VIVANSH'S POV:

Morning arrived quietly, slipping into the room through the heavy curtains in thin, controlled lines of light, as if even the sun understood not to disturb what existed here. What belonged here. What belonged to me.

I was already awake had been for a while. Sleep hadn't felt necessary. Not when she was here. Not when, for the first time in three years, I didn't have to rely on memory or imagination. I didn't have to wait anymore.

My gaze rested on her.

Avni.

She was still asleep, her breathing slow and steady, completely unaware of the way I had been watching her without interruption. One arm lay loosely near her face, her hair spread across the pillow, her body partially covered, partially not. Unaware. Unprotected.

Mine.

I didn't move immediately. I took my time. Because this moment this quiet, unguarded version of her was something I had imagined more times than I cared to admit. How she would look, how she would breathe, how she would exist when she finally stopped holding herself away from me.

And now that she was here, right in front of me, it didn't feel new.

It felt delayed.

My fingers moved slowly, brushing lightly against her skin not rushed, never rushed just enough to confirm what I already knew. She stirred slightly, not fully awake, just enough to react. A faint shift, a soft breath. I watched closely. Every reaction mattered. Every small movement told me something.

Her body responded even in sleep a slight tension, a quiet exhale, the smallest movement like she was aware of something but not ready to wake into it.

Good.

I adjusted things with quiet precision, not for her comfort alone, but for the order I wanted, the way I needed this moment to exist. Perfect. My hand lingered for a second longer than necessary before I pulled it away.

This time, she stirred more noticeably. Her brows drew together slightly.

She was waking.

I leaned back just enough to watch.

Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light, to the room, to reality. For a moment, she didn't look at me. Her gaze moved around the unfamiliar space, the bed, herself and then it happened.

She remembered.

I saw it clearly. In the way her body stilled, in the shift of her breathing, in the instinctive movement of her fingers as she tried to gather some form of distance.

Then she looked at me.

And stopped.

Her eyes met mine, and for a second she didn't speak. She just looked like she was trying to understand what she was seeing. Or maybe what she had stepped into.

I didn't speak first. I let the silence stretch, let her sit in it.

"Vivansh..." she said softly.

My name sounded different now. Not unfamiliar just changed.

I tilted my head slightly, studying her. "You're awake."

She exhaled quietly, her fingers tightening as she tried to adjust herself, to create space. I noticed immediately. Of course I did.

Before she could pull away properly, my hand reached out and caught her wrist. Not harsh firm. Enough to stop her.

"Don't."

One word. Calm. Final.

She paused, her gaze flickering to my hand and then back to my face. There was hesitation there. Not fear. Something softer. Something more dangerous.

"You don't need to hide," I said quietly.

Her breath faltered. "I'm not"

"You are."

I didn't let her finish. I didn't need to. I could see it the instinct, the hesitation, the part of her that still believed there was something to protect from me.

There wasn't.

Not anymore. My grip loosened slightly, but I didn't let go. Instead, I guided her hand back down slowly, deliberately, until she stopped resisting.

"There's nothing here," I murmured, my voice lowering just enough, "that isn't already mine." The words settled heavily between us. She didn't respond immediately. Her gaze dropped for a second, then lifted again softer now, uncertain.

"You're impossible," she said quietly. There was no real anger in it. Just confusion. Adjustment. A faint hint of amusement touched my expression. "Last night didn't convince you of that?"

Color rose to her cheeks instantly. I watched it closely, memorizing it. "You didn't even let me breathe," she muttered, avoiding my eyes.

There it was that soft resistance. I leaned slightly closer. "And yet... you didn't stop me." Her breath caught, her gaze snapping back to mine, something unsteady flickering there.

"I-"

I didn't let her finish. I didn't need the answer. My hand moved from her wrist to her waist, resting there, steady, grounding. "You think too much," I said quietly.

Her brows knit slightly. "What?"

"You don't need to." My thumb moved lightly against her side, slow, absent, like it belonged there. "I'll do that for you." She went still. That line landed exactly as expected not fully understood, but deeply felt.

Good. Her world was shifting. Slowly. Exactly how it should. I moved away just enough to stand, and she watched me more carefully now more aware. I walked to the side table, picked up my phone, and sent a short message without looking at her.

Everything was already arranged. Breakfast. Clothes. Silence. Control. When I turned back, she was still watching me, like she was trying to understand something just out of reach.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Fixing things."

"What things?"

"Everything." I didn't explain further. A soft knock came at the door, right on time.

"Come in." The door opened just enough for a tray to be placed inside before closing again. No interruption. No presence. Exactly how I preferred it. Her eyes followed the movement. "You didn't even ask me what I wanted."

I looked at her. "You'll eat." i picked up the tray and placed it nearby before sitting beside her again closer this time, deliberately so.

"You need to understand something," I said quietly. Her expression shifted curious, cautious.

"Things don't need to be complicated anymore." My hand lifted, brushing her hair away from her face, my fingers lingering briefly. "You don't have to decide everything."

She stayed silent, watching. "You don't have to think about everything." My hand dropped.

"I'll handle it." Her breathing slowed not resistance, not acceptance. Something in between. Exactly where I wanted her. "Your world starts here now," I added. Her eyes flickered slightly.

"Vivansh..."

"Come here."

She hesitated for a second, then moved. I guided her up and led her toward the mirror. She stopped in front of it and looked at herself and paused. Something in her expression shifted.

She was seeing something unfamiliar.

Good. I stepped behind her, close enough that she could feel me without being touched. Then my hands settled lightly at her waist grounding, claiming. My gaze met hers in the reflection.

"Look at yourself," I murmured. She did but I knew she wasn't seeing what I saw. Not yet.

"You're different," I said quietly. Her breath caught slightly.

"Do you see it?" She shook her head faintly.I leaned closer, my voice lowering. "I do." My fingers tightened just slightly at her waist.

"Completely."

Silence stretched again, heavier this time. I watched her carefully the way she processed, the way she felt, the way she didn't fully understand yet.

And then I said it. Casually. "I informed your family." She stiffened instantly. "What?"

"I handled it."

"What do you mean you handled it?" I met her eyes in the mirror, calm and unbothered. "They know you're here." Her breath quickened. "You didn't even ask me "

"I didn't need to." The words landed exactly as intended. She turned slightly, trying to face me. "Vivansh, that's not"

"Necessary." I cut her off smoothly. "Everything that matters is already done." She went quiet not because she agreed, but because she didn't know how to respond.

And that silence That uncertainty That was where control settled. I let it stay there for a moment before leaning closer, my voice dropping near her ear.

"Last night was just the beginning."

Her breath faltered. I straightened slightly, my hands still resting at her waist. "Now," I said calmly, "I don't have to stop anymore."

And this time

She didn't argue.

She just stood there.

Feeling it.

Exactly the way I wanted her to.