’ve ever had.”