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And in that charged, knowing glance, the realisation struck them both at once:They could’ve been the ones caught.

But right now, it wasn’t about them but their best friends. And clearly, they were not the only ones keeping secrets. Their best friends had kept it too.

“What thehell?” Shaurya’s voice broke the moment.

Priya yelped and jumped back like she’d been zapped while Varun tripped over his own foot trying to create space between them.

“You two… kissing?” Nandini gasped.

Priya looked mortified, like she wanted to disappear into the earth. “Nandini, it’s not what it looks like. I mean, we both… we… I—”

Varun cleared his throat, clearly looking more at ease than Priya. “Relax. It’s just our friends, not the press,” he said to her. Then, he turned to Nandini and Shaurya with a small smile. “We’ve been dating for a couple of months now.”

“WHAT?” Nandini all but shrieked. Even Shaurya looked stunned, staring at Varun with raised brows and a betrayed expression.

“Youbothare dating?” she repeated, her eyes bouncing between them like she was trying to solve a puzzle that didn’t quite fit. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Priya winced, guilt written all over her face. “I wanted to, Nandini. I swear, I did. But you were in Mumbai, already stressed out with the whole skincare brand mess and everything... and I just didn’t want to add drama to your plate.”

“But it’s been almost a month since I came back,” Nandini argued. “You had plenty of time to tell me. That excuse doesn’t fly anymore.”

Shaurya folded his arms, levelling an unimpressed glare at Varun. It wasn’t the dramatic kind. He was disappointed. Varun turned slowly to meet his best friend’s stare.

“You too,” Shaurya muttered. “Seriously?”

Varun blinked. “What?”

“You’ve been dating her formonths, Varun. And you didn’t think to tell me?”

Varun opened his mouth, then closed it. “Shaurya—”

“I told youeverything,” Shaurya cut him off. “You knew every single detail of my life, when I punched my garage wall, when I had insomnia for three weeks straight… and when I kissed Nandini, I even told you that. Andyou—you couldn’t tell me this?”

Varun’s face fell. “Shaurya, it’s not like that, man.”

“Then what is it? You think I’d ruin it? That I’d judge you? Or her?”

Varun held up both hands. “No! God, no. Look, I wanted to tell you. I almost did. Twice, actually. But you, bro… you were in this whole phase.‘Love is for fools,’ ‘Commitment is a myth,’ ‘I’ll die alone,’and blah blah. I didn’t think you’d take it well. You were so anti-love. You know what I mean?”

Shaurya scoffed. “Anti-love? That’s your excuse?”

“You were literally growling at couples on park benches last month!”

Nandini covered her mouth to stifle her laugh.

Varun stepped closer, his tone softening. “Listen. I’m sorry, okay? I should’ve told you. You’re my best friend. I just... didn’t want to mess things up when they were finally going right.”

Shaurya rolled his eyes, making it very clear that he was hurt at being left out.

“Don’t be like this,” Varun said, nudging his shoulder playfully. “I’ll tell you the whole love story. I promise. It’s got drama, chaos, Priya’s awful cooking, and one ridiculously romantic night. You’ll love it.”

Shaurya arched a brow. “Now you want to share everything, huh? After we caught you both red-handed?” he asked.

“No, not just because of that,” Varun replied, then looked between Shaurya and Nandini and grinned. “Because now, you’re not anti-love anymore, dude. Just admit it.”

Shaurya shot him a warning glare. Nandini looked away, her cheeks turning pink.

Shaurya narrowed his eyes. “Now I know who’s been feeding you all the Serene Meadows gossip. If it wasn’t from me, it had to be her,” he said, pointing towards Priya.