"You kidnapped me," Myra accused him while absentmindedly patting Pipi's head. Inside the dimly lit car, Agastya slowly turned his face toward her. His dark eyes settled on her for a long moment before the corner of his lips lifted faintly.

"Is that what we're calling it now, hmm?" he asked lazily. Leaning back against the seat, he tilted his head slightly while watching her like a predator watching its favorite prey. "My little Finch."

She flinched at the nickname as if the mere words carried the power to clip her wings. Maybe they did. A soft huff escaped her lips while she looked down at Pipi instead of him, her fingers absentmindedly running through the little creature's fur.

At this point, she wasn't even sure whether she was comforting Pipi... or seeking comfort from it herself. Meanwhile, Agastya watched everything silently. Every reaction. Every avoidance. Every shaky breath. And somehow, that small distance she was trying to create between them only made the darkness in his eyes deepen.

Myra Pov

I always knew he would do something like this the moment I came back. Maybe a part of me had returned only for him because he needed to move on... or maybe we both did. Maybe this was necessary for both our families after everything that had happened between us. Slowly, I looked at him. His face was calm, almost emotionless, but his eyes... those eyes were completely void of warmth, filled with a darkness that felt capable of swallowing everything around it. I missed my Agmi. 

The boy who once looked at me like I was his entire world. But the man sitting beside me now was different, colder, heavier, broken in ways I could not even understand yet. And somehow, I knew bringing him back would take time. Or maybe he would not come back at all. Maybe instead, he would slowly pull me into his darkness until it became mine too. The frightening thing was... I wasn't even sure I wanted to resist it anymore. Maybe a part of me wanted to drown in his darkness too.

Suddenly, I heard him patting his lap lightly. My eyes instantly snapped toward him in surprise. What was he thinking? Was he crazy or what? I quickly looked away, refusing to entertain whatever nonsense was going on inside his head. He was crazy before too, but now he had completely turned into a lunatic. Hey Prabhu... iss aadmi ko thoda dimag dijiye, I prayed silently while clutching Pipi a little closer and pretending the dangerously calm man sitting beside me did not exist at all.

"Little Finch, put the Pipi down and crawl to me like a good girl."

I instantly looked toward the front seat where the driver was still sitting, completely focused on the road while pretending not to hear anything. Pipi was also curled up in my lap, innocently blinking as if even he was confused by this man's shamelessness. Heat rushed to my face immediately. How could he say things like this so casually? Seriously, this man needed a filter on his mouth. Or maybe an entirely new brain at this point.

A low chuckle escaped him as if he could hear every single thought running inside my head. "Done glaring at me?" he asked lazily. "I was not glaring." "Hm." That single sound carried enough disbelief to irritate me further. I kept my attention fixed on Pipi, determined not to look at him again, but his presence inside the car felt impossible to ignore. It lingered everywhere—in the heavy silence, in the cold air surrounding me, in the way my heartbeat refused to stay normal whenever he looked at me for too long. 

Then suddenly, his fingers curled lightly around my wrist. I froze. Before I could react, he gently pulled me toward him. "Agastya—" The protest barely left my lips before I lost balance and fell straight against his chest, making Pipi squeak between us in surprise. My breath hitched instantly. "Much better," he murmured calmly as if forcing me onto his lap was the most normal thing in the world. "This is not funny." 

"Who said I was joking, Little Finch?" His arm settled possessively around my waist before I could move away, holding me there with terrifying ease while his chin rested lightly against my shoulder. And somehow, the worst part was that a dangerous corner of my heart still remembered how safe his arms once used to feel.

As if sensing my embarrassment, the corner of Agastya's lips lifted slightly against my shoulder. "You're blushing, Little Finch." "I am not." "You are." His voice held far too much amusement for my liking.

I tried moving away from him again, but his arm around my waist only tightened slightly, effortlessly stopping me. "Sit still." The calm warning in his voice sent an annoying shiver down my spine.

I huffed softly, glaring at the window instead. This man had truly lost whatever little sanity he once possessed. Years ago, he used to be difficult. Now? Now he had become completely unbearable.

Meanwhile, Pipi comfortably curled itself against Agastya's chest as if betraying me entirely. I looked down at it in disbelief. "Wow," I muttered under my breath. "Even you switched sides this quickly?" Agastya let out a quiet laugh. And for a brief second, hearing that sound again after so many years made something ache painfully inside my chest.

Suddenly, his hand slipped beneath the hem of my sweatshirt, his fingers slowly brushing against the bare skin of my waist. My entire body stiffened instantly. I turned toward him in complete disbelief, my eyes widening at the sheer audacity of this man. Was he seriously doing this here? Inside the car? My breath caught as I quickly grabbed his wrist beneath the fabric, trying to stop him. "Agastya... please stop this," I whispered sharply, glancing nervously toward the front where the driver remained focused on the road as if his life depended on hearing absolutely nothing from the backseat. 

Meanwhile, Pipi sat innocently in my lap, completely unaware of the chaos this lunatic beside me was creating inside my chest. But Agastya looked utterly calm, almost unaffected by the effect his touch had on me. "Then stop squirming, Little Finch," he murmured near my ear, his voice low enough to send an irritating shiver down my spine while memories I had buried years ago slowly began resurfacing under the warmth of his hand.

My fingers tightened around his wrist, but instead of stopping, his thumb lazily traced small circles against my skin as though he already knew how weak my resistance truly was. The warmth of his touch burned through me, making it harder to breathe normally inside the suffocating silence of the car. I hated how easily he affected me even now. Hated how my heart betrayed me every single time he came this close.

"Agastya," I warned again softly, trying to sound firm despite the way my voice slightly trembled. His eyes met mine instantly. Dark. Heavy. Terrifyingly patient. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then slowly, he leaned closer until I could feel his breath near my ear.

"You keep asking me to stop," he murmured quietly, "but your heart never wants the same thing, does it, Little Finch?" My breath hitched at his words. Before I could answer, Pipi suddenly climbed between us with a tiny annoyed squeak, making me blink in surprise.

A small silence followed. Then for the first time in minutes, I pushed against Agastya's chest and quickly moved slightly away from him while hugging Pipi protectively. "See?" I muttered under my breath while avoiding his gaze. "Even Pipi thinks you've lost your mind."

A low laugh escaped him again. And somehow, that sound felt far more dangerous than his touch. "Please... the driver is here," I whispered desperately, my fingers tightening around his wrist beneath my sweatshirt. Agastya's gaze stayed on me for a long moment before he finally glanced toward the front seat. 

The driver immediately focused on the road with even greater dedication, as if nothing in this world mattered more than driving properly. A dangerous amusement flickered through Agastya's dark eyes at that reaction. Then he leaned slightly closer, his breath grazing my ear. "He knows better than to look back," he murmured calmly. 

Heat rushed to my face instantly. This man truly had no shame left. Meanwhile, Pipi sat comfortably between us, blinking innocently as if witnessing madness like this every day was completely normal. I glared at Agastya softly. "You are impossible." A faint smirk touched his lips before his fingers finally slipped away from beneath my sweatshirt. "And yet," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving mine, "you still came back to me, Little Finch."

His words settled heavily inside the silence of the car, making my chest tighten painfully. I hated how easily he said things like that, as if coming back to him had never cost me sleepless nights, fear, and years spent trying to forget him. I looked away first because holding his gaze for too long always felt dangerous.

 Outside the window, the city lights blurred past like distant stars, but inside the car, everything felt unbearably still. Then suddenly, his fingers moved toward my face and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. The softness of that small gesture hurt far more than his teasing ever could. For a brief second, I saw my Agmi again.

Not this cold, dangerously calm man feared by everyone, but the boy who once held my hand like he was afraid the world would steal me away from him. But the moment disappeared just as quickly. Agastya leaned back against the seat again while his arm remained securely around my waist as if he had no intention of letting me go anywhere. "You think too much," he murmured quietly.

"That's because you create problems," I muttered back instantly. A low chuckle escaped him before his dark eyes locked onto mine again. "No," he corrected softly, "I create chaos. There's a difference." I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head under my breath. Complete lunatic. And somehow, the most frightening part was that a dangerous corner of my heart still felt safest inside his arms.

"How much longer before we reach your place?" I asked while still staring outside the window, hoping the passing city lights would distract me from the dangerously warm arm wrapped around my waist.  Agastya remained silent for a moment before answering lazily, "Why? Already tired of me, Little Finch?"

I rolled my eyes instantly. "Yes."

A quiet chuckle left him. "Liar."

I finally turned toward him with an annoyed look. "Unlike you, some people actually enjoy personal space." "That sounds unfortunate." "Agastya." "Hm?" "Normal people do not kidnap others and then force them to sit on their lap during the entire drive." His dark eyes held mine for a brief second before the corner of his lips curved slightly.

"Good thing I was never normal." I opened my mouth to argue again but stopped when the car suddenly slowed down near massive iron gates ahead. The moment the gates slowly opened, my breath unconsciously caught in my throat. Because somehow... despite everything... a part of me knew crossing those gates again would change everything between us.

The car slowly moved past the massive gates, and the moment it entered the estate, an unsettling silence settled inside me. My eyes drifted outside automatically, taking in the familiar pathways, the towering lights, and the grand structure standing proudly in the distance.

 Everything looked the same... yet completely different at the same time. Memories I had spent years burying suddenly began resurfacing one after another, making my chest feel strangely heavy. Beside me, Agastya remained quiet for once, his arm still resting securely around my waist as if he already knew what was going on inside my head.

I swallowed slowly. This place once used to feel like home. Now it felt dangerous. The car finally came to a stop near the entrance, but neither of us moved immediately. For a few seconds, only silence remained between us. Then quietly, almost too quietly, Agastya spoke near my ear. "Welcome back, Little Finch." Somehow, those three words felt less like a welcome and more like the beginning of something I should have been afraid of.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the driver stepped out and opened the door for us. Cool night air rushed inside instantly, yet it did nothing to calm the strange uneasiness growing within me. I tightened my hold around Pipi and slowly moved to get up, but Agastya's arm around my waist tightened slightly, stopping me for a brief second. 

My heart skipped annoyingly at the sudden closeness. "Agastya," I whispered softly in warning. His dark eyes met mine calmly before his fingers finally loosened from my waist, though the look in his eyes made it clear he was only letting go because he chose to, not because I asked him to. Lunatic. Complete lunatic. 

Trying my best to ignore the warmth still lingering on my skin, I quickly stepped out of the car. The moment my feet touched the ground, I looked up at the mansion again, and an odd feeling settled deep inside my chest. Because somehow... returning here felt less like stepping into a house and more like walking straight into a storm waiting only for me.

When we were about to step inside the house, a cold voice suddenly echoed through the entrance hall. "Stop right there." My steps froze instantly. Slowly, I lifted my eyes toward the grand staircase ahead, and my breath caught slightly. A woman stood there gracefully in an elegant saree, her sharp eyes fixed directly on me with an unreadable expression on her face. 

The entire atmosphere inside the mansion shifted within seconds. Even the servants standing nearby lowered their heads quietly under the sheer authority radiating from her presence. Beside me, I felt Agastya's posture stiffen almost imperceptibly, and somehow, that alone was enough to tell me exactly who she was. His mother. 

My fingers unconsciously tightened around Pipi while my heartbeat turned uneven inside my chest. Years had passed, yet her presence still affected me the same way. Her gaze slowly moved over me before stopping at Agastya's arm still wrapped possessively around my waist. A heavy silence followed. Then calmly, almost too calmly, she spoke again. "Agastya." That single word carried both warning and disappointment together. But the man beside me did not move. 

Instead, his arm around me tightened slightly. "She stays with me," he said quietly, his voice leaving absolutely no room for argument. And suddenly, standing there between them, I realized the real storm had only just begun.