Something changed after that kiss.
Actually—
something changed in Aarav.
And Meher realized it the next morning.
Very quickly.
Because suddenly—
Aarav had developed a serious problem.
He wanted to kiss her constantly.
Not dramatically.
Not wildly.
Just…
all the time.
And the worst part?
He acted completely innocent about it.
Meher was standing near the kitchen counter making coffee quietly—
still sleepy—
when Aarav walked in.
Black t-shirt.
Messy hair.
Still looking unfairly good for someone who had just woken up.
Meher looked at him once—
then immediately looked away.
Because now every time she saw him—
she remembered last night.
And instantly became shy again.
Aarav noticed that immediately.
Of course he did.
A tiny smile appeared on his lips.
Cute.
He walked toward her slowly—
then without saying anything—
leaned down and kissed her cheek softly.
Quick.
Casual.
Like it was completely normal.
Meher froze.
Then slowly turned toward him.
"…what was that?"
Aarav blinked innocently.
"Good morning."
"That is not how people say good morning!"
"Hm."
No shame whatsoever.
Then before she recovered—
he stole another tiny kiss near her forehead.
Meher's eyes widened immediately.
"AARAV."
"What?"
"You did it again!"
This time Aarav looked thoughtful.
"…I did."
Meher narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
And suddenly—
she realized something horrifying.
"You liked yesterday way too much."
Aarav's smirk instantly gave him away.
Silence.
Then Meher pointed accusingly at him.
"You became addicted!"
"No."
"Aarav."
A pause.
"…maybe a little."
Meher stared at him in disbelief.
The dangerous mafia man—
feared by everyone—
was casually admitting he was addicted to kissing her.
Unbelievable.
Then somehow—
it got worse.
Because throughout the entire day—
Aarav kept stealing tiny kisses randomly.
On her forehead.
Her cheek.
Near her temple.
Every chance he got.
Walking past her?
Kiss.
Handing her water?
Kiss.
She says something cute?
Definitely kiss.
At one point—
Meher was literally trying to read peacefully on the couch—
when Aarav appeared beside her again.
She immediately looked suspicious.
"No."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
Aarav looked genuinely offended.
"You assume the worst about me."
"You kissed me five times in one hour!"
"Only five?"
Meher dropped her book dramatically.
"AARAV!"
His quiet laughter filled the room again.
Then—
without warning—
he gently tilted her chin upward and kissed the tip of her nose softly.
Meher's entire brain shut down.
Completely.
She just stared at him silently.
Too stunned to react.
Aarav looked dangerously pleased with himself.
"You stopped talking."
"You're impossible."
"And yet…"
He leaned closer lazily.
"…you still let me."
That instantly made her blush again.
Because he was right.
She complained every single time—
yet never truly pushed him away.
And Aarav absolutely loved that.
Later that evening—
Meher finally crossed her arms seriously.
"We need rules."
Aarav sat beside her calmly.
"What rules?"
"You cannot randomly kiss me every ten minutes!"
He thought about it carefully.
Then quietly asked,
"What's the limit?"
Meher stared at him in disbelief.
"You're negotiating?!"
"Yes."
She covered her face instantly laughing.
Actually laughing because of how shameless he was becoming.
And honestly—
Aarav loved hearing that sound almost as much as kissing her now.
Then softly—
he pulled her into his arms again.
Comfortable.
Warm.
His chin resting near her shoulder.
And quietly—
almost like a confession—
he murmured,
"I spent too long wanting to do this."
That sentence melted every remaining argument inside her instantly.
Because beneath all his teasing—
Aarav wasn't just addicted to kisses.
He was addicted to loving her openly now.
And after hiding emotions for so long—
he finally didn't want to hold back anymore.Aarav noticed it immediately.
Of course he did.
Because the past few days—
something about Meher had changed too.
At first—
she used to become shy whenever he kissed her.
Flustered.
Speechless.
Completely red.
But now?
Now she had started becoming secretly affectionate back.
And Aarav was absolutely not prepared for it.
It started with tiny things.
Small.
Dangerous little things.
Like her suddenly fixing his collar gently before meetings.
Or brushing his hair back without thinking.
Or holding his hand first.
Every single one affected Aarav more than it should.
Because Meher never even realized how soft she looked while doing it.
And then—
one evening—
she completely destroyed him.
They were sitting together in the study quietly.
Aarav working on his laptop.
Meher pretending to read.
Pretending.
Because honestly—
she had been staring at him for the last five minutes.
Focused Aarav was unfairly attractive.
The slight frown.
The rolled sleeves.
The calm intensity in his eyes.
Meher looked away instantly when she realized she was staring.
Too late.
Aarav had already noticed.
A tiny smirk appeared on his lips.
"You're distracted."
"No."
"Hm."
Meher narrowed her eyes immediately.
"There's that annoying hm again."
"And there's your lying again."
She opened her mouth to argue—
then stopped.
Because Aarav had turned slightly toward her now.
Watching her quietly.
Softly.
And suddenly—
she remembered every kiss from the past few days.
The forehead kisses.
The cheek kisses.
The way he looked happy after every tiny affection.
And something warm tugged at her chest.
Before nervousness could stop her—
Meher suddenly leaned closer.
Aarav blinked once.
Then—
very softly—
she kissed his cheek.
Quick.
Gentle.
But intentional.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Aarav stared at her.
Actually stunned.
And Meher immediately became shy again.
Too shy.
She tried looking away—
but Aarav gently caught her chin before she could escape.
"Meher."
His voice had gone quieter instantly.
She avoided eye contact completely.
"What…"
"You kissed me first again."
That only made her blush harder.
"I know."
A slow smile appeared on Aarav's lips.
Dangerously soft.
Then quietly—
almost like he couldn't help himself—
he pulled her into his lap.
Meher gasped softly.
"Aarav!"
"You started this."
His arms wrapped around her securely.
And Meher realized something terrifying.
The second she gave affection first—
Aarav became even more attached.
Much worse.
He looked at her like she had personally ruined his emotional stability.
Then softly—
he brushed his nose lightly against hers teasingly.
"One more."
Meher stared at him immediately.
"You're addicted again."
"Yes."
No shame.
None.
Meher laughed softly.
Then surprisingly—
before Aarav could ask again—
she leaned closer herself.
And kissed him properly this time.
Soft.
Slow.
Aarav's hands tightened around her waist instantly.
Not to stop her.
Just because he physically reacted before thinking.
And when she pulled back—
the man looked completely gone.
Completely ruined.
Meher blinked innocently.
"…why are you staring at me like that?"
Aarav looked genuinely affected.
Because this was different.
When he kissed her—
he teased.
He controlled himself.
But when she kissed him first—
his entire brain stopped working.
"You're dangerous," he whispered finally.
Meher smiled shyly.
"You taught me."
That sentence nearly finished him completely.
Aarav leaned back against the chair slowly—
still holding her close—
then covered his eyes dramatically with one hand.
"I created a monster."
Meher burst into laughter instantly.
And Aarav smiled hearing it.
Because honestly?
He would gladly lose every battle—
if this was the reward.Aarav was calm.
Mostly calm.
At least—
that's what everyone believed.
Because after the past few peaceful days—
he looked softer.
Less dangerous.
More relaxed around Meher.
Which was true.
Until someone else looked at her too much.
Then suddenly—
the old Aarav returned.
And unfortunately—
Meher discovered that during a business dinner.
Aarav had brought her along reluctantly.
Actually—
very reluctantly.
Because he hated crowded events now.
Hated people staring at her.
But Meher had convinced him after twenty minutes of arguing.
And now—
they stood together inside a luxurious hotel ballroom.
Elegant lights.
Soft music.
Businessmen everywhere.
Aarav looked perfectly composed in black formal wear.
Cold.
Untouchable.
While Meher stood beside him in a simple elegant dress—
looking beautiful enough to completely destroy his concentration.
Which already irritated him slightly.
Because every few minutes—
he caught people glancing at her.
Too long.
Too interested.
And Aarav's hand on her waist kept tightening subtly each time.
Meher noticed immediately.
"Aarav."
"Hm."
"You're glaring at people."
"They're staring."
"You sound insane."
"I am."
That answer came way too fast.
Meher tried not to laugh.
Then suddenly—
one of Aarav's business associates approached them.
A man around his early thirties.
Confident.
Friendly.
And unfortunately—
very impressed by Meher.
"Mr. Malhotra," he greeted politely before turning toward her.
"And this must be Meher."
Meher smiled politely.
"Yes, nice to meet you."
The man smiled back warmly.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Aarav immediately looked suspicious.
From who exactly?
Then the man continued casually—
"But honestly, nobody mentioned how stunning you are."
Silence.
Very dangerous silence.
Meher blinked awkwardly.
"Uh… thank you."
And beside her—
Aarav's jaw tightened instantly.
Tiny movement.
But terrifying if you knew him well.
Which Meher unfortunately did.
Oh no.
The associate clearly didn't notice the danger.
Big mistake.
"Mr. Malhotra is very lucky."
That did it.
Aarav slowly moved closer beside Meher.
One arm wrapping securely around her waist.
Possessively.
Calm smile on his face.
Which somehow looked more threatening than anger.
"Yes," Aarav said quietly.
"I am."
The man finally sensed something strange.
Especially when Aarav didn't stop staring at him afterward.
At all.
Meher immediately stepped in before things became awkward.
"We'll get drinks," she said quickly.
Then basically dragged Aarav away.
The second they reached a quieter corner—
Meher turned toward him.
"You became jealous again!"
"I did not."
"Aarav."
"He called you stunning."
"And?"
"And he looked too happy while saying it."
Meher stared at him in disbelief.
"That's your problem?!"
Aarav crossed his arms calmly.
"Yes."
She tried so hard not to smile.
Failed immediately.
Because his jealousy was ridiculous.
Very ridiculous.
"You're impossible."
"And he was flirting."
"He was being polite!"
"No."
A pause.
"His eyes annoyed me."
Meher burst into laughter instantly.
Actually holding his arm while laughing.
And Aarav—
despite still looking annoyed—
softened the second she touched him.
Then quietly—
he leaned closer near her ear.
"You shouldn't laugh."
"Why?"
"Because now everyone's staring again."
Meher instantly looked around.
And unfortunately—
he was right.
A few people nearby had glanced over after hearing her laugh.
Mostly because Aarav Malhotra—
the terrifying emotionless businessman—
was standing there looking completely soft around one girl.
Meher looked back at him helplessly.
"You're overreacting."
Aarav tilted his head slightly.
Then calmly asked,
"If someone looked at me like that, would you like it?"
Meher opened her mouth confidently.
Then imagined another woman complimenting Aarav too much.
Her expression changed immediately.
Exactly.
A tiny victorious smirk appeared on Aarav's lips.
"You see my point now."
Meher looked away stubbornly.
"…still dramatic."
"Hm."
Then suddenly—
before she could react—
Aarav leaned down and kissed her forehead softly right there in the ballroom.
Publicly.
Meher froze instantly.
"AARAV!"
He looked completely calm afterward.
"Now they definitely understand."
Meher's face turned bright red.
And Aarav?
Aarav looked extremely satisfied with himself.
Because jealous Aarav had only one solution to problems like this.
Make it very clear who she belonged with.