AvNeil TS Strangers in a knot

Shot One

"Mom please! I'm busy" ACP Neil Khanna said irritated while going through the files.

"But Tillu see her photo at least once!" Swetha Khanna said, standing behind him.

"Mom I'm handling a very important case right now. I don't have much of time" Neil said, placing the files inside his bag "I have an important meeting to attend to"

"Tillu you are going to marry the girl tomorrow and you haven't even seen her, all thanks to your duty! What would it take if you just have a look at this photo?"

"Mom I'm doing this marriage for you, is that not enough? I'm really running out of time now. Bye" Neil said, hugged Swetha and rushed out of the room without hearing her words.

"This boy never changes! Always duty and duty!" Swetha said and then looked at the photo in her hand with a smile "But my daughter-in-law would change him for good. She is the one who can do this! Avni just come soon beta"

~ * ~

"The wedding rituals are over. Now I declare you as man and woman"

The priest announced and Neil and Avni stood up to take the blessings of the elders. Avni Mehta is the daughter of Asha Mehta, Swetha's childhood friend. Due to an accident, Avni's family is no more and she stays with her grandmother Kalindi Mishra, Asha's mother.

Swetha happen to meet Kalindi and she was devastated to hear the news of Asha's death and when she get to know about Avni, she wanted Avni and Neil to get married and there she did it.

A week is all it took for Swetha. She convinced Kalindi for the wedding, who convinced Avni and though it took her time to convince Neil, she did and finally brought Avni home as her daughter, not daughter-in-law. The wedding was a very private affair with only the two families and their closed ones involved.

After taking blessings from Kalindi, Neil and Avni made their way towards Prakash and Swetha to take their blessings. Avni has covered her face with a veil as a part of her family's ritual so Neil hasn't seen his bride yet. It's not 90s where the bride and groom doesn't see each other before the wedding but it didn't affected Neil. He's in the state of Go with the flow'

Although Neil wanted to know about the person he gonna get married to, the case he took up needed his whole attention. It was a quick plan, this whole wedding thing. His mom was already behind him to get married for an year and finally he gave in.

There were no pre-wedding rituals from his side as he went out of city for the case and returned just yesterday. He's a person who keeps others before him. He's also a person who likes to do his things by his own, loves his own company and loves his job.

He stays at his own apartment though he goes to Khanna house to spend time with his parents every now and then. The feeling of sharing his personal space with an unknown stranger brought weird feelings to him. He never had a girlfriend so no experience of having a woman around.

"Be happy always" Prakash and Swetha blessed the newlyweds.

"Offo, enough with these rituals! I want to see my Bahu's face" Swetha declared and was about to unveil Avni.

Neil's eyes turned to have a look at his bride and there he was about to but Kalindi stopped Swetha and asked her not to. Avni maintained the ritual till now so a little more was her point. Swetha could understand Kalindi's feelings for keeping up the rituals and agreed. Neil let out a disappointed sigh.

'Wait! Why I was even disappointed at the first place!' Neil shook his thoughts.

"Let's do Grahpravesh next"

~ * ~

"Riya the last time I checked this was my room door" Neil said to Riya, his cousin while standing in front of his room door.

"Neil bhaiya agree that it is your room but today to enter it you have to pay for it" Riya said with a mischievous glint behind her eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously! I know you are damn excited to meet Bhabhi. You can sacrifice some few thousands to meet her right?" Riya's voice was laced with naughtiness and Neil could sense that.

Neil know better than to keep the conversation going. The tiredness of today and the previous week catching up, Neil sighed and pulled out his wallet. He blindly took few notes and placed it in Riya's waiting hands.

"Eager are we?" Riya teased moving aside, counting the money.

"You can say that" Neil mumbled tiredly and entered the room.

~ * ~

Neil entered the room to find it empty. There were few bags near the dressing table. He could hear the water flowing in the washroom. He changed his clothes and walked towards the dressing table to place his things, checking his mails in his mobile.

The case he is dealing with took a complex turn and he finds himself back at square one. The latest lead he got is to get the help from the hacker Crackpot'

That person could help him in solving this case but the problem is no one have ever seen Crackpot, doesn't know whether Crackpot is a male or female or where the person is or what the person does. Crackpot stays low, careful about the identity stuff and Neil's current task is to find the Crackpot.

His thoughts was disturbed by the door opening and Neil's eyes turned to meet his newly wedded bride. There she was, Avni Mehta and now Avni Neil Khanna looking back at him. Neil took a short intake of breath, his eyes remained fixed at her.

'She is beautiful!'

That's the first thought he got but what attracted him more was that dark orbs which pulled him towards her. There's something about her that's totally different.

'Get a hold on yourself Neil! You are gawking at a stranger!'

He chided himself. Avni lowered her gaze, feeling uncomfortable. She then walked towards her bag, stumbling due to her nervousness. Neil's eyes followed.

"I - I have to get - get my things" She said, looking down at her bag, tucking her hair strands behind her ear.

"You don't have to feel nervous" Neil said moving towards the bed and Avni stilled.

"Ner-nervous? Nno, no, nothing like that" She stammered and stood up with her things in hand " I - I'm ... fine"

She moved towards the dressing table to place it while Neil sat on the bed. Thank god his mom didn't decorate the room. He requested her not to. Neil and Avni has to get to know about each other before. Decorating the room would bring awkwardness and nothing more.

"Sit" Neil said casually but it came out in an ordering tone and Avni flinched. Neil was fast enough to notice that. Damn his bossy police attitude!

"Hey no need to panic. I'm not a dominating type or whatever, I'm a police so you can relax. I just wanted to have a word with you" Neil said, alarmed by Avni's reaction. He have to be careful with his words. "Just feel comfortable"

Avni thought for a second and walked towards the bed. She sat down at the corner of the bed and looked down at her lap, playing with her fingers.

"I'm not a man of words. But I have to tell you this. I know we haven't met before and married suddenly. We know almost nothing about each other. For any relationship communication and trust is the base. So let's talk it out. I'm ACP Neil Khanna. You must know about my family so I will skip about them. I like to do my things on my own. I stay at my own apartment. I am a workaholic, hope it's fine with you. I know one can't feel comfortable around a stranger within a day but we can learn to" He looked at her at the end.

"I'm Avni Mehta um Khanna. I have done my Masters in Computer technology. I used to work for a private firm. My parents are no more. They died in an accident. My nani ji takes care of me. It's fine to be a workaholic when it's for the nation" She said in a breath "And you are right"

Neil smiled at the workaholic part and gave her a puzzled look at the end.

"I'm damn nervous" She said with nervous smile and Neil can't help but smile at that. Finally the girl is talking.

"You don't have to" Neil said while Avni nodded.

"Friends?" Avni said, extending her hand "It's the only way I know to beat the awkwardness so?"

Neil looked at Avni. He is that type of person who thinks a lot to a level of background check to befriend a person and here he married a girl hearing his mother's words. He looked at her hand for a second and joined his.

"Left or right?" Neil asked puzzling Avni.

"Bed, left or right?" Neil asked again and Avni finally got what Neil is implying at.

"Right"

~ * ~

It was the middle of night and Avni couldn't get a blink of sleep. First she is sleeping at a new place and then there's a male presence in the room who is her husband now. Neil has dozed off due to tiredness but Avni can't. Her eyes goes towards her bags which is near the dressing table every now and then.

All a sudden there were a beep sound in the room and Avni moved towards her bag in a second. She took out her mobile from the bag and opened the message eagerly.

'Wish you a very happy married life champ, you deserve every bit of the happiness. Be alert of your police wala husband though.

Love,