Aryan has been saving imlie since his arrival. We saw numerous times , he pushes and pulls her. But not this way , it was all platonic.
1) during jhoomar tod shaadi , he flips her using her hands.
2) while planning to trick malini , malini walks in on them. He flips her AGAIN BY HANDS and places his hand way above her waist.
here when she blabbered in the lines its not that bad , she realises what her mother wants for her. He got a cue that maybe MAYBE she too wants this relationship. Hence the bold touch.
Its beautifully written and acted , about consent. I think aryan will slowly push and explore all the limits between them.
With the arrival yet another female in the show , i dont know if they will explore this slow burn progression