"No need to say sorry." Ruhaan said looking at sohana.

He felt a pang in his chest when he heard that her mother was no longer alive. Now he understood why, earlier that morning, Sohana had said her mother couldn't call her.

When she started coughing, he couldn’t stop himself from offering her his glass of water. But why? Why did he feel compelled to do that?

He began to think about it.

"Why?" Sohana's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Because it’s not something to apologize for," he said, leaving her more confused than before.

He stood up and began walking toward his room.

"Where are you going?" His mother’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

Why does my family always question me when I head to my room? he thought, feeling frustrated.

"To work... in my room," he added the last part, knowing his mother wouldn’t let him leave for the office now.

"Okay, go ahead," his mother said with a smile.

He disappeared into his room while Sohana's face fell slightly.

"Can't he stay for a little longer?" she wondered.

After lunch, everyone sat together in the living room. Ruhaan's mother brought out a plate of sweets.

"Mithaiyan!" Rivan and Ridhima chimed in with matching grins as they spotted their Badima with the plate.

Aparna Raichand placed the plate on the table, and the duo wasted no time in digging in.

"Sohana dear, try these sweets. I made Gulaab Jamuns myself. I hope you’ll like them," Aparna said warmly.

"Actually, aunty, I’m stuffed. You gave me so much food at lunch, I can barely walk!" Sohana chuckled, rubbing her stomach.

"Just one sweet, my dear." Aparna smiled and held a Gulaab Jamun towards her mouth.

"KUTTE!!" A loud yell echoed through the room, causing the sweet to slip from Aparna’s hand and fall onto Sohana’s dress.

Everyone’s heads snapped towards the sound—Ridhima.

"Ridhima! Why are you shouting?" her mother, Neeti Raichand, scolded her.

"Maa, this bitc—this dog ate my sweet!" Ridhima quickly corrected herself, seeing the twin glares from her mother and Aparna.

No doubt where Ruhaan got his piercing gaze from.

"Maa, she's lying! I didn’t eat her sweet. She ate mine!" Rivan defended himself.

"Both of you, quiet! We all know that no matter how many sweets you two eat, neither your stomach nor your heart will ever be satisfied. Now hush!" Neeti said, shutting them down. The two nodded like obedient children.

"Oh dear, Sohana's dress got spoiled because of the sweet. I’m so sorry," Aparna said, her voice tinged with regret.

"It’s fine, aunty, really," Sohana reassured her.

"Ridhima, take Sohana to the washroom," Aparna instructed.

Ridhima led Sohana to the washroom, and the two began chatting along the way. But then, something caught Sohana's eye—a photo frame hanging in an open room. The curtains billowed gently, and the room looked inviting, almost drawing her in.

Without thinking, Sohana entered the room. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the large photo of Ruhaan hanging above the bed. There was no doubt—it was his room.

She couldn’t resist the urge to explore further. She wandered around, observing smaller photo frames of him and his family on a table. A beautiful lamp stood on each side of the bed, and there was a couch in the corner. But then her eyes fell on something—a guitar.

It looked old. Broken.

She reached out to touch it, but—

"What are you doing in my room?" A cold voice pierced the air.

Sohana spun around hesitantly, facing Ruhaan, who stood just a few steps away.

She froze, unsure of what to say. She was in deep trouble.

"Will you answer my question, Dr. Sohana?" he asked again, his tone colder than before.

"No," she blurted out without thinking. His brows furrowed.

"I mean—do you ever answer my questions? No, right? So why should I answer yours?" she stammered, trying to hide her nervousness.

He took a step towards her, and she instinctively stepped back. Her back met the cold wall, but she felt nothing but heat as Ruhaan closed the distance between them.

"What were you doing in my room?" His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"I... I wanted to use the washroom," she half-lied.

"In my room?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I mean... um... I—actually... I really need to go! Emergency! Bye!" She quickly babbled before darting out of the room, leaving a very irritated Ruhaan behind.

"Crazy," he muttered under his breath.

Meanwhile, Sohana couldn’t stop thinking about the guitar.

"I bet he loves playing it," she mused.

"But it’s broken," she added softly, feeling a pang of sympathy.

"He must’ve been hurt when it broke," she thought, her heart sinking.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind.

"Yes! I’ll do it! He’ll be happy!" she giggled to herself.

"Sohana!" Ridhima’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She turned to find Ridhima standing there with a betrayed expression.

"Why’d you leave me like that? Weren’t we supposed to go to the washroom?" Ridhima asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Ah, sorry! There was an urgent phone call I had to take," Sohana lied with a sheepish grin.

"Oh, alright. Let’s go. You need to clean your dress," Ridhima said with a kind smile.

Once Sohana cleaned her dress, she made her way back downstairs, announcing that it was time for her to leave. Aparna insisted Ruhaan drop her home, which, of course, annoyed him.

They left the house, heading towards Sohana’s home.

"Thank you," Sohana said, flashing him a bright smile.

"For what?" Ruhaan asked in his usual cold tone.

"For giving me a mother’s love after 18 years," she replied, her smile undeterred.

"It was my mom. You should thank her, not me," he replied, shrugging.

"I already did, but you can pass along this new thank you too," she teased.

"I won’t. I’m not Kabir," he shot back.

Sohana wasn’t fazed by his attitude today. She was too happy. She had found a mother figure. Her father had always tried his best, giving her all the love he could, par maa toh maa hoti haina.

She kept smiling, looking at him, which he noticed.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked, confused.

"Because you’re cute,"

🧿

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