"Looks like your hair wants to stay with me a little longer." Zian chuckled.

"Even I want to." Neha said with a pout.

As she attempted to disentangle her hair, Zian gently held her face, his fingers softly grazing her cheek. Their eyes locked, and in that intimate moment, the air seemed to crackle with an unspoken connection.

Neither of them knew who moved first, the next moment, they were kissing like there was no tomorrow...

Their lips met in a tender embrace, igniting a spark that seemed to electrify the air around them. Time stood still as they melted into the sweetness of the kiss, each moment filled with a rush of emotions they had long kept hidden.

Neha's heart fluttered with joy as she felt Zian's warm touch, his gentle caress sending shivers down her spine. In that fleeting moment, everything else faded away, leaving only the warmth of their shared affection.

But just as quickly as it began, Zian pulled away, his expression clouded with guilt.

"I... I am sorry, Neha," he stammered, his voice filled with regret. "I shouldn't have..."

Neha's heart sank at the sudden shift, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"Zi, what's wrong?" She whispered, reaching out to touch his arm.

Zian shook his head, unable to meet her gaze.

"I got carried away... I shouldn't have let it go that far," he murmured, his tone heavy with self-reproach.

"But why? It is common when two people are in love," Neha couldn't help but point out. Her best friend, Zada, who is in love, even made love with her boyfriend and here, her Zi - Zi is having second thoughts just because they shared a sweet kiss.

"It is common, yes, I agree. But I want to wait. Wait for you to become a bit more mature. You don't understand the dynamics of all this. I don't want you to regret later on. And I won't take advantage of your affection for me, Neha. I want you to be hundred percent sure when it happens." Zian said and Neha looked at him in annoyance.

She had dreamed of her first kiss for a long time. Never even her wildest dreams did she imagine such a scene after her first kiss.

"I am hundred percent sure. I want to kiss you." Neha said stubbornly, her chin tilted in a defiant angle and Zian felt his heart brimming with love for her. And far more than love, at the moment he was feeling immense tenderness for her.

"Let's take it slow, Neha. I love you. I know you love me. But let's wait and take small steps forward." Zian said, reaching out to wrap his arms around her in a fond embrace.

But Neha was angry. She swatted his arms away and shot a furious look at him.

"You didn't like the kiss, right? That's why you are refusing to kiss me." Neha said hotly, but her eyes had started filling up. Zian looked at her in horror.

"No, darling. Not at all. I loved it. I absolutely loved it." Zian hurried to clarify, but tears started rolling down Neha's cheeks. She was looking absolutely adorable like an angry five year old and Zian could help but pull her into his arms and drop a tender kiss on her forehead, which only managed to annoy her more.

"That's not the kiss I want." Neha said hotly and Zian chuckled at her cuteness.

"I know, darling. But not now. Your dad is still keeping an eye on me to make sure that I am the right man for you. I want him to have a hundred percent belief in me. And maybe, in a few years, we can think of taking the next step in our relationship. I want to just keep loving you until then." Zian said and Neha frowned.

She didn't want to wait for a few years. She wanted to be loved by him in every way.

"Few years is such a long time.." Neha argued.

"It will pass by in a jiffy, I promise." Zian said, his arms firmly around her.

"I won't talk to you anymore." Neha said with a huff of annoyance, pushed him away and ran into her apartment building and Zian watched on with a chuckle, knowing Neha would forget it by the morning.

****

"Care to explain what just happened now?" Zada's words from the evening still echoed in his ears.

But Zahir didn't have an answer for it.

What had happened then? He had intentionally flirted with Heera, because he wanted to annoy Khushi. And why did he even think that she would be annoyed if he flirted with someone?

Zahir had no answers for his own questions either.

All he knew was that he absolutely enjoyed Khushi's reaction while he pretended to flirt with Heera.

And that kiss that evening. It is still etched into his being as if it is tattooed there.

He had kissed her out of fury, but somehow, it had turned out to be more. It was his first kiss and he had never expected to kiss someone out of fury. He had carefully constructed an image of a playboy in the campus, but he had never had any physical relationship with any girl.

Yet, he had kissed Khushi, the girl whom he considers as an enemy. And what was more surprising was that he absolutely loved kissing her and he ached to kiss her again.

Damn it!

And the shocking fact was that she had kissed him back that day. Though he had started it and expected a slap in return, she had kissed him back with vigour. As though, even in that she was ready to fight and dominate.

"Khushi!!" He uttered her name loudly, as though saying that name to himself.

But, much to his bad luck, his brother had walked in at the same time and heard him utter that name.

Zian smirked and shot a teasing look at Zahir.

"Did you just call out for Khushi, my darling brother?" Zian asked and was fascinated by the redness seeping across his brother's cheeks.

A/N

Here it goes..

Please do vote and comment...

Love,

SF❤️