AvNeil SS: Deadly Games - Chapter 6 pg 12 Updated - Page 5

Chapter 3

"So where did you learn to throw a punch like that?" Neil asked, his voice lined with sheer admiration. 20 minutes later, we found ourselves sitting outside a Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlour. Neil had bought himself a chocolate swirl and despite much insistence on my part, had bought me the same. "I took self-defence classes when I was younger," I admitted.

He smiled. Just as I had predicted from the photograph, he was a charmer. The smile on his lips seemed to reach his eyes. When he smiled, his green eyes seemed to inculcate a glow of their own. It was the first time I really had an opportunity to notice him. If I said he wasn't attractive, I would be lying. Today, he wore a plain white shirt with a black leather jacket over top. His legs were covered by a pair of baby blue jeans, ripped at the knees, making him appear years younger than he actually was. And what I found most surprising was that despite the dirt and mud we had walked across to reach our current spot, his white shoes were spotlessly clean.

"Impressive," he said, forcing me out of my thoughts. "They taught you well. They just missed one detail." I frowned, confused. "Never let your emotions overshadow your senses. It's the first thing we learn in police training." He stated nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "You were clouded with anger, which is why you didn't notice that fourth guy behind you, trying to hit you with the bar." The irony of the situation was incredible. I've been assigned to kill you, I thought. And not only did you save me, you're also giving me fighting tips. I had a sudden inclination to laugh, but suppressed it behind a slurp of the ice cream.

"So you're in the police force." I said, more as a statement rather than a question. He raised his hands to his head, grinning ear to ear. "Guilty as charged. I've been working for the police department for the past five years now."

I took another spoonful of my ice-cream, in thought. "Do you enjoy it - your work I mean? You must see a lot of criminals." He nodded in affirmation. "I chose this line of work because it's my passion. The law has been put in place for a reason. And people who go against the law are a threat to social stability. They need to be punished." I raised my eyes to look up at him. I wonder what you would do if you found out my reality, Officer Neil Khanna. "But people don't do things without a reason." I pointed out, "A criminal doesn't just become a criminal out of nowhere they have a reason for why they do what they do. Some do it for financial reasons, others out of other necessities. They do it because they have to. Then how will punishing a criminal solve the problem? Shouldn't we be trying to look at the root cause of criminal behaviour?"

Neil leaned back, caressing his stubble in thought. "So you're telling me," he said incredulously. "That those four men who nearly raped you in the club tonight should be forgiven, simply because they likely had a reason for doing what they did?" I stiffened. "I never said they should be forgiven. I just think the police force looks too much at what they see directly in front of them such as proof and evidence rather than the things that are harder to analyze such as the reason behind a criminal's activities." We spent a few moments in silence. Neil seemed to be thinking about what I had just said. He nodded. "That's certainly an interesting perception you have." He suddenly looked at me, suspicion in his eyes. "I just realized I never got your name."

I cleared my throat, attempting to sound confident despite his intense glare. "Ananya Verma. I'm new to this City."

"Family? Friends?" He persisted. "I'm here alone. They're all back home." He leaned forward. I was no longer speaking to Neil Khanna, I was talking to Inspector Neil Khanna. "And where exactly is 'home'?" He asked. I rolled my eyes, trying to appear as casual as I possibly could. Remember, Avni. Right now, you're Ananya Verma - brave, fearless and strong. "Do you interrogate everyone you meet or am I a special case?" I joked. "But for your kind information, I'm from Delhi." He appeared slightly embarrassed at being caught. "Sorry about that, I guess it's a side effect of the job. Nevertheless, I'm Neil Khanna."

We made small talk for a while. I ensured that most of the discussion thereafter remained focused on his life rather than my own. I learned that he had an adopted sister, Ayesha which Vidyut hadn't mentioned. At 21 years of age, she was one year younger than me and 6 years younger than Neil. He also spoke highly of his friend Ali Khan, who was apparently his childhood friend. They had grown up together and even attended the same college. All in all, Neil seemed to have the perfect family, the perfect friends and the perfect life. Why does Vidyut want to kill him? I thought. Although I knew very well that I wasn't going to get an explanation from Vidyut. He simply assigned tasks and his team of bloodthirsty dogs followed through with it. Another wave of jealousy washed over me. Neil led an easy life. He didn't have to worry about hiding. He didn't have to endure the stress of being caught - being a criminal, that was one of the biggest worries that kept me up at night. Even when I was at ease, I was never fully relaxed. I always had to keep a lookout. With the kind of success I had achieved doing Vidyut's dirty work, I had more enemies than I had fingers on two hands. I suddenly felt nauseous. I would never be able to lead this kind of life. I would never be able to smile and laugh as freely as Neil was doing now. I suddenly felt choked in my own skin. I needed escape. With that thought in mind, I stood up so quickly that I nearly knocked the wobbly table over.

"Neil, I need to leave. It's getting late." I slung my purse over my shoulder and pushed back my chair. "Thank you for the ice cream. I had a nice time." The surprise at my sudden decision was clearly evident on his face. He stood. "Is something wrong? Did I say anything that upset you?" He asked, clearly concerned. I shook my head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's just been a long day for me and it really is late. I should head home." I turned, beginning to walk away when his voice stopped me once again. "Wait, Ananya. I'll drop you home." He called. I froze in my tracks. He wants to drop me home? I can't let him. He can't see where I live. It'll raise too many questions. He can't know any more about me than is absolutely necessary.

I braced myself. My mind was whirring at lighting speed, trying to think of an excuse any excuse to get Neil off my back. "That won't be necessary. I drove here. I can drive back." If I wasn't wrong, Neil seemed to be busy looking for his own excuses, trying to convince me to let him drop me off. "But as you said, it's late. And it's not safe." He finished at last. I laughed, bringing forward my most confident tone of voice. "Do you need me to remind you? I single-handedly beat up 3 bulky men in the club tonight. I can handle myself Neil." I turned around. I needed to walk away before he tried anything else. Please, please don't push this any further, I silently begged him.

He ran behind me, grabbing me unexpectedly by the arm. "Look, I know you don't need my help, and I won't force it on you, but as a police officer it's my duty to ensure your safety." He paused, contemplating his next move. "Here, pass me your phone." I frowned in confusion. "Why?" He sighed. "And you say I interrogate too much. Just give it to me." I fumbled in my purse, pulling out my phone and passing it to him at last. He quickly typed a few numbers and handed it back to me. "I've programmed my number on speed dial. You're alone. You don't have any family with you. At least you have a friend in me now. If you need anything, call me and I'll be there before you can say my name." I looked at the phone and then back at him in amazement. He was offering me his friendship? "Thank you," I whispered, feeling more grateful than I could express in words at the time. "For everything."

He smiled. "And one more thing Ananya," he said. "I wanted to ask...are you busy tomorrow night?" He seemed a little flustered as he asked the question and I wasn't sure why. "Um, not particularly, no - why?" Relieved, he pushed on. "I'm having a party tomorrow night with some of my close friends at my beach house. I was wondering if you wanted to join us. I thought it might be a nice way to help you get to know the city and also meet some people." I looked at him in silence. If there was one thing I had learned early on in life, it was that there were no free lunches. Everything came at a price. So why was Neil doing this? What did he want in return from me? As far as he was concerned, I was pretty much a total stranger. What is it that you REALLY want, Neil Khanna? "I...I'll let you know," I finally told him. He nodded, decently pleased with my response. "And text me when you get home," he added. "Goodbye Ananya, it was a pleasure meeting you." I gave him a last, half-hearted smile, turned around and headed back to my Mercedes.

My drive home was filled with several thoughts and questions - mostly regarding Neil's recent invitation to his beach house. While I wasn't sure what his motive was in giving me the invite, it opened up several doors for me. Avni, remember why you're here, I told myself. You're here to save Neil Khanna. That means you need to be close to him, near him at all times. Vidyut is dangerous and is capable of anything - especially if he realizes that you're not really here to kill Neil. He probably has his watchdogs roaming all around you already. If he sees that you're not with Neil, he'll realize the truth about your intentions in no time. And that's not good. You need to be near Neil at all times. And that means you need to accept his invitation. Avni Mehta, you need to go to that beach party.

End

Alright so that was Chapter 3! Do let me know your thoughts and/or predictions!😳

Love you once again!😳

P.S., I've already written up the next part of this as well and can assure you that it is a LONG update!😆