A week passed.

  And somehow — somehow —we survived.

  No random portals.No assassins.No fresh disasters from Didi — though God knew when that bomb would go off.

  Life slipped into a weird, chaotic rhythm.

  I worked during the day.Eira explored — sometimes studying the city from the window, sometimes asking questions about everything from light switches to undry machines.

  At night, we ate together — badly cooked food or random Zomato orders — and watched anime on the couch.

  It was almost... normal.Almost.

  But I noticed it.

  The small changes.

  Eira ughed more now — quiet, quick smiles that fshed across her face like sunlight through clouds.

  She didn't jump at every loud noise.

  She didn't scan every exit.

  And sometimes, when she thought I wasn’t looking, she just... sat there, head tilted back, soaking in the world with a kind of wonder that made my chest ache.

  One evening, after dinner, I caught her staring at me again — that same intense, studying look.

  "What?" I asked, half-ughing.

  She hesitated.

  "You feel... much," she said carefully.

  I raised an eyebrow. "Feel much?"

  "You are... expressive," she said. "You ugh. You frown. You worry."

  "That’s normal," I said. "Humans are emotional wrecks. Built different."

  She nodded slowly, absorbing this.

  "In my world," she said, "emotions are dangerous."

  "Here too," I said wryly. "We just pretend we're fine until we explode."

  She considered that.

  Then:"Do you trust me?"

  The question hit harder than it should have.

  I sat back, thinking.

  "Yeah," I said honestly. "I mean, you could have killed me a hundred times already. Instead, you learned how to make Maggi."

  A tiny smile ghosted her lips.

  "And you?" I asked. "Do you trust me?"

  She was silent for a long time.

  Then:"I am trying."

  And somehow, that felt bigger than any oath or promise.

  Later that night, we sprawled on the couch — me half-asleep, Eira flipping through random news channels, fascinated by everything.

  I decided it was time.

  "Alright," I said, sitting up. "Lesson time."

  She blinked at me.

  "Internet 101," I decred. "Culture 101. India 101."

  I spent the next hour showing her everything:

  Wikipedia.

  Google.

  YouTube rabbit holes.

  Bollywood songs.

  Cricket memes.

  How to buy things on Amazon.

  She was especially fascinated by YouTube food videos — giant thalis, spicy golgappe challenges, street vendors making jalebis the size of dinner ptes.

  "Humans are... chaotic," she said.

  "Welcome to India," I said, grinning.

  Then — carefully — I expined about my family.

  "My parents are... traditional," I said. "They want me to settle down, get married, have kids. The usual."

  She nodded.

  "My sister," I added darkly, "is basically an unpaid spy for them."

  More nodding.

  "So when she sees a strange woman — especially a beautiful one — in my house?"I whistled. "Nuclear gossip warfare. Instant. No survivors."

  Eira tilted her head.

  "But you said we must hide my identity. As an elf."

  "Exactly," I said. "Humans panic over everything. Magic? Portals? Assassin skills? They’ll lose their minds."

  She absorbed that silently.

  Then, after a pause:"But you told Aman."

  I froze.

  "...Shit."

  She stared at me.

  "You told Aman about my origins?"

  "Uh," I said. "Technically, yes. But Aman’s harmless! He's a clown! He won't—"

  I cut myself off, grabbing my phone.

  "I'll fix it," I promised.

  Call to Aman:

  Aman: "Brooo! Missed me?"

  Me: "Listen carefully, you moron."

  Aman: "Kya hua?"

  Me: "If you even breathe a word about Eira’s origins—"

  Aman: "Bro, chill, I—"

  Me: "She will kill you. Quietly. Painfully. They won’t even find your bones."

  Aman: "..."

  Me: "And I’ll help hide the body."

  Aman: (squeaking) "Understood."

  I hung up.

  Eira watched me, amused.

  "He is convinced," she said.

  "Good," I muttered. "One less fire to put out."

  Unfortunately, life had other pns.

  Two days ter, the doorbell rang.

  I checked the peephole —and almost wept.

  Aman.

  And his buddy, Sanjay.

  I opened the door a crack.

  Aman grinned.Sanjay, wide-eyed, tried to peek past me.

  "Bro," Aman said. "Introduce properly na."

  "I’m busy," I said ftly.

  "Busy doing what?" Sanjay asked, smirking.

  "Science experiments," I said. "Dangerous ones. Leave now."

  Behind me, Eira appeared — in a simple T-shirt and jeans, hair tied loosely back.

  Sanjay’s jaw dropped.

  "Bro," he whispered, stunned. "You weren't lying."

  Aman elbowed him. "Told you."

  They both stared at her like she was an exotic bird.

  I groaned.

  Eira, to her credit, just folded her arms, expression calm but eyes glinting.

  I knew that look.

  She was considering how to kill them with minimal effort.

  "Five minutes," I said, stepping aside.

  They rushed in like kids on a school trip.

  Five chaotic minutes ter:

  Aman begged Eira to teach him how to "fight cool like anime."

  Sanjay kept asking if she was "single."

  Eira answered every question with bnk politeness.

  I prayed for lightning to strike the building.

  Finally, I shoved them out the door.

  "We'll visit again!" Aman called cheerfully.

  "Try it and I'll unleash her," I warned.

  Sanjay waved. "Bye bhabhi!"

  The door smmed shut.

  I turned to Eira.

  She raised an eyebrow. "Bhabhi?"

  "Means... elder brother's wife," I muttered.

  She smirked slightly.And for a second — just a second —I imagined what life would be like if it were true.

  I shook the thought off violently.

  Nope. Nope. Danger zone.

  Later that night, after everything settled, Eira sat by the window again, sipping chai.

  I sat nearby, sketching out my work tasks for the week.

  The world outside buzzed.

  Inside, it was warm.Quiet.Safe.

  For now.

  And that?

  That was enough.