✔︎𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞

5 - It's a Mithai Date in Balcony

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Author's POV.....

Nirmaan held her in his arms for some time. Subí's eyes were filled with tears. He kept rubbing her back, trying to soothe her sobs.

"Shhhhh... it's all right, don't think about it," he cupped her cheeks.

"Why doesn't she like me? What have I done?" she couldn't complete her words and hugged him tightly, her head resting on his chest.

"Subi, it's okay, don't cry. It's not because of you. She doesn't hate you; she's just angry with herself, and her frustration is directed towards you," he explained, trying to calm her down.

Subi looked up at his face with confusion and tear-filled eyes.

"You know, Bua Ji ran away and got married to someone else before her wedding, someone who wasn't from a very wealthy family. Two days before her wedding, she eloped, but the guy cheated on her and left her with nothing. She came back crying, but by then, everything was destroyed and scattered in her life. Dadu was ready to throw her out, but Dadi and the rest of the family members stopped him. After that, she never got married and now lives in the village. Dadi also stays there most of the time, and because of her health, she can't travel."

She didn't say anything and kept hugging him, feeling comforted.

When a knock on the door made them apart, she wiped her tears and opened the door. Her mother and Choti were standing there with Riddhi.

She stepped aside to let them in with a smile. "I know what happened wasn't right, and I'm sorry for everything," her mother said.

"No, Maa, don't apologize. It's no one's fault. What Bua Ji said wasn't a lie, and she was just upset. That's all," Subi replied, trying to reassure her mother.

Her mother wrapped her in a hug and kissed her forehead, giving her a gift for her first cooking ceremony .

When her mother asked, "You made such tasty food, then how come you messed up the halwa? I don't get it...we can understand the salt, but what about the hing?", Subi's face flushed with embarrassment. She knew exactly who and what was the reason for her mistake.

Without moving her head, she glanced at the reason for her embarrassment, trying to stop his smirk. He had one arm crossed and the other hand covering his lips. "I'll deal with you later, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" she muttered to herself.

"Did you say something?" her mother asked.

Subi shook her head, indicating no. "Bhabi, you didn't tell me how you messed up...", she asked, amusement in her voice. She already knew the reason, having seen Nirmaan ask about his wife and enter the kitchen when she was setting the table.

"Uh...I...uh...SORRY," she stammered, unable to explain.

"Let it go, at least the rest of the food was good, right?" Choti Maa said, and Subi exhaled, relaxing a little.

As they turned to leave, they asked Nirmaan to hurry up, saying his father was waiting for him to go to the office. They left, closing the door behind them.

As Nirmaan's hand roamed around her waist, Subí slowly extricated herself from his embrace, turning to face him. She didn't want him to regret his actions once he realized she lacked confidence in her body. As a chubby kid all her life, she had only lost weight a few years ago due to a bout of enteric fever. The weight loss had given her a more curvy figure, but the insecurities lingered.

Nirmaan's knitting brows conveyed his concern, but he remained silent, collecting his phone and laptop before leaving.

Meanwhile, Subí felt a pang of sadness, wondering if Nirmaan was upset with her. As the day wore on, she waited anxiously for him to call or message her, but her phone remained silent. Without his number, she wasn't comfortable asking anyone for it, and with everyone at work except for Dadu, she decided to seek comfort in his company.