Chapter 2

Alright. Confession time.

I was supposed to be working.

Emails? Ignored. Reports? What reports? Meetings? Yeah, yeah, I nodded through them, but was I actually listening?

Absolutely not.

Because my brain? My brain was stuck on him.

Big, wide eyes. Flustered voice. The way he clutched his bag like I was some kind of street thief instead of a guy who just… fell on him.

That guy.

A guy I barely knew.

A guy who felt different from anyone I'd met before.

And that? That was a problem.

Because I didn't get stuck on people.

Sure, I was friendly, easy-going, talkative. Flirting came naturally. But I never really… lingered on things. On people.

And yet, here I was, lingering and resisting the urge to call & text him.

How I Got His Number (AKA, My Greatest Achievement)

Right before we left that rainy day, I had one last genius move left.

I turned to The guy, hands in my pockets, casual but confident. "So, just in case I need to collect my chai debt later…"

That guy raised an eyebrow. "Chai debt?"

I grinned. "Gotta make sure you don't conveniently disappear."

That guy gave me a look that said I see through your nonsense.

Which, fair.

He exhaled slowly, then did something I absolutely did not expect.

He reached into his bag, pulled out a small notepad, scribbled something down, tore the paper, and held it out to me.

I stared at it.

Then at him.

Then back at the literal piece of paper in his hand.

"Are you… actually giving me your number on paper? And your name??" I asked, bewildered.

That guy shrugged. "I don't like giving my name to random people."

Okay, wow. Was I suddenly in the 90s?And giving number is okay???

I put a hand to my chest. "Random? I saved you from a rain disaster. We shared a life-changing moment."

That guy just blinked. "Are you taking it or not?"

I snatched it before he could change his mind. "Oh, I'm definitely taking it."

He nodded once, turned, and walked off like he hadn't just completely blown my mind.

Who was this guy?

Back to Work… Or Not. (Again.)

Now, here I was, staring at his contact and trying to figure out how to text him without looking like I'd been thinking about it all day.

Vihaan: "Hey, it's me, the guy who fell on you. Wanna relive that magical moment over chai?"

…Yeah, no.

I tapped my fingers against my desk, deep in serious life-or-death-level thought.

Then—my phone buzzed.

That guy: "Tomorrow, 7. Majestic Tea Stall. Don't be late."

I almost dropped my phone.

What was his deal? First, he acted like I was an annoyance, and now he was choosing the place and time like he was doing me a favor?

I smirked, leaning back. Mystery guy.

Vihaan: "Oh wow, now you're the one making the plans? Alright then, see you tomorrow. Don't keep me waiting. 😏"

No response.

I stared at my screen for a second longer than I should have, then locked my phone.

"Dude, are you smiling at your phone?"

I looked up. My coworker Shiv was watching me like I was a lab experiment.

"No," I said immediately.

"You totally are." He squinted. "Wait. Is it—"

"Nope." I spun my chair away, opening an empty spreadsheet to look busy.

He stared for a long second. "You know, if you were dating someone, you could just say it."

I froze.

Dating?

This wasn't that. Obviously.

I cleared my throat, keeping my face neutral. "It's not like that."

"Uh-huh." He didn't look convinced. "Sure."

I focused hard on my laptop, but…

Something about those words stuck with me.

Not because I was dating him. I wasn't.

But because I wasn't sure what this was at all.