Raghav went upstairs to his room, he wanted to follow Pallavi in the kitchen, but he knew if he went in now he'd risk getting hot coffee spilled on him. He heard Pallavi bring Amma the coffee, and her steps to his room...their room. Their room. She came inside, but didn't close the door behind her.
"Pallavi, listen to what I have to say, I didn't mean to—"
"I'm going to sleep downstairs, in the living room," she took a pillow from the bed, and started to turn around to leave the room.
"No, you can't do that," Raghav jumped in front of her, "just listen to me."
"You can't possibly want me to sleep here, your torture with your girlfriend today has filled your quota, do you really need to have me sleep here to torture me some more, aren't you tired?"
Raghav sighed, sometimes he just wanted to put his hands over this Saree ke Dukaan's mouth, just to have a moment's silence. But, wait, today of all days she had started her gyaan again? That was weird.
"Listen, I only called Anjali over here to get the truth, I decided after you had donated blood to Amma that you couldn't have done all the things...that I thought you had."
Pallavi looked at him, a smile spreading over her face, "oh wow, THANK YOU Raghav Rao, my life dream has been fulfilled, being declared innocent of things I had nothing to do with by the biggest Don of India, what an honor. Do I get a prize? Also, I didn't donate blood to you, I donated blood to your Amma, and I did it for her and Keerthi, not for you. What, do I look evil to you, like some vamp from a Hindi serial? I would donate blood to a complete stranger, in fact I have!" She rolled her eyes and tried to walk past him.
Raghav didn't let her pass, he pulled her by her arm close to him, and threw the pillow across the room, "why does nothing stick in that stupid head of yours, I'm trying to say..."
"That you were wrong?" Pallavi added, "yes I know, but see, apologies and forgiveness are only given to people we consider our own, and neither of us consider each other...at all. So."
Raghav sighed, his anger bubbling up again.
"Let me go, I don't want to sleep in this room tonight, or any other night."
Raghav searched for an excuse to stop her from leaving, "You can't sleep downstairs, Amma wakes up in the middle of the night for water, and she wakes up really early and she could see you, or if Ready sees you tomorrow morning, for sure he will spread it around to all the workers, and then Amma will find out, and then—"
"Fine." Pallavi grabbed the pillow from the floor, and found her spot on the left side of the bed, turning off the lamp on the side table, and ending any potential for more conversation tonight. Pallavi didn't hear Raghav come to his side of the bed, she didn't actually care. What a cheap and disgusting man she was married to, how could he, of all people, be related to two amazing women like Amma and Keerthi. What was wrong with him? Who hurt him in his life? She admitted to herself that perhaps he was telling the truth, and he and Anjali weren't dating, or maybe he wasn't trying to date her. But he still had spent all these months thinking she had poisoned his food, and instead of saying anything to her, instead of explaining who Mr. Ramaswamy was, or anything. Also how could he possibly run an old age home, don't old people realize how evil he is? Pallavi, calm down, you're talking to yourself, just shut up and sleep.
Raghav smiled at the ceiling in bed, he had been listening to Pallavi muttering to herself for the past few minutes now, the only words he caught were "gamandi rao" and "duffer" and "bewakoof." He had no idea why he wanted Pallavi's forgiveness so much, I mean as long as he didn't blame her for things she didn't do from now on...that would be fine right? No. He had to convince her how sorry he was tomorrow, tonight he was falling asleep to the scent of strawberries and vanilla.
