MIRA
The next day, I finally moved in.
Carrying my luggage up to the first floor felt exhausting, but the moment I stepped inside the room—
I paused.
My Bedroom...
It was… beautiful.
Warm, spacious, and filled with soft light coming through the windows. It didn't feel unfamiliar at all.
If anything—
it felt like a place I could slowly turn into my own little world.
My comfort space.
I didn't even realize when a small smile appeared on my face.
"Careful, dear," Aunty said, following behind me with one of my bags.
"Aunty, you really didn't have to help," I said quickly. "I could've managed—"
"Nonsense," she replied, waving it off. "You're new here. Let me take care of you a little."
I didn't argue after that.
There was something about her warmth that made it hard to refuse.
As I started arranging my things, she stayed with me, talking—
asking about where I was from, my family, my culture.
I didn't have anything particularly extraordinary to say…
but somehow, she listened like every little detail mattered.
"I'm originally from Assam," I told her, folding my clothes. "But my family is settled in different state, West Bengal because of my father's work."
"Oh," she nodded with interest.
"So I grew up around different cultures," I continued. "I can speak a few languages… and now I'm trying to learn Chinese as well."
I smiled faintly.
"It's actually… really interesting."
It had been a tiring day, but surprisingly… everything was going smoothly.
I knew why.
Because the devil hadn't shown up.
Honestly, if things stayed like this every day, I wouldn't have to face him—or accidentally ruin anything in his presence.
But… where was he?
The house was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
Not even a pin drop sound from downstairs.
Strange.
"Since it's your first day here, I want you to join us for dinner," Aunty said, breaking the silence.
"Oh, it's really okay, Aunty. You don't have to trouble yourself because of me," I replied, pushing all thoughts about him aside.
What was his name again?
Ugh… I forgot.
Let's just call him Grumpy Goggles.
The thought made me smile to myself.
I swear, it wasn't even me—it was my inner soul enjoying the moment.
"Ahh, why would it be trouble?" Aunty said warmly. "Think of it as a housewarming dinner. And I won't take a no for an answer."
She paused, then added gently,
"Also… consider it an apology from my Yuze. He was a bit too rude to you earlier."
A bit?
Wasn't he the one who should be apologizing himself instead of sending his angelic mother?
Such a jackass.
"Okay… I guess I don't really have a choice now," I said with a small smile.
Aunty beamed at that before heading downstairs to take care of the bakery—and prepare for dinner.
I went back to arranging my things,
though for some reason…
the quiet house didn't feel so quiet anymore.
_______________________
It was finally time for dinner.
I decided to at least look like a decent human being, so I took a proper shower and got myself together.
Also… I couldn't just show up empty-handed.
So earlier in the evening, after finishing my work, I went out and bought some fruits—fresh oranges and grapes from a nearby store.
I hoped they'd like it.
But no matter what I did…
only one thought kept replaying in my mind.
I have to face Grumpy Goggles again.
I mean—this is his house. I'm just a tenant.
I shouldn't have a problem with him… right?
But if he tries to act all smarty pants again with that sharp tongue of his—
then I'll show him exactly who Mira is.
Okay.
Let's go.
The first and ground floors weren't directly connected from the inside. I had to come down the outside stairs and walk to the front entrance, right beside the bakery, which was attached to their house.
Taking a small breath, I adjusted my grip on the fruit bag and stepped forward to knock.
Before I could even raise my hand—
the door opened intself
I froze.
And slowly looked up.
Of course.
Grumpy Goggles.
Standing right in front of me.
Same expression.
Which is to say—
no expression at all.
For the first time since the whole coffee disaster…
I actually looked at him properly.
He was tall.
No—
really tall.
Easily around 190 cm.
The kind of height that could make anyone with a shorter frame tilt their head all the way back just to meet his eyes.
And his build—
broad shoulders, well-defined, yet not overly bulky.
…Okay.
That was—
unexpected.
Interesting.
No wonder he's the son of such a beautiful woman.
Everything about his appearance was… perfect.
Even his face—
If only he wasn't such a—
"Pervert."
I looked up in shock.
Did he just—
"Excuse me?" I said, my voice slipping slightly.
"Pervert," he repeated calmly. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"
"I was not staring at you like that!" I snapped, my grip tightening around the fruit bag.
"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Because it didn't look very innocent."
Oh.
He did not just say that.
"Wow," I let out a short laugh. "Confidence much?"
"Observation," he corrected.
"Delusion," I shot back instantly.
For a second, he just looked at me.
And then—
"You were staring," he said simply.
Ugh.
Why was he so calm?
It was annoying.
"Fine," I muttered. "Maybe I looked for a second, That doesn't make me a pervert."
"It depends on how you were looking."
…
Oh my god.
"You're unbelievable," I said, glaring at him.
"And you're still blocking the door," he replied.
"Move," he said again.
I crossed my arms, not budging an inch.
"I won't let him win this time," I muttered under my breath in Bengali my own language so he doesn't understands.
"You had eyesight problems earlier," he said, looking at me with clear annoyance. "Now you have hearing issues too, I suppose?"
I almost smiled.
Wow. That annoyed face? Worth it.
"If you don't move—"
"Say please."
…
"Absolutely not."
God, how can someone be this stubborn?
"Then I'm not moving," I replied sweetly. "Not even a little."
He looked down at me.
Just… looked.
And that should have been my warning.
The next second—
the ground disappeared beneath my feet.
"HEY—!"
The fruit bag slipped from my hand and dropped to the floor as he lifted me up—
effortlessly—
and threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
I froze.
What just—
"PUT ME DOWN!" I shouted, hitting his back lightly.
"You said you wouldn't move," he replied calmly, as if this was a completely normal solution.
"This is kidnapping!"
"This is problem-solving."
"YOU CANNOT JUST PICK PEOPLE UP LIKE THAT!"
"You were blocking the entrance."
"That does NOT justify this!"
"It solved the problem."
I went silent for a second.
Why is he like this?
"Put me down right now or I swear—"
"Or what?"
…
I paused.
Good question.
"I will… I will complain to Aunty!"
He stopped.
Slowly.
"…That's your threat?"
Okay, that sounded weak. Stupid Mira.
From inside, I heard footsteps approaching.
Oh no.
Aunty.
What would she think if she saw us like this?
I'd rather disappear on the spot than face her right now.
I started hitting his back again—
which, unfortunately, only ended up hurting my own fist.
What is he made of? Concrete?
"Dinner is ready—"
…
"…What are you doing?"
I froze.
My brain completely shut down.
This was beyond embarrassing.
And in that exact moment—
with absolutely no better idea—
I made a decision.
I went completely still.
Stopped hitting him.
Stopped moving.
And just…
lay there.
Unconscious.
Inside my head, however—
I am going to deal with this piece of shit later.
I stayed completely still.
I could hear Aunty's footsteps rushing toward us.
"Oh my god! What happened? Why isn't she moving—and why are you holding her like that?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"She fainted," the trash said calmly, as he placed me down on the couch.
"Fainted? How? Why?"
"Probably from embarrassment."
Excuse me?
And whose fault is that, you absolute—
"If you're pretending," he added casually, "you're not very good at it."
My soul left my body.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
I stayed still for exactly three more seconds—
out of pure dignity.
And then—
I opened one eye.
Slowly.
"Oh…" I murmured weakly, placing a hand on my forehead. "Where… am I?"
Silence.
"Mira!" Aunty immediately rushed closer. "Are you alright? You scared me!"
"I—I think I just felt a little dizzy," I said softly, sitting up as if I had just regained consciousness.
From the corner of my eye—
I could feel him watching me.
Don't look at him.
Don't look at him.
"You should sit properly," Aunty said, gently holding my arm. "I'll get you some water."
"I'm fine, really—"
"Clearly not," he cut in.
I snapped my head toward him.
Big mistake.
Because he was already looking at me.
And for a split second—
there was something different in his expression.
Not annoyance.
Not sarcasm.
Just…
observation.
I looked away immediately.
I am definitely hitting him with a pan someday.
Aunty was completely focused on me now.
And somehow… that made me feel worse.
This man had a talent for turning everything into a problem—and dragging her into it.
I felt bad for her.
Slowly, I looked at him.
Pure darkness.
Pure hatred.
Flames of revenge burning somewhere deep inside me.
I didn't say a word—
just lifted two fingers and pointed at my eyes, then at him.
I'm watching you.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
And then—
he smirked.
"Try not to faint again while doing that," he said under his breath.
My eye twitched.
I am going to end this man.
I turned away before I actually said something out loud.
Bending down, I picked up the fruit bag and handed it to Aunty.
"Oh dear, why did you bring so much?" she said, half-scolding, half-smiling.
"It's nothing, really," I replied, forcing a light smile. "Just something small."
She kept fussing over me, asking again and again if I was okay.
I reassured her each time.
I'm perfectly fine.
The only sick person here…
was him.
Bastard.
For a while, he wasn't anywhere in sight.
I helped Aunty set the table, even though she kept insisting I didn't have to.
"You're such a good child, dear," she said warmly. "Your parents must be very lucky to have you."
I paused for a second.
Every compliment from her felt… heavy.
She was always so kind, so genuine.
But I didn't know if she was completely right.
And this wasn't the moment to think about it.
"I really appreciate that," I said softly, looking down. "I just hope my parents feel the same way."
"Of course they do," she replied instantly. "And if I had a daughter like you, I would've treated her like the most precious gem in my little family."
I let out a small, shy laugh.
Just then, the door connected to the bakery opened.
I didn't even need to look.
Of course.
Grumpy Goggles.
He walked in with a tray full of desserts and placed it on the dining table without a word.
Ah… so that's where he went.
Still annoying.
"Sit, both of you," Aunty said cheerfully. "Dinner is ready."
I hesitated for a moment before taking my seat.
Unfortunately—
right across from him.
Of course.
He didn't even look at me.
Just quietly focused on his food, as if I didn't exist.
Good.
Stay that way.
The soft clinking of plates filled the silence as Aunty served the dishes.
And then—
"Try the egg tart" Aunty said,
"Yuze made it."
They looked…
heavenly.
My mouth watered instantly.
Okay… just one.
Without thinking much, I reached forward—
and the next second—
my wrist was caught.
I froze.
His grip was firm.
Not painful—
but strong enough to stop me completely.
"Wait."
His voice was low.
Calm.
I slowly turned to look at him.
He still wasn't fully looking at me—
just slightly, from the side.
"It's still hot," he said simply.
For a second…
I didn't move.
Oh.
I quickly pulled my hand back, clearing my throat as if nothing had happened.
"I knew that," I muttered quietly.
He let go.
And went back to eating.
Like nothing had happened.
I stared at my hand for a second.
…What was that?
I shook my head slightly and looked down at my plate again.
This man is seriously confusing.
And somehow…
Was that… concern?
No.
Definitely not.
I quickly looked away.
This man is confusing.
And somehow…
that made him even more dangerous.
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