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

Chapter 4

Vidyut hadn't been lying about the Khanna's financial prosperity. The chic house that stood proudly overlooking the beach was certainly evidence of that. It was 7 p.m. the following evening and I had, after much contemplation, made it to Neil's beach house.

I had sat on my bed the previous night wondering how to properly express to Neil my gratitude for both the evening he had given me as well as the party invite. Should I call him? I had wondered. But no; that seemed too forward. And so, after hovering over the "dial" button on my phone for a good 5 minutes, I gave up and decided to send a text message instead. I had typed and then erased, typed and then erased. The words weren't coming out properly. I groaned in frustration and ultimately decided on a simple and polite text:

"Hi Neil, it's Ananya. I've reached home safely. Thank you for helping me at the club tonight as well as for the evening out. I enjoyed it. And I would love to come to your beach house tomorrow night, if the invite is still open."

Within a minute's time, I received my response:

"Ananya, you didn't need any saving back there. You were right. You ARE capable enough to handle yourself and I think that's incredible. I enjoyed our ice-cream date as well ;) I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. I promise you'll have a good time! I'll text you the address."

My eyes had widened upon reading the message. Not only had he responded almost immediately, but he had also called our brief encounter a date?? Did that mean that his invite to the beach house was also a date?? I shook my head. Avni, you're overthinking this. He was clearly joking about it being a date. Look at the text message. He used a wink face; it's just a joke. And besides, his friends are going to be at the beach house, so there's no way that can be a date. Feeling slightly more comforted at the thought of not having to be alone with Neil the next night, I had climbed into bed, closing my eyes. Your relationship with Neil is complicated enough without involving any kind of romance. Remember. You've been hired by Vidyut to kill him. You're going to save him and then part ways. That's it. And he's a police officer. In his eyes, you'll always be a criminal. You need to maintain distance. It had been the last thought in my mind before a heavy sleep had come over me.

Now, as I stood overlooking the large beach house, I wondered if I had made the right decision in accepting the invite. Neil's home was less a house and more of a mansion. It was set on top of a small hill, just overlooking the beach. The extravagant 2-storey structure was built from hardwood and perfectly framed the glass walls that enclosed the home. A large outdoor pool with multi-coloured LED lighting was beautifully constructed around a series of palm trees with an additional water fountain in the centre adding to its glory. I had never seen such a commendable piece of work in my entire life. The scene was breathtaking. Suddenly my white chiffon dress seemed too plain to fit in with my surroundings. I had half a mind to ditch my attempt at fitting into Neil's extravagant party and return to my own isolated lifestyle. In all honesty, I may have turned back right then and there if I hadn't spotted Neil. Thankfully, in a white button-up shirt, light-blue shorts and a pair of flip-flops, he was dressed just as simply as I was. Unlike the day before, however, his hair was tousled and slightly wet as if he had just taken a shower. "Ananya," he declared, eyes lighting up. "I'm glad you could make it. Please come in." I nodded, feeling more than just a little nervous. "Your beach house is beautiful." I complimented. He smiled. "Thanks. I actually designed it myself." My mouth dropped open in disbelief. "So along with being a full time police officer, you design homes too? How many jobs do you have?" Vidyut hadn't mentioned this. He laughed, shaking his head. "No, I don't generally design homes...it's just, my beach house is...special. So I worked on it for months with a contractor to get it perfect." I gazed at my surroundings, looking at his house once more in awe. "Well, I don't know how it could possibly be more perfect." He smiled, appearing a little embarrassed at the compliment. "Come on, I want to introduce you to some of my friends."

Saying so, he pushed open the front door, allowing me to enter. The interior of his home was almost more beautiful than the exterior. While the white couches and sleek coffee table gave the living room a modern feel, the series of paintings he had hung on the walls added culture to the space. He certainly had a commendable sense of style. I walked in, attracted immediately to the artistic feel of the room. As I scanned the area, my eyes fell on one painting in particular. It was small, almost hidden away from sight in a corner. I walked over, placing my fingers lightly over the canvas. It was a painting of a woman. She was seated in a chair with her long black dress trailing endlessly on the floor. Her hands were placed in her lap and her hair was tied up in a neat, French braid. The small smile and light blush on her cheeks added emphasis to her beauty. Unable to stop myself, I asked "Is this a portrait of someone you know?" Upon receiving only silence as my answer, I turned around to face Neil. His face was hard and I immediately realized that I had probed a touchy subject. "Yes, I knew her." He said simply. Suddenly, he shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts and the hard expression on his face was replaced with the same bright smile I had seen before. "Come on. Everyone is in the dining room." I nodded, following him as he led the way. Somehow, I wasn't able to shake the feeling of slight annoyance that he hadn't answered my question; not that he was required to. I was pretty much a stranger to him anyways.

The room he took me into was surprisingly bustling with activity. Immediately, a wave of nerves washed over me. I was expecting a small party with a few people...not the entire city. I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to calm myself down. It's just people, Avni. And they're Neil's friends. They're not going to hurt you. Remember, you're here for a reason. You need to protect Neil or at least stay near him to please Vidyut's watchdogs. I wasn't stupid. Vidyut wasn't just going to let me off the hook for an entire month. He would have his people watch my every move to ensure I was in fact following his orders. And that meant I would have to be even more careful.

"Ali!" Neil suddenly called, releasing me from my thoughts. He motioned to a man, probably around the same height as Neil to join us. He had curly brown hair that framed his face like an Afro. Somehow, in a strange way, it suited him though. Clearly drunk, the man Neil had referred to as Ali grabbed a female who was standing beside him and pulled her over. She seemed to be slightly tipsy herself, although definitely still in her senses. "Happy birthday bro!" Ali slurred to Neil, giving him a friendly hit to the shoulder. My eyes widened, turning to Neil. "You never told me it was your birthday!" I accused. "I didn't bring you anything!" He grinned in response, shrugging. "You came." Saying no more, he turned to his intoxicated friend, attempting to stabilize him. "Thanks Ali." He then proceeded to eye the girl beside Ali in slight suspicion. "And who's this?" Ali chuckled, throwing his arms sloppily around the girl. "This here is my girlfriend Neha. I met her at the club yesterday." Woah, I thought. Met her yesterday and they're already dating? Neil laughed. "Neha, I hope you know he's quite the player. For your sake, I hope he'll be committed to you though!" A slow smile spread onto Neha's lips. "Who says I'm looking for commitment? Anyways, happy birthday Neil - I hope I'm not intruding in your party." Neil smiled, "Not at all. Any friend of Ali's is a friend of mine. Speaking of friends," he turned to me. "This is Ananya. I met her yesterday and she's new to the City." Ali's eyes widened in surprise. He released his hold on Neha and walked shakily over to me. "You - I saw you yesterday." He exclaimed. He flailed his arms in the air as if he was in a kick-boxing match with thin air. "You're one hell of a fighter. Good on you to save your own skin not the abla naari types. Neil needs someone exactly like that in his life. He needs someone who can save his ass when he needs it and not the other way around - he already goes around saving people enough in the police force."

I shook my head. "Oh, Neil and I aren't dating. We're just friends." Ali looked at Neil in confusion. "Didn't you start off as just friends' last time too?" As I turned to Neil, I noticed the same pained expression on his face that I had seen when I had mentioned the portrait. His lips were pursed in a thin line and I could clearly see the agitation on his face. Deciding that changing the topic might be the best course of action, I asked "so this is the Ali you told me about last night?" Neil's attention shifted to me. Relieved, he nodded. "Yes. We've been friends ever since I can remember. He's more like a brother now. We know everything about one another, and this guy has pulled me through some of the toughest times of my life." He patted him on the shoulder. The connection between the two men was evident. Ali was Neil's extended family. And then there's my messed up life. Not even a normal family to call my own, let alone an extended one. Neil was lucky. I wondered if he realized how lucky he really was.

Soon after, Neil introduced me to a few of his other friends. His best friend Riya was an absolute sweetheart. She was upbeat, youthful and hyper. In no time, she gelled up to me, treating me as if we had been friends for years. When I mentioned that I was living alone in the city, she immediately held my hand, gazing at me empathetically. "That must be so tough on you," she said. "To not only live alone, but in a completely foreign city do you get lonely?" I nearly laughed at her question. I wondered what she would've done if I had mentioned that I had no family to begin with. Most likely faint from shock, I thought. "You get used to it," I finally admitted. "Soon, you begin to relish the silence." She shook her head. "But still Ananya, you must miss your family a lot. I couldn't imagine being in your shoes. Why did you choose to come all the way here alone?" It wasn't a choice I made, I thought bitterly. "I like being independent." I said, ultimately. "Living alone teaches you a lot." And wasn't that the truth, I thought. She smiled. "Well, you have me now. Imagine all the shopping trips we can go on together! Sometimes it's annoying having two guys as best friends. How the hell am I supposed to try on clothes with them and get manicures and pedicures?" she complained glaring exasperatedly at Neil and the passed out Ali. Unexpectedly, she pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad we met Ananya!"

The next few hours progressed without event. As expected, most people were drunk and completely out of their senses. As a result, the party ended short with everyone but Ali, Riya and I heading home by 10 p.m. Unfortunately, neither Ali nor Riya were in any state to be taken home and so Neil had decided to give them each a couch and blanket. They were currently snoring away, drunk and completely passed out. It was just Neil and me now. And somehow, it didn't seem right to stay at his home any longer.

"Neil, I think I should head out now as well. It's getting late." I suggested. Neil raised his eyebrows. "Are you Cinderella?" he joked. "Always having to run home at the most random of times. Anyways, I'm not letting you go home yet." I shook my head. "But Neil, it really is late." He sighed. "Look, there's still 2 hours left for my birthday and I hate being alone. Riya and Ali are sleeping and everyone else left. Stay with me. Keep me company. Besides, I bought you ice-cream yesterday - you owe me." I tapped my foot uncomfortably, wondering what my best course of action was. To stay or not to stay? I mean, it's just a few more hours. You've already been here for so long, what's does 2 more hours matter, Avni? Even as the thought passed through my mind, I knew I was lying to myself. The truth is, a part of me - and I wasn't sure how significant that part was - DID want to spend time with Neil. I had missed out on a lot of relationships in my life and this was my chance at one. Even if it was just a temporary friendship, it wasn't something I wanted to let go of. If he ever finds out the truth about me, he'll hate me. I thought. And then I'll lose out on him, Riya and Ali anyways. So I might as well savour what I have now. Giving in, I finally nodded. He grinned, clearly pleased with my decision. "Come with me, I want to show you something."