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"I know it's too early to wake up. But it has it's own reward. I can feel him beside me, holding me close to himself. The darkness in the room indicates that the sun has barely risen above the horizon. But today I don't need the sun , my sunshine comes from the smiley face of my husband sleeping beside me. It's quite chilly, but his presence is like a fire giving just right amount of warmth.
Waking up is no more a cold bitter routine, because the reality is far more beautiful than dreams."
Avni again closed her eyes without moving a bit so that she don't disturb Neil who was still sleeping.
As the sun rose above the horizon and it's rays seamed into the room, Neil opened his eyes. He saw Avni's angelic face extremely close to him. He smiled seeing her and closed his eyes assuming it to be a dream but within seconds he shot open his eyes and realized that it's not a dream.
He immediately tried to withdraw his hand from her waist but Avni was clutching his hand tightly. The soothing breeze entering the room danced on their skin passing through the white curtains and vanishing into the curls of Avni's hairs.
"Avni!! Avni!! Wake up!" Neil tried to wake Avni by patting softly on her cheek.
Instead of waking up, Avni pulled his hand towards the other side making him loose his balance and fall over her. As she felt a heavy weight on herself, she opened her eyes.
"My... Hand... Please leave it?" Neil asked her still lying on top of her supporting himself with other hand.
"How rude? No good morning?" she said.
"First let me get up... Please leave my hand" Neil said.
"First wish me" Avni said stubbornly.
"Good Morning" he said gritting his teeth.
"Thoda pyaar se bolo, with a smile" she instructed him.
"Good Morning dear Avni" he sounded sweeter than the sugar and stretched his lips more than possible in a toothy smile.
"Is it enough... Or you want to brush my teeth" he said annoyingly signing her to leave his hand.
"Good Morning Neil!!" Avni left his hand finally letting him get off her.
Now the tables have turned. Avni leaves no stone unturned to tease him like he used to do with her.
2 WEEKS LATER...
Each new day comes with a new hope for Avni and as the twilight deepens into darkness she shifted her hope to the next day. Giving up was not there in the option. She was determined to bring back his memory. And at times, she succeded too. Whenever Neil gets angry or excited at something, he blurts out things which Neil Khanna would have known. But as he calms down, he don't even realize what he just said and again Avni gets back to work without any signs of disappointment on her smiling face.
"Tillu eats na... Last one... I m saying.. Have it" Shweta says as she feeds him one extra paratha as always.
"Haan.. Tillu ab kha bhi le... Avni ne ek saal tere liye hi to cooking seekhi hai..." Bebe said smiling at Avni who was standing beside Bebe.
Neil looks at Avni moving his eyeballs in her direction but not lifting his head. Avni flutters her eyes several times at him like the wings of a fly.
Neil's throat got choked and he started coughing seeing her doing such things.
"You Ok..." Shweta made him drink water.
"Aaram naal... Ki hoya tujhe??" Bebe asked him.
"Nothing Bebe... I m fine" he said staring at Avni who was looking other side pressing her lips between her teeths to supress her laughter.
Neil : Mom!! Where's dad?
Shweta : Jogging... He must be coming. Kuch kehna tha??
Neil : Actually, we got an offer from Ayan group of industries for the cancer research centre. Dad wanted it to merge with the hospital project Avni is working on. But if we make a joint venture with Kapoor's, it'll turn out to be a grand success.
Shweta : NO!! NEVER! Tillu... You don't know that Mr Kapoor?
Neil : what's wrong?
Shweta : He's so arrogant, ruthless, egoistic and self centred man. He is very cruel and doesn't care who gets hurt because his passion is power.
As Shweta was vomiting the words which Avni told her after her first encounter with him at Dehradun, Avni made a face like she's forced to smell an unpleasant odour. She looked up like up there is someone who can save her today.
Neil : Mom! Did you met him?
Shweta : oh Nos! I didn't... But Avni met him and she told me about that spoilt brat.
Avni closed her eyes and turned backwards.
Neil : Really Avni! Is it true?(he said pressing his hands together and raising his eyebrows at her)
Avni turned to see him like a child caught bunking the class. She made a sorry face with her lower lip protruding outside.
Avni : No Mom!! You got that...
Shweta : I gots that correct. He treats girls like they have an expirey date and is too obsessed with himself.
Shweta continued without a comma. At the last of each line in his honour he looks at Avni who stood at the spot holding her forehead with her hand.
"Main parathe lekar aati hoon..." Avni excused herself and hurried to the kitchen.
"Main paani lekar aata hoon..." Neil went behind her.
"Ye dono phir shuru ho gaye... Parathe to yahin par rakhe hai..." Bebe said cupping her face with both her hands.
"aur paani bhi..." Shweta pointed out and both of them burst into laughter.
"Ye Mom bhi na... Phasa diya na... Now he won't leave me" Avni thought as she vibrated in the kitchen like pendulum finally bumping into him.
"Rude..." Neil said advancing towards her.
Avni gulped down and moved backward.
"Arrogant... Self centred... Egoistic... Haan... Aur kya tha..." he said stressing each word and moving towards her.
Avni constantly moved back closing her eyes and finally got trapped between fridge and him.
"I m sorry. Mera wo matlab nahi tha... Lekin tumhara first impression aisa hi tha. It was just a misunderstanding. Please gussa mat karna" Avni said without breathing in one go holding her ears.
Not being able to control more, Neil finally smiled at her. On seeing him smile, Avni too smiled.
"Hhhmmm" Shweta cleared her throat at the entrance of kitchen.
Avni tried to pull him back but Neil was too lost to notice Shweta and didn't moved an inch.
"Get a room Guys!!" Shweta said.
Neil realised their position and immediately stepped back.
"Woh..pa paani" Neil went near the oven.
"Woh..pa.. Parathe" Avni opened the fridge.
"Na to fridge me parathe hai... Aur na oven me paani... Sab kuch dining table par hi hai... Ek dusre se nazar hataoge to sab kuch dikhega..." Shweta smiled as both of them sprinted out of the kitchen as quick as they could.
Neil found Prakash on dining table so he decided to talk to him.
Neil : Good Morning Dad!
Prakash : Good Morning!
Neil : Dad I wanted to go to Dehradun for...
Prakash : Not at all! Bebe told me everything. And I have decided that we won't make any association with Kapoors.
Prakash spoke with a straight face.
Avni : Dad Mr Kapoor is not like we think...
Prakash : Avni... I m not judging him on the basis of your interaction with him. There's something more than that. Something so ugly that I don't even want to discuss that in our home.
Neil was so confused to see him this angry.
Bebe : Sunny! Kya baat hai? Maine tujhe kabhi itna gusse me nahi dekha.
Prakash : You know Bebe the name of owner of that company is Neil Kapoor. But he's not at all like our Neil.
Avni and Neil stared each other with wide eyes.
Prakash : When his dad... His only family was taking his last breath he wasn't there with his dad. And when he went for his dad's last rites he returned within three hours. He didn't had enough humanity and time to mourn for his dad. Media didn't had any picture of him as he was too busy in his life that he couldn't spare a day for his dad.
I just can't believe how can a person be this cruel and selfish.
Neil couldn't move his head up. That dreadful day replayed in his mind when he lost his dad. He moved his head here and there trying not to let the hurt inside him come out. He blinked his eyes several times as if trying not to let his eyes turn glossy. He was successful in hiding his unshed tears and with that his pains too. He managed a fake smile that buries his pain deep inside his heart.
Avni could see his pain masked behind this fake smile. Her face was serious from eyes to lips, no pleasure at all, not even masked.
Neil excused himself and immediately rushed towards his room.
He was standing near the window glancing outside. His eyes were red but dry. He ran his hand through his hairs thrice in quick succession.
Avni saw him and read the situation faster than a English news article.
"Neil!!" she called out his name softly.
As he heard her, immediately composed himself and turned towards her.
It was the face of a man who has realized the loss he had gone through but the realisation didn't soften the desolation.
She moved towards him.
"I m ok" he stated before she could ask.
Avni burst into tears of guilt. She knew whatever Shweta said didn't affected him but Prakash's words must have hurt him.
"Avni!! That's Ok. I am fine... Please don't cry" he said wiping her tears with his thumb and cupping her face.
"Why do you hate display of your hurt and pain?" she asked innocently.
"We can't keep bawling like babies and throwing tantrums like toddlers. We need to grow up, become mature. We need to get grip on our mind and emotions... Huhh" he asked Avni to control herself.
"What kind of maturity is it? Being so broken inside that your own cries get stuck in the back of your throat. Your sorrow brings you so far that you can't even shed a tear when you're bleeding emotionally?" she said sobbing.
Neil smiled genuinely seeing her so much concerned for him.
"Hey!! Tum to jyada serious ho gyi.. Actually Maturity is when you realise that Tom is innocent and that Jerry is the real jerk" he tried to make her smile.
Avni laughed although her eyes were still teary.
"Okk.. Now I have to leave. Please try to convince dad if you could. And if he agrees I'll leave for Dehradun today itself as tomorrow uncle Singh is also coming back from USA.
He gave her a quick hug and went away.
When Neil returned in the afternoon Prakash ji consented for the joint project and allowed Neil to go to Dehradun. But on one condition that he'll have to take Avni with him. Neil was reluctant but Avni agreed readily. After all she herself asked Prakash to send her with him.
AT DEHRADUN
They reached Dehradun at 8: 30 pm. They were recieved by Neil's driver at the airport. The weather was beautiful.
"It is third time I am here at Dehradun and second time on this street en route Kapoor Mansion. As I glanced out of the car the street reminded me of my last visit. I was terribly scared, alone. But this city has returned me my life. So it holds a great space in my heart.
As I look at the rain soaked beautifully illuminated street, I couldn't stop myself from admiring the beautiful street with neatly mawn grass banks and well manicured young trees sprinting backwards." Avni thought.
Neil didn't dared to look out. He kept himself engaged in his phone to avoid feeling nostalgic.
The black Mercedes came to a roundabout with a delicate marble fountain at the centre of a big manicured lawn, swept around it and continued up towards a big Mansion. The mansion was unapologetically modern with perfect textures and colour combination. It was such a masterpiece that you can't stop your eyes at one spot.
As they entered the mansion, Avni noticed the marvelous taste and riches it showcased. Although Khanna Mansion is also big but Khannas aren't too showy or pompous like Kapoors.
The mansion was so clean and nearly arranged that it was hard to believe that anyone has ever lived here.
She scanned the hall for a personal touch, something which is done by him not by a hired professional. Something that could signify that it's a home rather than a beautiful building to showcase. Nothing. There was no personal photographs on the perfectly white walls, just some modern prints and oil paintings and a designer fireplace big enough to park one of his big cars.
"You can choose any room here except mine. Good Night." he gestured a maid to help Avni.
"Get a black coffee for me in the study" he asked a servant and went towards the study.
Neil was going through some files in his study just then he heard a knock on the door.
"come in" he said.
"Sir! Your coffee" the servant handed him a coffee Mug.
"where's Avni staying? Did she eat something?" Neil enquired.
"Sir Actually! Madam wanted to see you room first. So" the servant was cut in between.
"What???" Neil sprinted towards his room as fast as he can dropping the coffee mug on floor.
He was running like he's in an Olympic race.
As Avni entered his room, she smiled as the personal touch she was searching outside was here. Everything was geometric in the room. It looked like a cutout from a famous Modern Architecture Magazine. Huge Windows, A king size bed, a walk in wardrobe.
The wall of room were covered by a lot of photographs. And to her amazement, in most of the pictures on the wall she was present. These were the pictures of 10 days she and Neil spent together at Mumbai.
The pictures on the wall were like time machine and carried her to the time when they were clicked. She didn't remember when they were clicked but she remembered each and every moment depicted in the pictures. Avni smiled at each picture recalling the story behind them.
As Neil saw her standing in his room, his foots came to a halt.
She sensed his presence behind her.
"Nice room... Nice pictures... I really like it. So we'll stay here" she told him turning towards him.
Neil ran his gaze into the entire room finally focussing on Avni. He wore a face like he's expecting anger from her. But Avni's sparkling eyes displayed just love, pure love.
Neil didn't said anything neither he tried to cover up.
"So... You're not that boring. You also display you emotions... Not bad!!" Avni thought it's a good opportunity to tease him but Neil is Neil.
"Emotions... What kind of emotions are depicted in these pictures?" he tuned the table. He walked around her in attack mode and Avni shifted to defense mechanism.
"Ahh emotions... Matlab you missed me... When you came back here after we fought" she said taking pauses in between.
"We fought... Really!! I guess it was just you.. Anyways what emotions you were talking about?" he wasn't ready to let go off the chance.
"Like..." Avni tried to explain.
"like.. Enemity... Hatred... Anger... Or LOVE..." he smirked at the word "LOVE".
"You don't have any book shelf or plasma screen in your room?" Avni tried to dovert him and was blushing hard.
Neil touched her rosy cheeks which were radiating heat with his cold nuckles.
"You ok" he asked still that smirk plastered on his face.
She just nodded and tried to move away from him to hide the redhot blush.
"Because I don't need anything in this room other than you" he thought to himself.
Avni was looking everywhere in the room except him.
Neil supressed a smile, and he could tell by her blush that she understood exactly what emotion he was talking about.
PRECAP : AVNI ON MARK'S GUNPOINT AND VISHAKHA TO ATTEMPT SUICIDE.
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