The drive back home with Heer was mostly filled with her younger sister’s excited chatter about her day. Ishita nodded and smiled at the right moments, but her mind was elsewhere, still stuck in the whirlwind of taunts and the quiet concern on her father’s face.

When they finally reached home, Ishita parked the car and stepped inside with Heer trailing behind her. She glanced around the house and noticed something strange.

“Bua kahaan gayi?” Ishita asked, her eyes scanning the room.

Her mother, who was busy folding some clothes, looked up. “Tumhare Papa ne unhe tumhare Chachu ke ghar bhej diya hai kuch din ke liye.”

Ishita raised an eyebrow. Her bua wasn’t the kind to leave willingly, especially when she was in the middle of her usual taunting spree. Her father must have intervened.

“Oh,thik hai” Ishita said softly, her chest feeling a bit lighter.

She headed to her room, changed into something comfortable, and lay down for a while. The events of the day weighed heavily on her mind, but the absence of her bua gave her a sliver of relief.

---

Some time later, Ishita heard the front door open and recognized her father’s footsteps. She sat up, debating whether to go and talk to him, but before she could make a decision, there was a knock on her door.

Ishita froze for a moment. Her thoughts raced. Was he upset? Did he believe Bua’s words? Was he disappointed in me?

“mumma" she asked hesitantly.

“Mai papa se baat karti hu,” her mother explained. “Tum thodi der apne room mein ruko.”

Ishita nodded reluctantly, watching as her mother left and closed the door behind her. She wanted to talk to her father, to explain everything, but now she had to wait.

---

Sitting on the bed with Heer beside her, Ishita tried to focus on her sister’s excited recounting of her day, but her thoughts kept drifting to the conversation happening outside.

“Di, sun rahi ho na?” Heer asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Haan, sun rahi hoon,” Ishita said, forcing a smile. “Tumhari science project ke baare mein baat ho rahi thi, right?”

“Hmm,” Heer said, unconvinced but too absorbed in her own story to argue.

Ishita nodded along, but her ears were straining for any sounds from the other room. The muffled voices of her parents were too low for her to make out, and it only made her more anxious.

---

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her mother came back into the room. Ishita sat up straight, her heart pounding.

“Kya kaha Papa ne?” she asked immediately.

Her mother smiled softly, sitting down beside her. “Woh tumhare us dost se milna chahte hain,” she said, her voice calm.

Ishita’s eyes widened. “Milna chahte hain?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her mother nodded. “Unhone kaha ki agar uske liye, tum apni bua se baat karne ko ready thi, toh woh tumhare liye important hi hoga, toh woh usse milna chahte hai.”

The weight in Ishita’s chest lifted slightly, replaced by a nervous anticipation. She didn’t know what her father would think of Dhruv, but she was sure of one thing: this was a step forward.