Khushi trailed behind him as he entered the restaurant, where he promptly settled the bill and departed. She pursued him once more, meekly uttering his name, but he disregarded her entirely as he approached his car.
As he was about to open the car door, she held his hand, preventing him from doing so, "Please listen to me once," she pleaded with tears in her eyes, her lips quivering.
"What? What should I listen from you?" he turned to her, folding his arms as he stared at her coldly.
Khushi looked at him with teary guilty eyes, "I know I messed up. I shouldn't have agreed to help Lavanya. She asked for my help to get close to you and I acted like a fool. I'm really sorry, Arnav ji. At that moment, I just thought she might be the right woman for you and I imagined that if you had someone like her by your side, you'd be happier and learn how to enjoy life a little more. I'm really sorry."
"Why do you think she's the one for me?" he asked in a sharp curt tone.
"I know that this may sound absurd to you at the moment, but you belong to a higher social class, Arnav ji. When I look at you, I presume that you would desire a partner who shares a similar background as yourself - someone who is beautiful, intelligent, and affluent. And that is precisely how I perceive Lavanya," she pursed her lips, feeling embarrassed and guilty to admit her thoughts to him.
"I see. This is how you perceive me," he said, breaking eye contact with her. Hurt and disbelief were evident in his eyes as he turned to open the back seat door.
Khushi shook her head firmly. She opened her mouth to speak, but then she paused, curious about his intentions. She quietly observed as he opened the back seat door and took a spare black color coat from his car.
He went up to her and put his coat around her as he noticed her freezing after getting soaked in the rain. They were standing close to each other, and he was staring at her intensely with a hint of pain in his chocolate brown eyes, "Didn't you realize I treat you differently than everyone else? Can't you see that I let my guard down when I'm with you? Even though I tried but I always failed to maintain a strictly professional relationship with you, unlike with others. You want me to be happy and enjoy my life, but you don't get that-"
Khushi did not require him to say anything further, for she was aware of his impending words. Without a moment's delay, she embraced him, her arms encircling his neck as tears streamed down her face. "I'm really, Arnav ji. My actions caused you pain. I thought I was acting in your best interest, but I now recognize that I overstepped my boundaries. I'm no one to decide who is suitable to be your life partner. Please forgive me. Sometimes, I act impulsively, believing that I'm making the right decisions, only to later realize my errors."
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Arnav's hand momentarily halted mid-air, reflecting a slight loss of composure as he found himself on the brink of reciprocating her embrace. Typically, when someone oversteps boundaries as Khushi did, he would promptly and decisively sever ties with that person. However, he was finding it hard to apply the same approach with Khushi. He genuinely listened to her explanation, attempting to comprehend the reasons behind her uncharacteristic behavior at the restaurant. Despite her words, he felt increasingly irritated with her when he discovered that she had agreed to help Lavanya in getting close to him because she believed Lavanya was the ideal woman for him. Nevertheless, when she embraced him, it had a calming effect on him, and he found it increasingly difficult to resist her heartfelt apologies.
