Page 47

Varun winked. “Or maybe the best. You just don’t know it yet.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving behind a very conflicted, very grumpy, and very newly-kissed Shaurya Ahuja to clean up his own mess.

Of all the things Shaurya had imagined for the new year, chasing after a woman who once compared him to a living ghost definitely hadn’t made the list.

But then again, neither had that kiss.

*****************

Raichand Villa

The morning sun spilled through the pale-yellow curtains of her bedroom, far too cheerful for the mood Nandini Raichand woke up in.

She blinked at the ceiling, tossing slightly under her thick blanket, her eyes wide and accusing.

She had kissed her grumpy neighbour.

Wait, no. Correction:her grumpy neighbour had kissed her.

Correction again:she had kissed him back.

“Oh God,” she muttered into her pillow before groaning and burying her entire face into it. “What have I done?”

It wasn’t just any kiss. It was the kind of kiss women wrote poetry about. Or, in her case, read about in her romance novels, thinking,‘Nah! This doesn’t happen in real life.’

Except... it did. Last night.To her.On a dining table. In Villa No. 11.

With him.

She sat up in bed with a jolt, her hair a cloud of chaos and her mind not far behind. Her legs were still sore from walking in those plump heels she had worn for the New Year event last night. And her lips? They still tingled in a way that was frankly rude after what had actually happened.

Because what had happened shouldn’t have happened… at all.

She flopped back down onto the bed dramatically, still reeling from the fact that he had the audacity to kiss her thinking she was someone else.

“Ughhh!” She kicked off her blanket and stormed into the bathroom. “I’m such an idiot.”

Nandini spent the next half hour switching between brushing her teeth, scolding her reflection, and standing frozen under the shower like it would wash away the previous night’s madness. But no amount of warm water or muttered curses could rinse off the memory of his lips on hers—or worse, her response to it.

What had she been thinking?

Scratch that. She clearly hadn’t been thinking at all.

The way her body had betrayed her, the way her fingers had tugged him closer instead of pushing him away, and the way that stupid little wish she’d made to the mango tree had practically manifested itself in the most mortifying way possible. Happy New Year, indeed.

By the time she made it to the breakfast table, still mentally berating herself, her grandfather was already halfway through his breakfast. He looked fresh as ever, sitting upright withthe morning paper lying beside him. Lakshmi Aunty was busy placing another hot paratha on his plate with a dollop of white butter.

After storming out of Shaurya’s villa last night, Nandini hadn’t found the strength, or the nerve, to return to the community hall. The guilt of that kiss clung to her skin like an itch, but what infuriated her more was how easily she’d melted into it. Shaurya had asked why she hadn’t stopped him, and the worst part was… he wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t known who he was kissing, but she had. She knew exactly whose lips were on hers, and still, she hadn’t pulled away. How could she have let that happen? How could she have kissed him back?

Overwhelmed and disoriented, she’d called Priya the moment she got home, muttering something about a sudden headache and the need to call it an early night. She’d wished her a happy new year and then made the awkward request—could Priya check on her grandfather before he left the party? Nandini hated asking anyone else to look out for Daadu’s well-being, but just this once, she needed to retreat. Last night had been anything but ordinary, and if there was ever a time for exceptions… this was it.

“Nandu?” her grandfather called out, eyeing her with mild concern. “Why are you standing there like you’ve lost your way? Come, sit down and eat your breakfast.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Nandini forced a bright smile and gathered herself. She walked over to the table, and wished both her grandfather and Lakshmi Aunty a cheerful, “Happy New Year.” Both of them wished her back, but only aunty was fooled by her act.

Her grandfather’s sharp eyes immediately narrowed on her. “How’s your headache now? You alright?”

She nodded, pouring herself some tea. “Better. Just needed rest.”