40

Aryan moved around the small kitchen, the soft clinking of utensils the only sound in the flat. The air inside was thick with tension—unspoken words sitting heavy between him and his parents, who sat silently in his studio.

He could feel their eyes on him, especially his father's, but he ignored it, focusing on the tea he was making.

Until Rajeev finally spoke.

"Aryan, come sit here."

Aryan didn't turn around. "I'm making chai."

"You can make it later. Switch it off and come here," Rajeev said, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument.

Aryan clenched his jaw, inhaled sharply, then switched off the stove.

He walked over and sat down on the couch adjacent to his mother, facing his father. He didn't look at Meeta, and she didn't look at him.

Rajeev leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped together. "We need to address what's going on. This tension between you and your mother has gone on long enough."

Aryan tensed, already wanting out of this conversation. "Dad, I don't want to talk about this. Please, stop."

"No," Rajeev said, his voice unwavering. "Now is the time. I'm not listening to anything else."

Aryan exhaled harshly, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Rajeev continued, his tone calm but firm. "I know how Meeta reacted was wrong, but you need to understand that she's sorry."

Aryan didn't respond, his fingers curling into fists on his lap.

Rajeev glanced at Meeta, who sat stiffly beside Aryan. She hadn't spoken a word, but the guilt in her eyes was unmistakable.

"You need to forgive her, Aryan," Rajeev said.

Aryan let out a humorless chuckle. "I can forgive. But I can't forget."

Meeta's eyes filled with tears.

Aryan shook his head, looking away. His voice was quieter this time, but heavy with pain. "She's the reason Tara is so scared. She's the reason that despite living next door to me, she isn't here with me now. She should have been with me here, but she's not—because of you, Mom."

Meeta let out a small, broken breath.

Rajeev sighed. "I never said Meeta wasn't wrong." He turned to his wife. "Meeta, what you did was wrong. You should have trusted your son to handle things. You shouldn't have assumed that he didn't care for me. If you wanted to judge his behavior, at least wait for a bit. But no—you instantly cut Tara off. That was wrong."

Meeta swallowed thickly, lowering her gaze.

Then Rajeev turned back to Aryan. "And you, Aryan—you're wrong in the way you're being right now."

Aryan scoffed. "Oh, so now this is my fault too?"

"That's not what I said." Rajeev's voice was patient but firm. "We three—together—can bring Tara back. But for that to even begin to happen, we need to sort this out first."

Aryan chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. His voice dropped to a whisper. "There's no point."

Rajeev frowned. "What do you mean?"

Aryan lifted his eyes to meet his father's. "Tara will never be with me. You know why?"

Then, for the first time, he turned to look directly at his mother.

"Because she said, Your mom will always hate me, Aryan. And we shouldn't start something that will end again."

Meeta's lips parted slightly, tears spilling over. She let out a soft sob, quickly covering her mouth.

Rajeev inhaled sharply, glancing at his wife before looking back at his son.

Meeta wiped at her eyes, shaking her head. "Beta... I don't hate her." Her voice trembled. "I know I misjudged her. And I—I wanted to talk to her, but you didn't let me."

Aryan let out a sharp laugh. "Of course, I didn't." His voice was laced with disbelief. "Because Tara was shaking, Mom. She was shivering when she saw you. Do you really think I can stand there and watch the girl I love shake and shiver like that?"

Meeta let out another quiet cry, but Aryan wasn't done.

"I can't be with her. That doesn't mean I'll stop caring for her," he said, his voice breaking slightly.

Meeta squeezed her eyes shut, devastated.

And Rajeev just sighed, looking between them, knowing this was far from over.

The tension in the studio hadn't eased—it only grew heavier with each passing second.

Rajeev sighed, running a hand over his face before looking at both Aryan and Meeta. "You both need to understand something. You have to come together."

Meeta wiped her tears quickly, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry."

Aryan scoffed, shaking his head. "Will your sorry bring Tara back?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the room like a blade. "Will your sorry stop Tara from shaking insanely when you're around?"

Meeta winced at his words, her eyes full of regret.

Aryan exhaled shakily, his anger barely contained. "I lost the girl I love because of your insecurity."

Rajeev turned to him. "She wasn't insecure, Aryan. She was scared. Scared that you'd be distracted."

Aryan let out a bitter laugh. "That's the same thing."

Rajeev shook his head and turned to Meeta. "That was wrong, Meeta. You can't just assume things. Assuming that our son wouldn't care about me—that was wrong. Love isn't something that needs to be divided. You share it. There's no rule that says only one person can have it all."

Meeta looked down, silent.

Rajeev continued, his voice firm but understanding. "Tara seemed mature enough to understand Aryan's silence, his struggles. And yet, you cut her off. And worse, you didn't even let Aryan explain anything to her when she broke up with him. You didn't let him tell her why everything happened the way it did."

Aryan clenched his jaw, looking away.

Rajeev's voice softened. "Put yourself in his shoes, Meeta. How would you feel if someone did this to you?"

Meeta swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken his phone away. I shouldn't have stopped him. I was just... I was scared, Rajeev. Seeing you in the hospital, I—I didn't know what happened to me."

Rajeev placed a comforting hand over hers. "I get it. But this wasn't the solution." He sighed. "And the truth is, Tara isn't wrong either. Whatever she thinks—it's not wrong. She has every reason to believe that you'll always hate her."

Meeta looked up, determination flickering in her tearful eyes. "Then I'll show her that I don't."

She turned to Aryan. "Aru, let me talk to her. Please."

Aryan's expression hardened instantly. "Only Tara calls me Aru. No one else."

Meeta flinched at his words, looking down, hurt.

Silence stretched between them until Rajeev spoke again, his voice calm. "Aryan, I want to ask you something."

Aryan exhaled, exhausted. "What now?"

Rajeev leaned forward slightly. "If Tara were to walk through that door right now... what would you do?"

Aryan blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Rajeev's gaze didn't waver. "Tell me. What would you do?"

Aryan sighed, rubbing his temples before finally answering, his voice quiet. "I'd go on my knees to say sorry and bring her back into my life." His throat tightened as he added, "I just... I just want Tara."

Meeta lowered her gaze, sadness washing over her.

Rajeev inhaled deeply before saying, "Then what's stopping you?"

Aryan let out a dry laugh, finally looking up. "You know what's stopping me." His eyes flickered to Meeta.

Rajeev followed his gaze before turning back to Aryan. "Then go tell her that your mother won't say anything anymore."

Aryan's brows furrowed. "What?"

Rajeev smiled slightly. "Trust me. Go for it. I don't want you to lose her. I don't want to see you watching her be with someone else—or worse, seeing her alone when she should be with you."

Aryan was in shock, his mind struggling to process his father's words.

Meeta spoke up softly. "Beta... I know you don't trust me. But trust him when he says I won't stop you from being with her." She exhaled shakily. "I want to apologize to her. I want to fix this. But you can bring her to me when you feel it's right. Until then, just know—I won't stop you two ever again."

Aryan looked at his father, searching for any sign that this was some kind of cruel trick.

Rajeev simply raised his brows, a small smile forming. His expression was clear—Are you going to stand there, or are you going to fight for her?

Aryan's breath caught in his throat as realization hit him.

His father was serious.

Rajeev gave him an encouraging nod. "Go get her, Aryan."

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