Even if he denies it until he is blue in the face we all know Aryan loves Imlie (even his alter ego Aru told him the same). When she opened her eyes he was so relieved he hugged her spontaneously, without any forethought. Then of course thought caught up with action and he realised what he was doing so the denier in him let her go. Badi Maa's words just cleared the fuzz in his thoughts and helped his brain catch up to what he was doing. If he wasn't in denial even Badi Maa's protestations or knowing he had an audience would not have made him release Imlie. I'm not saying he is an exhibitionist or anything but indicators are that if Aryan is in a reciprocal loving relationship he is not the type to hold back or be embarrassed by publicly displaying this love.