I have opened this comment window all day thinking what to type. I have got pulled into something or other and I have not been able to spend time thinking of something coherent. But I am going to ramble on now.
I think it would be right to say that I agree with all your readers that Arnav really needs to get some (or a lot) of grief from Khushi for putting her through this. Having said that, I still want to offer a defence on his behalf. Firstly, the idea of some kind of disturbing relationship between a parent and one of your peers, is something that can make anyone lose their cool over. This causes so many things to change. Normally, the father is a hero figure and that is destroyed. There is hurt and anger on behalf of your mom whom you think has been wronged. And a girl with whom you share a seemingly hostile relationship and yet you have a slight crush on that you have never acknowledged is in the middle of this storm. Of course, Arnav is going to be a bit of a dick in this situation. Other things to consider:
1. He is eighteen and male. That is by far the demographic with the maximum incidence of stupid
2. In addition to being young and male, he suffers from yet another affliction - privilege 😆 His privilege manifests itself differently from say Payal's rich girl spoilt-rotten persona. Or as Preeto so eloquently puts it, Bhaiya Geyser Chala Do Girls (that girl has her head and heart firmly in the right place). His privilege is less obvious and therefore I believe more disconcerting. It creeps in insidious ways. I think someone had commented rather nicely earlier, it is in the little gestures, the occasional slight, that is the way Arnav is with Khushi. He does not belittle her or insult her directly, probably why Khushi holds him up to somewhat higher standards. And it is this internalised privilege that I think makes him see Khushi in the worst light
3. Lets face it, he still desires validation from his parents and does not have that angry rebellious streak that a lot of young men do. With Akash out of the house, finally he is the centre of attention and he is not letting go of that. I am sure his mom is pretty manipulative and I am also sure that Arnav is by all accounts smart enough to recognise that, but he allows himself to be played by her.
4. He still feels slighted by Khushi. He certainly is attracted to her, but there is point (2) to counter and so he is looking for the worst possible explanation in any situation that involves her
5. He is very self-serving (as most of us are) which is usually a byproduct of privilege.
Of course, the most important reason why he does not deserve too much censure is that he actually has learnt from this and wants to make things right. A bit late, of course, but at least it is there. Though, here is the thing, what if he had not accidentally run into Khushi, would he have never thought of correcting this mistake. I am probably getting ahead of myself, I am sure there must be something more to this than you are letting on to us.
Khushi, what do I say about her? She is a young girl who is masquerading as a woman. I was amused reading that initial bit in the library. And I remembered, that at the end of of the day Khushi is 18 too. Probably a year younger than Arnav because you had mentioned at some point that she skipped a grade 😛 And so much of her thoughts centre around Arnav. I don't think they are romantic thoughts itself, but they are very typical teenagerish ones. I resent him. I admire him. I am uncomfortable when he seeks me out. Yet, I myself seek him out. She is confused, just like Arnav. Except that unlike Arnav, she takes any of the slight towards her in her stride more easily. She is just a very wise 17/18 year old. It is apparent in how easily she is able to move past the fiasco at the Raizadas. Her coping mechanism is very surgical, to cut-off the source of the trouble. Arnav's battle with Khushi is to make himself relevant to her somehow in the present time. And just rabbavey is not going to help him. He needs to up his game. 😆
Can't wait to read more!
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