Making Her Mine- An IPKKND story.

Chapter 21 - Apology

Arnav burst into Khushi's gaudy little room and flung whatever was in front of him before sitting at her desk.

Why, when he was trying to be as patient as possible with her, did she insist on needling him?

His mother's smiling face appeared before his eyes—the soft tinkling of her bangles as she moved around the house, the comforting swish of her saree, her gentle voice. And then that day—the tears, the argument with his father, the screaming, the smile disappearing from his sister's face on her wedding day, his mother running to the terrace of Sheesh Mahal. The world ending.

The echo of his own voice, as he screamed helplessly: "Maaaa!"

The bedroom door creaked open, and Khushi walked in.

"Arnav-ji..."

"Go away, Khushi."

She didn't, of course.

"Arnav-ji," she said again. He looked away, hiding the tears that stung his eyes.

"Just leave me alone."

"I'm sorry."

He kept his face turned away, willing himself to calm down, waiting for his eyes to dry.

"I'm sorry," she said again, softly. "I didn't realize..."

Finally, he turned to look at her. She had tears in her eyes too.

"It's okay," he said, unable to rid his voice of the croak.

She looked like she wanted to cross the room and come to him. He looked away again.

"Just—don't—I'll come out in a while," he said jerkily, holding up a hand to convey what he couldn't say. He needed time.

She gave a loud sniffle. He closed his eyes and waited. After a moment, he heard her shuffle away, and the door creaked shut.

Dammit.

It was going to be awkward going back out now, after that outburst. He imagined their stares and pity. Why couldn't he have just ignored her, like he had every time before? But she had been so insistent, as though she had known exactly how to get to him in the worst way possible. He could feel a headache coming on. She hadn't meant to get at him like that. She had apologized. A wave of remorse hit him as he remembered again that he had yelled at her in front of her family. She had tears in her eyes. More remorse. He sighed.

Garima Aunty had this quiet, soft air about her, like his mother had. Nani was never like that—she was stubborn and sarcastic and carried herself with a regal air. Even though she was loving in her own way, she would never caress his cheek or look at him with that understanding in her eyes. It was odd, but his grandmother was not at all like his mother had been. And Mami certainly wasn't like that, although he loved her and felt grateful for having her back, and Di's too, whenever they needed her. There had never been anyone who reminded him so much of his own mother: kind and loving, gentle and comforting.

Maa. She had this incredible ability; she could hold you in her arms and make you feel safe. When they were children, she would kiss their scrapes and make it all better. She was kind even when they were wrong or made mistakes—especially Arnav, who was known to lose his temper or take pranks too far. She would simply hold him close and tell him why he was wrong and how he had caused someone or something pain. And she would kiss him and tell him to never do it again. "Never hurt someone you love, Chotay," she would tell him. "You cannot take it back, no matter how much you want to."

No one else came to the room the rest of the evening. The house was uncharacteristically quiet, so Arnav decided he might as well catch up on work. It was a welcome distraction. He made several phone calls, replied to emails, and read multiple different work proposals—from Akash, the legal team, and the marketing team.

Finally, at eight, Garima Aunty came in.

"Arnav bitwa," she said in her gentle voice. "Come, have dinner."

"Aunty..." he said. "Uh... sorry—for earlier."

She looked at him with soft eyes.

"Uh—for—I—er."

She walked in, anklets and bangles clinking, and stood beside the desk.

"No, son," she said. "You don't have to apologize for anything."

"I shouldn't have lost my temper," he said nevertheless. "It's just that I can't call anyone else— I can't call anyone else 'Ma.'"

She placed a hand on his cheek. "That's okay," she said, smiling at him. "There's nothing to feel bad about; I understand. And I don't mind at all."

Arnav nodded mutely.

"Dinner is ready," she said again. "Come eat, huh?"