"I told you, I’ll find you." A man’s voice sounded. Maya trembled, taking a step back, and almost stumbling.
"Still as clumsy as ever." The man scoffed, and walked into the house. As he passed by Maya, her heart tensed.
His gaze darted around, and he nodded before he took a seat on the sofa.
"You’ve managed to make a na for yourself without needing ." The man casually comnted.
Maya left the door open as she shakily took slow steps.
"Have a seat." He instructed, pointing to the space beside him.
Maya remained rooted in her position, unable to make a move.
"What’s keeping you there?"
"Oyster," she called out, taking a deep breath. She never expected that he would still have this much effect on her. "I... can’t sit with... you." She stuttered, forcing out the last word.
Oyster raised his brows as he looked at Maya who had her eyes closed. "You’ve grown wings. Whatever." He snorted, then gestured the seat opposite him. "You can sit there."
Only when he said this did Maya take a step forward. Relief washed over her, yet her shoulders were tense as she took a seat, placing her hands on her palm, her gaze lowered at the sa ti.
Oyster studied her, and his eyes deepened. "I always knew you’d be beautiful. Yet, seeing you all grown up is different. It is amazing."
Maya didn’t answer, instead she gulped, her gaze still remained fixated on the floor as though it was the most beautiful thing. The silence stretched as none of them spoke. There was no sound, save for the faint ticking of the clock.
"Why are you here?" Unable to handle the silence, Maya directly questioned him with a low voice after a few minutes of prolonged silence and tension.
"I ca to see you." Oyster replied, stretching his arms out. "I rember that you’d always be so happy when you see , even running into my arms. So..." he paused. "...what changed?"
Maya finally raised her head and stared into his eyes. "You should know the reason." She didn’t even know where she got the courage to speak up.
"You see, that right there... that right there is the Maya I know. The feisty woman I trained."
"Grood." Maya corrected.
"You can use whatever term you want. Tell ," this ti, he rose to his feet, walking to Maya. "Why did you run away?"
He ca to stand in front of her. Maya was about to rise but he pushed her to have her seat. He placed his two hands on the arms of the chair, arching his back as he stared straight into her eyes.
"You left without saying a word. Why did you leave?" He demanded. The playful look in his eyes was replaced with sothing dark. Sothing dangerous.
Maya was tight-lipped, unwilling to give an answer.
"Tell ," he demanded loudly, causing Maya to flinch. "Give a response and stop playing mute."
"Do you want to know?" Maya finally looked up, breathing heavily. "I left only because of you."
Oyster was taken aback as he straightened. He pocketed his hands. "?" He repeated.
"Yes, you." Maya answered, rising to her feet. "I left because I finally found out who you are."
Oyster chuckled and crossed his arms. "What did you find out about ?"
Maya copied his actions by crossing her arms as well. "You are nothing but a man with a masochistic tendency. You are controlling. I dare not stay with you as you ruined both ntally and physically."
"Hours of discipline were nothing but punishnt. You restricted , and never let speak to people... especially the opposite gender." She paused, taking a deep breath. "You’re the one with the problem. And I left because I couldn’t take it anymore."
Oyster laughed without amusent. It was the kind of laugh that scraped against the skin, slow and deliberate.
"You always exaggerate," he said calmly. "Everything I did was to make you strong. Look at you now."
His eyes dragged over her like she was a trophy. "You survived because of ."
Maya’s hands trembled, but she didn’t lower them. "I survived despite you."
For a split second, sothing ugly flashed across Oyster’s face.
Before he could respond, a sharp knock echoed through the apartnt.
All three seconds of silence that followed felt like breath which was being held.
Maya froze as her gaze drifted to Oyster.
Another knock rang this ti. It was firr this ti.
Oyster straightened slowly, irritation flickering in his eyes. "You expecting company?"
Maya didn’t answer. She couldn’t because she didn’t have an answer.
The door opened before either of them could move and Cody stepped inside.
His gaze swept the room once as he took in the open door, Maya’s rigid posture, the unfamiliar man standing far too close to her, and his eyes narrowed.
"What’s going on?" Cody asked, making his way to Maya, and coming to stand beside him.
Oyster turned, eyes assessing Cody from head to toe. "And you are?"
Cody didn’t look at him. Instead, his eyes remained on Maya.
"Maya," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
She swallowed hard, nodding once, but her posture was enough to tell Cody sothing was wrong.
Cody finally turned to Oyster, his body subtly angling in front of Maya without even realizing it. "You need to leave."
Oyster let out a short scoff. "This is between and her. You have no right to co in between us."
"No," Cody replied flatly. "It’s not."
The air shifted as sothing crackled in the air.
Oyster’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. "Ah. I see." His gaze slid back to Maya. "So this is why you’ve been so bold."
Maya’s voice ca out hoarse. "Don’t. Don’t even say that."
Cody didn’t understand the history, didn’t know the weight of the fear in her eyes, but he knew enough that Maya was uncomfortable in this man’s presence.
"You heard her," he said. "Step away. Now."
For a long mont, Oyster simply stared at him.
Then he laughed again, amusent in his tone this ti.
"Relax," he said, raising his hands. "I was just visiting an old... student."
Maya flinched.
Oyster noticed, and he smiled wider.
He stepped back, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from his shirt. "I’ll go. For now." His eyes locked onto Maya’s. "But this conversation isn’t over."
Her breath caught in her throat.
"I always finish what I start," he added softly. "I’ll be back, Maya."
Then he turned, walked past Cody without another glance, and left the apartnt as casually as he had entered, leaving behind a trembling Maya.
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