Everyone was back to their respective rooms by 10 in the night. They asked Teena to stay in Yuvraj's flat or in Aaradhya and Tanu's room for the night but she declined. She needed her space and moreover there was no point in hiding now. She has not run from the wedding instead she has told everyone that she was leaving.
There was no call or text from Aaradhya's family till now. She was sure her Mami would have given the news to her family by now. But why was there no drama till now. Maybe it's the silence before the storm. She just prayed to get the strength to face whatever problems were coming to her next.
Of all the incidents that took place at Ansh's mansion, she could not help but think of the one when Abhi stood up for her. He didn't let her Mami touch her. And what has she done for him? Acted like a coward and avoided him. She wanted to be brave enough to stand for herself, to stand for him, but it was very difficult. Sleep slowly took over her as she was indulged in these thoughts.
********************
Tanu found Aaradhya all ready to go somewhere when she woke up in the morning.
"Where are you going this early?" Tanu asked getting down the bed.
"Mummy called. They are here. Mami has told them everything. They want me to come to her house," Aaradhya said.
"Oh god! They are already here. They came from Lucknow to Varanasi just after hearing about that incident! What are you going to say?" Tanu asked panicked.
"Don't worry Tanu. The moment I saw Mami there, I knew something like this was gonna happen," Aaradhya said smiling weakly.
Though she was trying to act brave but inside she was nervous as hell. What would her father do now? He must be so disappointed. This is the first time she was so scared to face him.
"Should I come with you? Maybe they would act with a little leniency when they see me with you," Tanu suggested.
"No. I'll have to face this alone. Don't worry, I'll be fine," Aaradhya said and left the room.
Tanu was not convinced at all. The Aaradhya she knows must be crying her eyes out in such situations. Tanu did the first thing that came to her mind. She dialled Abhi's number immediately.
*******************
Aaradhya found Abhi standing near the auto stand as she reached there.
"Going to meet your parents?" he asked casually.
"Yes," she answered shortly.
"So what are you gonna say to them?" he asked again.
"I don't know. Maybe sorry," she answered again not meeting his eyes.
"So you think helping Teena was a mistake," he stated.
"No! When did I say that?" she asked.
"We usually say sorry when we commit a mistake," he said again.
She did say anything and started looking for an auto.
"Do you think, you committed a mistake?" Abhi asked again.
"No," she answered after a minute.
"Then why are you frightened. If I was in your place, I would have told them that this is what I will do again if needed. Saying sorry and being guilty without any reason is not always the solution. But unfortunately, for you that is the easiest and safest way to escape a situation. Best of luck with that. See you soon, if your parents allow you to study ahead," Abhi said tucking his hands in his pockets and left.
Aaradhya just stood there watching him leaving the place. It took her a minute to absorb whatever he said. He was harsh but right. And suddenly, Aaradhya felt confident. She felt like she was ready to face her family now.
******************
"How are you, Dadaji," Aaradhya asked touching her frandfather's feet. Her mother, father and grandparents were present there.
"I am fine, beta. You don't eat properly. You are looking thinner than before," her grandpa said hugging her.
"Oh, great to see you again, Aaradhya," Radha exclaimed coming out from the kitchen.
"Namastey Mamiji," Aaradhya said touching her feet.
"Oh, you still remember these manners. Yesterday I thought you forgot all of these," Radha commented.
"Why did you go there Aaradhya? Did someone force you?" Aaradhya's mother asked her.
"No, Mummy. I went there because I wanted to," Aaradhya said.
"See, this is what I was telling you all yesterday. Look how shamelessly she is admitting it too," Radha commented again.
"Shut up Radha. Not a word more now," Aaradhya's Mama warned her. Radha wanted to say something but kept quiet this time.
"Is this what I have taught you Aaradhya? To help brides run away from their marriages?" Aditya, her father spoke.
"They were forcing her to marry that man, Papa," Aaradhya said.
"That's their family's problem. Why did you have to involve yourself in that mess?" he asked.
"She is my friend. I cannot just sit and watch them ruin her life," Aaradhya said again, confidence evident in her voice. She was not wrong and she would not accept any wrong accusations.
"The arrangement was fixed by their families. Her parents would never decide wrong for her," he said again.
"He slapped her in front of her parents and they did nothing. It was just a business deal for them," Aaradhya said.
"We don't care if they were wrong or right. We sent you here for your studies. Don't lose your focus. You don't need to involve yourself in such things. Promise me you won't do any such thing again," her mother spoke.
"I am focused on my studies, Mummy. But that doesn't mean I would not help my friends when they need it. I am sorry, not for what I did but because I cannot promise not to repeat such things again. If my closed ones will need me, I would do it again. I don't regret it," Aaradhya said.
"Indeed your daughter, Aditya," her grandpa laughed.
"Your father has also done many such things in his young days," he added after a minute.
"It's not the time to remember the good old days, Papa," Aditya said.
"If you want to take me back with you now, I won't protest. I trust my parents, they have always decided the right for me. But if you decide to leave me here, I can't promise you anything. I am sorry," Aaradhya said looking at her father. This is probably the first time, she has spoken against him.
"We will leave tomorrow. Stay here with us today. You can go back tomorrow," her father said in a simple tone and left the living room.
Aaradhya could not help the big smile that came to her lips. She could see Radha was very disappointed because of the decision but she left too without saying anything.
Her mother was relieved. She has not expected her husband to behave like this. She thought he was going to scold Aaradhya very badly or worse bring her back with them. She knows he has always been a little soft with Aaradhya than others. Aaradhya has never given him a chance to be disappointed. This was the first time but Aditya's reaction has surprised everyone. Maybe he is a little more lenient with Aaradhya than they thought.
Aditya felt proud of his upbringing. He was a little furious and disappointed when Radha told them about the incident. But seeing Aaradhya stand up for herself and her friend was very nostalgic for him. He has helped his friends in the college days too. According to them he was the 'hero' of the group. He always worried that Aaradhya was very sweet and naive for the world than necessary. But if she can speak against him, she can fight against anyone for her rights. He was happy for that.
****************************
"But you said your father is very dangerous," Teena asked Aaradhya after she told them about yesterday's incident. Aaradhya directly went to Teena's flat after returning from her Mama's house and Tanu joined them.
"He is. I don't know why he said nothing to me after that. Everyone behaved like nothing happened at all, except for Mamiji. He did not bring that topic up and did not even ask me to inform me if I did something like that again," Aaradhya said smiling.
"Maybe he realised, you did nothing wrong," Tanu said.
"Maybe," Aaradhya said.
Teena's phone rang and she declined the call immediately.
"Who's it?" Tanu asked.
"Mom. She is calling me from the morning. She must want to tell me what a disappointment I am," Teena said.
"I think you should talk to her once," Aaradhya suggested.
"I will, when I feel like it. For now I have to look for another room, that's less expensive. I don't know if they are still going to pay my bills. I'll use my savings till I don't get a part time job," Teena said.
"Don't worry Yuvraj would find one easily," Tanu said immediately.
Both the girls looked at her amused.
"Your confidence in Yuvraj is appreciable," Aaradhya commented.
"Ye... Yeah. He is our senior and has always helped us, so..." Tanu said.
"Last time I checked you were always busy cursing him. What changed?" Teena added.
"Nothing. What will change? Everything is the same," Tanu said not meeting there eyes pretending to be busy in her phone.
"Yeah, yeah it's very evident that everything is the same," Aaradhya said and the girls laughed.
The rest of the evening passed with light talks and a comedy movie. Their real life drama was more than enough for them for now.