54. CONFESS
AAROHI:
I don't even realize I'm smiling until Suhana blocks my way at the bottom of the stairs.
I try to walk past her normally, pretending nothing happened upstairs, but she immediately steps right in front of me with narrowed eyes and an expression full of suspicion.
"Oh wow," she says dramatically, dragging every word on purpose.
"That much blush on your face, bhabhi? At least tell me what happened.
" Instinctively, my hand goes to my cheek.
Heat still lingers there. My heart skips nervously because suddenly I wonder if it really is that obvious.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I reply quickly, trying to sound calm, but even to my own ears my voice sounds slightly breathless.
Suhana circles around me like a detective investigating a crime scene.
"You came from the room... your cheeks are red.
.. your eyes are shining..." she says thoughtfully while pointing at my face one feature at a time.
"No, no. This definitely requires investigation.
" Before I can even think of a reply, Maa's voice comes firmly from the sitting area nearby.
"Suhana." Just one word. That's all it takes.
Suhana straightens immediately like a school student caught misbehaving.
Maa looks at her with quiet authority. "Stop teasing Aarohi.
" Suhana tries defending herself instantly.
"Maa, I was only joking—" but Maa interrupts her before she can finish.
"Jokes have limits. She is older than you. "
I step forward quickly because I don't want Suhana getting scolded because of me.
"No Maa, really, she was just teasing me," I say softly while sitting beside her on the sofa and gently holding her arm.
Maa sighs, still unconvinced. "This girl has become too spoiled," she mutters while looking toward Suhana.
"The moment her studies finish, we'll get her married immediately." Suhana gasps in horror. "Maa!" I can't help laughing lightly despite myself. "Why are you threatening her like that?" Maa lowers her voice slightly and says.
"Sometimes children only behave properly when they're shown a little fear." Suhana folds her arms dramatically. "I'm not even that spoiled." Maa ignores her completely and instead turns toward me with a softer expression. "Leave all this. I made carrot halwa for you."
My eyes brighten immediately. "Really?" Maa nods gently. "You like it, don't you?" Warmth spreads through my chest instantly. "Thank you, Maa," I say sincerely. I stand up and serve two bowls myself one for me and one for Suhana.
"Come," I tell her, "let's sit in the garden." Her mood changes instantly. "Yes, please. At least there's peace outside." Together we walk toward the garden while the winter sunlight spreads softly across the haveli grounds.
Holi preparations are visible everywhere now. Bowls of color stacked neatly in corners, servants hanging decorations, flowers spread across pathways. We sit on the stone bench while the warm sweetness of the halwa settles comfortingly inside me.
For approximately five peaceful minutes, Suhana behaves normally.
Then, of course, she starts again. "So..
." she says carefully while watching me with sparkling eyes, "are you finally going to tell me what happened upstairs?
" I immediately narrow my eyes at her. "Should I tell Maa to fix your wedding instead? " She bursts out laughing loudly.
"Bhabhi!" Before she can continue her teasing, her phone suddenly rings.
She glances at the screen and her entire expression changes instantly.
The playfulness disappears. Tension replaces it immediately.
She stands up quickly. "I'll just come back.
" Something about her voice feels strange. Nervous. Urgent.
She walks a little away from me, but the garden is quiet enough that fragments of her conversation still reach my ears. "Why did you come here?" she whispers sharply. "If bhai sees you, I'm dead." My hand freezes halfway to my mouth. Bhai?
My heartbeat slows strangely. I watch her carefully now as she glances nervously toward the house before walking quickly toward the main gate.
Curiosity rises inside me before I can stop it.
Slowly, quietly, I stand and move a little closer without letting her notice me.
Outside the gate, a young man sits on a bike waiting for her.
Confident posture. Helmet in hand. The moment he sees her, he smiles.
And then something happens that makes my breath catch completely.
She hugs him.
Not casually. Not formally. A real hug. Quick, nervous, but full of familiarity. My chest tightens slightly as I watch her pull away almost immediately and look around anxiously before rushing back inside. I quickly return to the bench before she notices me watching.
When she sits beside me again pretending everything is normal, I calmly ask, "Who was that boy?
" She freezes instantly. Her spoon stops midair.
"Who?" she asks weakly. I look directly at her.
"Suhana." She exhales slowly, defeated already.
Then she slides closer to me and whispers dramatically, "I'll tell you everything.
But please... don't tell bhai anything."
A strange nervousness settles inside me. "Tell me first." She looks around carefully to make sure nobody else is nearby before lowering her voice further. "He's my boyfriend." For a moment, I genuinely don't know how to react.
"Boyfriend?" I repeat softly. She nods nervously. "We love each other." My mind starts racing instantly. "For how long?" "One year," she admits quietly. "Since college." She unlocks her phone and starts showing me pictures. Selfies together.
Café dates. Smiling faces. Hands intertwined. My chest feels unsettled while looking through them. "Then that day..." I begin slowly as realization suddenly hits me, "you lied and went to meet him?" She bites her lip guiltily. "Yes."
"Where?" I ask carefully. She hesitates for a second too long.
Then answers quietly, "At a hotel room." My fingers tighten around the bowl instantly.
"Hotel room?" I repeat slowly. She rushes to explain immediately.
"It was his birthday. We just met there and cut cake.
" I look at her seriously now. "Between you two.
.. did anything happen?" She goes silent.
Her fingers twist nervously around her dupatta while fear slowly fills her eyes.
"Please don't tell bhai," she whispers urgently again.
I don't answer immediately because my mind is no longer judging her it's worrying for her.
Finally she says softly, eyes lowered, "He asked for one kiss.
.. so I..." My heart sinks slightly. "Only one kiss?
" I ask carefully. She nods quickly. "Nothing else. "
Fear sits openly on her face now. "If bhai finds out, he'll kill him." And honestly... she isn't exaggerating.
I know Veeransh.
I know how protective he becomes. How controlling.
How dangerous his anger can feel when it comes to the people he loves.
At the same time, I also know Suhana is no longer a child.
She's young, emotional, deeply in love, and probably far more serious about this boy than she understands herself. Love makes people brave.
But it also makes them reckless. I take a slow breath before speaking gently.
"Are you sure he's a good person?" She nods immediately.
"He respects me. He never forces me." I look at her carefully.
"Taking you to a hotel room is respect?" She falls silent again before replying softly, "That was my decision too. "
That answer unsettles me more than I expect. Because she truly believes she's mature enough to handle all this. And maybe emotionally she is.
But emotionally being ready and understanding consequences are not always the same thing.
She grabs my hand suddenly. "Please don't tell bhai. I'll handle everything." I look toward the haveli unconsciously. If Veeransh finds out himself someday... I don't even want to imagine what will happen.
Finally I look back at her and say slowly, "I won't tell him.
" Relief floods her face instantly. "But," I continue firmly, "you will not hide anything from me from now on.
Understood?" She nods quickly. "Promise.
" I sigh softly. "And next time, no hotel rooms." Embarrassment flashes across her face immediately. "Okay."
She hugs me tightly after that. "Thank you, bhabhi.
" I hug her back gently, but inside my thoughts remain restless.
Because keeping someone's secret means carrying responsibility.
And suddenly, without warning, I feel like I'm standing between a sister and a brother who could destroy each other without meaning to.
The rest of the evening becomes difficult after that.
I try acting normal. I really do. But my chest feels strangely tight now, as though I'm hiding something fragile inside me.
Something dangerous. Because if Veeransh looks at me long enough, he'll know.
He always knows. He notices my silences.
My pauses. The smallest changes in my face. So I avoid him throughout the evening.
I stay busy helping Maa. Rearranging flowers that don't need rearranging.
Cleaning things that are already clean. Walking past him in hallways without meeting his eyes.
But no matter where I go, I still feel his presence around me constantly.
Like warmth against my skin. Like a shadow following me quietly.
By evening, I finally escape upstairs and push open our bedroom door only to freeze completely.
The room glows softly under golden fairy lights wrapped around curtains and walls. Candles flicker near the bedside tables. Rose petals are scattered across the bed and floor while the entire room smells faintly of jasmine and something sweet.
My heartbeat immediately becomes uneven.
"What is this?" I whisper under my breath while stepping slowly inside.
He isn't here. Confusion mixes with nervousness as I move deeper into the room, fingertips brushing lightly across petals and glowing lights.
Then I notice the balcony door slightly open, cool night air drifting inside.
Slowly, I walk toward it.
And there he is.
Veeransh stands beneath the night sky with city lights glowing faintly behind him. In his hand is a single red rose. The moment he looks at me, that quiet smile appears on his face the rare one that somehow feels like it exists only for me.
My breath catches painfully. "Is it your birthday today?
" I ask softly. "You never told me." He shakes his head gently.
"It's not my birthday." Confusion deepens inside me.
"Then why all this?" He doesn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walks toward me slowly, carefully, as though rushing would ruin the moment itself.
Then suddenly.
He kneels in front of me.
My breath stops entirely.
From his pocket, he pulls out a small velvet box and opens it slowly. Inside, under the golden light, a diamond ring glimmers softly. My hands start trembling instantly. When I look into his eyes, I see emotions so raw it almost hurts love, regret, fear, hope, guilt all tangled together.
"Aarohi," he says quietly, "I have never forgotten our past. The forced marriage.
The pain I caused you. The fear. The words that hurt you.
" Tears instantly blur my vision. His voice shakes slightly as he continues.
"And I haven't forgotten the present either.
The way we slowly became friends. The way I started understanding your silences. Caring about your comfort. Your tears."
My chest aches harder with every word.
"But more than anything," he whispers, "I think about the future now."
A tear slips down my cheek.
"I don't know when my life started revolving around you," he admits softly. "When your smile started deciding my mood. When your pain started feeling unbearable to me." His breathing becomes uneven now.
"I can't change the past. And maybe I don't deserve forgiveness for it.
I deserve punishment instead." My heart physically hurts listening to him.
"But Aarohi... I promise you something. What happened before will never happen again.
" His eyes lock onto mine with terrifying honesty. "I will never make you cry again."
And then he says the words that completely shatter every wall left inside me.
"I love you, Aarohi."
The world around me disappears.
Everything inside my chest breaks open at once.
I fall to my knees immediately and wrap my arms around him tightly before I can even think. He holds me just as tightly, like he's afraid letting go might take me away from him forever. "I love you," he whispers again against my hair, voice trembling this time.
"More than anything." Tears stream endlessly down my face as I whisper back, "I love you too." He presses a gentle kiss against my forehead before sliding the ring carefully onto my finger with shaking hands.
And somehow, in that moment, it doesn't feel like jewelry.
It feels like a promise.
A beginning.
A choice.
That night, for the first time, there are no walls between us. No fear. No past standing in the middle. Just two exhausted hearts finally finding peace in each other. Wrapped together quietly beneath soft golden lights, we hold onto one another like home.