I was back.

I sat on my bed, my mind still spinning, trying to process what had just happened. One second, we were in Vyantara, in our chamber, fixing the mirror. The next, I was here—in my room, in my own time.

But I wasn’t alone.

I turned my gaze to the man lying unconscious beside me. Rudraksha Veeraditya—the great king of Vyantara, the most feared warrior of his time, the man who ruled an empire—was now passed out on my bed in the modern world.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The mirror wasn’t even whole yet. How had we crossed time? And why hadn’t it affected me the way it had affected him?

“Aaru.”

I barely had time to react before I was tackled into a bone-crushing hug. Again.

“You—you—what the—HOW?!” Sandhya’s voice was high-pitched, her arms still wrapped around me as if I’d disappear again. “You were gone for like—” she pulled back to look at me properly, her wide eyes scanning my face as if to make sure I was real. “How are you even alive?!”

I sighed, rubbing my temple. “Calm down. I’m back, aren’t I?”

Sandhya took a deep breath, stepping back. Then, her gaze fell on Rudraksha.

Her mouth fell open.

“…Aranya.”

I winced. “Yeah?”

She pointed at him, her finger shaking. “Who. The. Hell. Is. That?!”

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could—

“AND WHY IS HE SO HOT?!”

I groaned, facepalming. “Sandhya—”

She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me lightly. “No, no, no, no, no. You disappeared for 45 minutes. And when you come back, you bring home a MAN. A stupidly ATTRACTIVE man. WHO IS HE?!”

I sighed dramatically, sitting down beside Rudraksha’s unconscious body. “First of all, I was gone for a MONTH AND A HALF according to that time line , not 45 minutes.”

Sandhya blinked. “…What?”

I nodded. “For you, I was gone for minutes. But in my time, I was stuck in the past.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, wait, wait. Past?”

I took a deep breath, knowing that once I started explaining, there was no going back. “Sandhya. I was in Vyantara. The mirror transported me there. And I met him.” I gestured toward Rudraksha. “That is Rudraksha Veeraditya. Maharaja of Vyantara.”

Her jaw dropped.

“…Shut up.”

“I’m serious.”

She laughed, but it was a mix of disbelief and nervousness. “No, like, actually shut up. Because what you’re telling me is that this ridiculously hot man is the same Rudraksha Veeraditya from HISTORY?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

She was still staring at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. “Aranya. This man is supposed to be a LEGEND. No paintings exist of him. No one even knows what he looked like. And you’re telling me that not only did you travel back in time, but you also casually brought back the most feared ruler in ancient history?”

I nodded again.

“And you didn’t even warn me?!”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t exactly plan for this to happen, Sandhya.”

She waved a hand at Rudraksha, still lying motionless. “I mean, I get it. If I found a man THIS attractive in the past, I’d bring him back too—”

“SANDHYA.”

She burst into laughter, doubling over while I glared at her. “Oh my god, Aaru, you—you really just—you kidnapped a KING.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I didn’t kidnap him. The mirror did something. And now he’s here. And we need to figure out what to do before my parents see him and KICK ME OUT.”

Sandhya wiped a tear from her eye, still grinning like an idiot. “Oh, don’t worry. You’re already doomed. You brought home a man. And not just any man. A MYSTERIOUS HANDSOME KING. They’re going to KILL YOU.”

I groaned. “Which is why we need to HIDE HIM.”

Sandhya snorted. “Oh sure, let’s just casually HIDE a six-foot-something warrior king in your house. No big deal.”

I ignored her sarcasm. “We need to move him before morning. You know my parents. If they walk in and see a guy sleeping in my room, they’ll probably call the cops. Or worse, arrange our marriage.”

Sandhya wheezed. “Oh my god, that would be hilarious.”

I glared at her. “Focus. We need to find a place for him to stay. Can you do it?”

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Fine, fine. I’ll figure something out. But Aaru…” She looked at me, this time with genuine curiosity. “What happened while you were there?”

I hesitated, then sighed, finally sitting down properly. “A lot.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Define ‘a lot.’”

I took a deep breath, bracing myself. “Okay. So first, I got pulled into the mirror. Then I landed in Vyantara. Then I met him. Then I got thrown in a dungeon. Then I was whipped. Then I found out Rudraksha is actually—”

Sandhya choked. “WAIT, WHAT?! YOU WERE WHIPPED?!”

I winced. “Uh… yes.”

She gasped, horrified. “WHO DID IT? WHERE ARE THEY? I’LL KILL THEM.”

I waved her off. “Relax. Rudraksha already dealt with them.”

She frowned. “Oh. How?”

I smirked. “Burned them alive.”

Sandhya froze. “...WHAT.”

“Yeah. It was a whole thing.”

She blinked at me. “I’m sorry, what?! And you’re okay with that?!”

I shrugged. “They deserved it. Anyway, after that, we started looking for the shards of the mirror. We traveled to different kingdoms, fought some people, got betrayed, he got jealous of Prithish—”

Sandhya perked up. “Wait. WHO is Prithish?”

I sighed. “Another prince. A friend. Or an enemy. It’s complicated.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Did Rudraksha think you liked him?”

I grinned. “Oh, he was SO jealous. It was adorable.”

Sandhya cackled. “I LOVE THIS. A jealous ancient king? ICONIC.”

We continued talking, laughing, and planning for what to do next. But all the while, my eyes kept drifting back to the man sleeping beside me.

He looked so different here. In this world. So out of place yet still just as powerful.

I reached out, gently brushing his hair away from his forehead. He didn’t stir, just breathed softly, his body still weak from the crossing.

Sandhya nudged me. “You like him.”

I didn’t answer.

Because deep down, I knew.

I didn’t just like him.

I was falling for him.