The moment he expressed his readiness to take her back, a sense of guilt arose within her. The fear of her father's disapproval clouded her mind, overpowering her ability to think clearly. She realized that she was causing Arnav to miss out on enjoying this weekend getaway with his family and friends solely because of her desire to return home.
She noticed his attempt to leave the bench they were sharing and promptly tightened her hold on his hand, halting his movement. "Nahi. I don't want you to leave your family and friends because of me, Arnav ji."
Arnav stared at her sternly. "So, how are you planning to get back home? You don't think I'm going to let you go by yourself, do you?"
Khushi shook her head in disagreement, indicating that she had been misunderstood by him. "No, I will remain here with you all," she said, lowering her gaze to their entwined hands. She swallowed nervously before posing her question in a hushed, apprehensive tone, "My father will not be informed of this matter, haina?"
She gazed at him with trepidation, and he yearned to pull her closer, offering a warm and reassuring embrace to alleviate the profound fear she harboured towards her father, who was unfortunately playing the role of an antagonist in her life. The more he learns about her father from her, the more he begins to develop a sense of disdain for the man.
"Nahi, Khushi!" he blinked his eyes reassuringly while grazing the back of her hand in a comforting manner, "What transpired here won't be disclosed to your father. You don't need to fear him. You're not doing anything that would compromise the reputation of your family."
He noticed her lower her gaze and demanded in a firm tone, "Look at me!" and when she did, he continued, "If you have done nothing wrong, then why should you be afraid? Do you know why I was so eager to bring you here? Because I wanted you to take a brief respite from your routine and experience the freedom of this place. I wanted to see you thoroughly enjoying this trip with your college friends. People your age are often thrilled about travelling with their friends. At this stage in their lives, all they want to do is sing, dance, party, eat good food, and embark on adventures with their friends. I want you to experience this with Lavanya and NK."
It all made perfect sense until he expressed his desire for her to enjoy the trip with Lavanya and NK rather than with him. Despite their rekindled friendship, he appears to maintain a slight distance from her. She is unsure whether this is intentional or not, but after the tumultuous phase in their relationship, which included unexpected and shocking revelations about his feelings, he has maintained a certain detachment from her and seems more inclined to encourage her interactions with others. Even now, he still wants her to hang out with NK and Lavanya even though he knows she only came on this trip because of him.
She frowned slightly, opening her mouth to speak when a voice from behind interrupted their conversation, and she was compelled to swiftly withdraw her hand from his grasp instead.
Awkwardly resting her clasped hands on her lap, she looked up to Anjali, apologising for eavesdropping the latter part of their conversation while agreeing to everything her brother said.
"Chote, please fetch some water for her," Anjali said, subtly indicating that he should leave the place to provide privacy for her conversation with Khushi.
Arnav nodded politely as he stood up from the bench and left from there. Anjali took his place and sat beside Khushi.
"Khushi, I know you think we've different lifestyles, and that makes you feel like the odd one out, right?" Anjali asked with a knowing soft smile playing on her lips.
Khushi blinked her eyes in surprise as she had not anticipated Anjali to make such a statement. She composed herself and nodded her head in agreement.
"If only you were aware of the fact that my mother and I experienced a similar situation to the one you are currently facing," Anjali sighed.
Chapter 22 - Heartfelt conversations
Start from the beginning
