Author's Note: - This is another shot which is not as poetic as the last but a decent read all the same. Happy Reading!
It was an average day at the Mehta Mansion with a whining fiance, a bored soon to be brother-in-law, and chattering mother who held on to everyone's undivided attention much to Neil's relief. After all he had better things to do than sit around in groomed gardens having pre-wedding family luncheons with his curly haired best mate, better known as Ali, reluctantly serving them dishes he wouldn't care to make even if his life depended upon it.
"Serve me some Caprese salad with Pesto sauce." Riya demanded.
"Okay." Ali clipped back.
"I knew it. You bloody low class people don't even-" She paused abruptly. "Wait, what?"
"Okay." Ali placed the dish before her and smirked at Riya's gobsmacked expression.
Neil sighed and went back to poking at his Mushroom Risotto, letting his mind wander. Ali frowned. It had been fifteen minutes and not a single slice of mushroom went down his friend's throat. Something was troubling him and it was obviously not Amol Mehta trying to pour wine all over his crisp white shirt.
"What's wrong buddy?" Ali whispered.
"Nothing." He put on an innocent smile, forgetting the fact that Ali was his best mate and he could see right through his facades.
"Right. Just so you know, you are no very convincing." Ali smiled, pouring some wine and offering it to him.
"It's Ananya." Neil gratefully took the glass and sipped the cool crimson liquid, letting it warm up his already shot nerves.
"What about her?" Ali's brows furrowed but he did not get an answer as the said woman walked in on the scene.
Neil's thick brows shot up, almost disappearing behind his wind-tousled hair. He almost looked like one of those discarded statues with eyes too wide and jaw too slack. And that was perfectly fine, because with the exception of Riya and maybe Amol who was too busy simmering at the mere sight of her, everyone's expressions ranged from pleasant surprise to outright shock.
While the woman who was being scrutinized looked flustered.
Avni felt crazy, drunk and high all at the same time. She mentally cursed the minute she had decided to be Riya Mehta's best friend because right now she was suffering the consequences. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes trying breathe evenly.
"I told you, you'd look gorgeous." Riya clapped like a happy child and Avni forced a smile to be a constant on her face. In the past few weeks Avni had managed to win Riya back after she proved that she had nothing to do with Neil, no friendship, no love.
Each time she was rude to that unsuspecting man, she had a guilt trip. The confusion and slight hurt in his gaze drove her up the wall. But in the last few days it seemed that he had caught on to what she was trying to do. And even though he never snapped back at her, he did give appropriate reactions. Sometimes she thought that her empty words didn't affect him so much anymore and then the very next moment she would witness that flash of hurt which he covered up almost too easily.
But right now, she had more pressing matters to attend to, for instance, pretending to be completely cool with her situation. And no matter how hard she tried, she could not get rid of the pale rosy hue that flushed her cheeks under Neil Khanna's searing gaze.
Avni shifted uncomfortably in the lehenga Riya had bought for her best friend Ananya' to wear on the grand wedding of Neil Khanna and Riya Mehta. It wasn't that the attire wasn't beautiful, it was just that it was a little too revealing for her tastes. She never considered her body to be the slim and sexy type.
The gentleman within Neil screamed at him to stop leering at the woman in front of him but there was something about her that simply made him lose his rationality.
His eyes trailed down the fair beauty, burning her image in his currently dysfunctional brain. The off shoulder blouse was a dull shade of pinkish nude with rose gold embellishments that seemed to pop when it hugged her ample bosom snugly, leaving her collarbones to beg for attention. The skirt was low waist with the same shade but heavier embellishments. Her dupatta hung loosely around her shoulders, hardly covering up her flat stomach. The thick fabric was gathered in her fists tightly so she did not trip in her nude pumps.
"This is really unnecessary, Riya." She mumbled.
"Hush babes. This is totally necessary. And like I said, you look gorgeous, right?" Riya looked at everyone with a meaningful look.
There was a chorus of yes' with a dumbfounded Ali nodding like a bobble-head. Neil looked away, willing his brain to work in a normal direction. He pursed his lips and counted the number of white roses that bloomed to his right.
Amol seethed. Even though his sister's friend looked elegant, he couldn't help the anger building up within him. But the confusing thing was the he didn't understand why he was angry, for the reason that she had given him away to the police and he still held that against her or that there was this strange urge to strangle the male species who stared had this girl, which currently zeroed in on that curly-haired servant. This new emotion of brotherly overprotectiveness surged within him, leaving his thoughts in a chaotic mess.
Disturbed by his conflicting emotions, Amol Mehta resorted to what he knew best. So he picked up the bottle of wine and stalked towards Ananya, stopping barely for a few seconds to casually pour it all over her and continuing on his way back to his room ignoring his sister's angry wails.
Neil tore his eyes away from the goddamn flowers and fixed them on Amol's retreating back with an almost cruel glare. Bloody brat.
Riya screeched, throwing forks and knives and swiping at the table before Ali restrained her. The rest of the females took a few steps back to avoid the thrashing woman in Ali's arms. Trusting his friend to be able to handle the situation, Neil took a cautious step towards Ananya who held in a growl and bared her teeth.
Her expression flashed with anger, hurt and humiliation as she turned on her heel and took off.
Without a second thought, Neil dashed after her, following her out of the gardens and into the long corridors of the Mehta Mansion. Halfway she stumbled and a string of profanities rang as haunting whispers in the empty corridor where she decided to abandon her heels. And even though he could have caught up to her within a few seconds, thanks to his long strides, he let her lead by precisely five steps, curious as to where she was going because it was definitely not out of the house.
Avni bit her lip, trying to hold back the angry tears as she pushed the door open and tripped on the blue towel mat. She tried to hold on to the edge of the basin maintaining her balance for a good second or two but ended up stumbling on the skirt of the lehenga and falling backwards. Her eyes snapped shut as she waited for her head to hit the floor.
She could already see flashes of a pool of blood forming around her head as she would lie there on the bathroom floor ruining the lehenga that cost Riya a hundred thousand rupees. But even as she felt the sudden pressure of hitting hard against something, she did not feel the pain. She tried to regain her senses and realised a strong arm was wrapped around her waist, with a warm palm flat against her bare back. The other hand was entangled in her long tresses as it supported the back of her head, protecting it.
Her eyes fluttered open, and met with his molten hazels.
Neil mentally thanked his fast, almost animalistic reflexes that had kicked in as soon as she stepped on to that rumpled blue mat. And the next thing he knew, she was in his arms, cradled against his chest. His gaze settled on her face, first meeting her swirling coco orbs and then settling on her lush pink lips that parted in surprise.
Snapping out of it as the door clicked close, he cleared his throat and straightened, making her stand steadily. She immediately took two steps back and fidgeted with her attire while he noticed that they had ended up being in the same bathroom where they had made some not-so-meaningless drunk memories on Holi.
"Um, stop following me around. If I need someone to do that then I'll adopt a dog or something." She waved her hands dramatically.
"Are you comparing me to a dog?" His eye twitched.
"So what if I am! What will you do about it?" She challenged, not meeting his eyes and walking towards the basin.
Neil tried to calm himself before he spoke to her. He could see her defence mechanism acting up. "What are you doing? Don't-"
"Do you ever shut up? I don't need your advice, alright." Avni hissed, wringing the excess water out of the towel before she prepared to rub it at the stains.
"I said don't do that." She squeaked as his larger hands suddenly shot out and covered her own, restraining them and the goosebumps came to life as his chest pressed against her back.
"W-Why?" Her voice was small.
He chuckled, a voice so deep and rich that she could feel her blood heat up as his chest shook with mirth, leaving her trembling. "Wine stains get worse if you start scrubbing." His cool breath fanned against her cheek as she bit her tongue.
She could feel his hands guiding her own to do things her mind couldn't comprehend. She was too stiff, too uncomfortable, too, dare she say it, content in his arms. She tried to convince herself that it meant nothing, that Neil was just trying to help her like he helped everyone, but as her mind blurred, she could practically taste the tangy spices of his breath.
Along with her argument with her inner self, Avni's knees felt weak and she let her instincts take over. And her instincts told her to relax a little, loosen up, so that is what she did. She relaxed against Neil, letting her head rest against his shoulder as he finally dropped her hands.
Within seconds she slumped, letting him support her weight and even though she felt him go a little rigid, she did not dare to move.
Neil's sockets locked in place as she let her body press against his, innocently. Her curves and soft flesh moulded against his chiseled torso. He let go of her hands as if they burned him, as his own froze an inch away from the hem of the skirt he had been cleaning.
Now that he thought about it, he was the one who pulled her against himself just to hold her captive while he worked on the stains he could clean like an expert. Damn his brain that chose the worst times to go on a vacation. Now what was he supposed to do?
He slowly turned his head to look at her resting against his right shoulder. Her eyes had fluttered close and her small nose twitched every now and then. A drop or two escaped from her hairline and travelled down her temples, then slipped down to her neck from the side of her aristocratic jawline before it finally disappeared into the valley of her breasts.
He gulped, feeling the blood rushing to his core.
His hands moved on their own accord as they discarded the dry towel he had used to soak up the excess wine and gently moved a damp towel in circles to get rid of the dried up liquid on her stomach. He leaned in, his chin brushing against the heated flesh of her shoulder as a shiver ran up her spine. Her back arched and he growled, snatching his hands away.
"Neil." She whispered and spun around to face him.
Both of them backed away until there was nowhere to go. The knobs of the shower dug into her lower back painfully and his hand found the doorknob. He looked at her, frown marring features as he swung the door open.
"Neil."
He stood with his back facing her, ready to walk out before he did something he would regret.
"Stay." She choked out. "Please."
That was all he heard before his rational side went off to hibernate and he locked the door close, wondering what exactly he planned to do.
Considering her words, tossing them in his head over and over again, he walked towards her. Forcing her away from the knobs, he fleetingly noticed the red impressions they left on her back before turning the knob to cold' to set the shower running.
For the second time, she squeaked, the feminine sound he never thought she could make.
Backing away, he sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching her as she delicately scrubbed herself clean. He felt like an intruder to her privacy but he couldn't help it. Plus, she never told him to look away.
Even the chilled water did nothing to calm Avni's hyper aware senses. His presence prickled on her skin and sent tingles to her toes. She was grateful to the gushing water that helped her mask her jumpiness as she felt him staring. Not once did she turn to look at him because god knows what she would've done had their eyes locked.
She took longer than necessary, turning her back to him and crossing her arms against her chest. The pinkish nude fabric was turning slightly translucent and even though her assets were well covered she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled.
She jumped when she felt hands against her scalp.
"Relax, Ananya." Neil sounded apprehensive. "You did not get it out of your hair." He said, massaging the pads of his fingers against her scalp, creating a thick layer of blackberry scented lather.
Her mind was reeling with shock from the events of the day as Neil carefully, almost lovingly washed her hair. He combed his fingers through the strands to get rid of the stickiness and easing her tangles. He was doing this for the first time and his cautious hands were a dead giveaway.
"Ananya, I-"
"Avni."
Her eyes snapped open and widened in shock at her name escaping her mouth. His hands stopped and she could imagine his brows furrowing in confusion.
"What?"
She pulled away, wincing when her hair broke, and hurried towards the door. She clumsily rushed hoping that she would disappear before he realised she had gone.
"Wait." He hissed, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her back. She rammed into him with such force that it sent them stumbling into the shower.
Neil was quick to regain his bearings as he pushed her against the wall, trapping her with one arm wrapped around her waist as his hand found its way into her hair, and shielding her eyes from the water with his other one.
She tried to struggle against him but he could make out that she had lost the will to fight. Something along the way, changed. Her rudeness wasn't hurtful anymore, his interrogations weren't cruel anymore, her secrets weren't as easy to carry and his concern wasn't just care.
"Let me go, Neil." She mumbled.
"Who is Avni?" He asked.
"Neil, stop." Her voice was desperate.
"Who are you?" He loomed over her.
"Neil. Please. You're hurting me." Her lip quivered.
"NO, ANANYA! You're hurting me." He snarled.
"Neil." She whispered, her voice cracking as a tear slipped down her cheek.
Neil blinked. He was hurting her, he realised, loosening his grip on her hair. He had made her cry, he realised, his hand moving to catch the tear that dripped down her chin and rested like a crystal droplet before the icy water took it away.
"I'm sorry." He whispered hoarsely, taking a step back.
"Don't go." She slumped against the tiles and slid down to the floor, the water still splashing against her harshly.
And for the second time that day, he stayed, for her.
Kneeling beside her, he let the merciless droplets splatter against his back as he waited for her breathing rate go back to normal. When it did, she tilted her head and looked at him through thick, wet lashes.
"You want to know who Avni is?" She questioned meekly and he nodded.
"But it's okay if-"
Before he could finish, she lunged forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his hair, nuzzling lightly. Neil was frozen with shock as the feeling of deja vu hit him full force. But this time he willed his arms to move. He gently wrapped them around her, caressing her back and rubbing soothing circles.
He knew she carried a heavy burden so he let himself relax and melt into her arms trying to take a part of her pain away, just enough to make her see that not everyone is selfish, not everyone is out to get her and the future is certainly not bleak.
"This is Avni." She breathed.
Slowly but surely she untangled their limbs and sat up straighter with a rosy blush adorning her cheeks, making her nose go red. He cocked his head to a side, confusion clear in his eyes.
"I mean, I am Avni. Avni Ayesha Haider." She smiled sadly. "Daughter of Ayesha Haider and Ashish Mehta."
"That means-"
"Yes. This is my family." She spat. "And-"
"Stop that." Neil grit out.
"Stop what?" She blinked.
"Stop cutting me off each time I want to say something." He huffed.
She bit her tongue to hold the in grin. "Alright, what do you want to say?"
He looked up at her with surprise. "Uh, nothing. Just continue before I arrest you for trying to deceive your family or something along those lines."
"You'll arrest me?" She sniffed, offended.
"Anan-" He massaged his temples. This was bigger than he thought. "Avni, just continue."
And for the next twenty two minutes, they sat under the shower as Avni explained everything about her life to Neil. "You asked me once, why can't we trust each other, remember? And I told you that I'm not trustworthy. Ananya is not. But Avni, you can take a leap of faith and Avni will never let you fall. I promise."
"Why do you refer to Avni as a third person?"
"That is because Avni is lost. I don't know who that is anymore. I don't know who I am anymore." She looked off into nihility.
Neil stood up and turned the shower off. Cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders, he released the stress from his tense muscles. He looked down at her and offered her a hand. She chewed on her lip but accepted it.
"I am trusting you, Neil. Don't make me regret it." She offered a weak smile.
Taking her hand between his own, he offered a brilliant smile of his own. "And I am trust you, Avni. Don't make me regret it."
She laughed. "Why do the bitter words and warnings sound decent?"
"Ah, that's my charm, you see. Completely irresistible. And dangerously attractive." Neil smirked.
"A cocky Neil Khanna, huh? That's a new side to you." Avni raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"Well it's only fair." He winked. "Now we're even."
After a minute of comfortable silence, Avni started to worry her lower lip as she thought that Neil was being too flippant about it. It was almost as if he would tell her that the care and kindness was all a bluff and he would reveal her identity to Dayavanti Mehta.
"What's wrong? What is worrying you?" He sighed.
"You are so calm about all of this. I told you I want to take everything away from a woman I hate and make this family pay for every wrong. And you did not, uh."
"Did not what? React appropriately?"
She nodded.
"I already suspected you had an ulterior motive." He shrugged.
She narrowed her eyes, almost eating away her lip with worry.
"I won't give you away though, if that's what you're worried about. Your secret is yours to tell." He said.
"So you're okay with all of this? You won't stand in my way?" She asked, too surprised to feel the elation just yet.
Neil looked at her, his smirk turning into a full blown grin and his eyes twinkled with amusement. He tenderly pulled her lower lip away from her vicious teeth. "Who said anything about that? You are a good person Avni. I know that. And I would be damned if I let you commit sins that you won't be able to forgive yourself for when you can finally see through this blind rage for revenge."
"How dare you! I thought you-" Avni seethed.
"You play your cards and I'll play mine. I promise you justice but not at the cost of your humanity or your identity. You said Avni is lost. I promise I'll bring back Avni Ayesha Haider to win over Ananya Verma. Game on, darling. May the best one win." Neil flicked her nose and walked away, whistling tunes that made Avni shiver with delight.
Oh, game on, darling.
Author's Note: - Well, it is 3:13 am and I am exhausted. This shot was building up in my mind since I got such good review for my previous one. I promise, I'll reply to the reviews on Raped & Rotten sometime later this week.
Till then, I hope you leave such beautiful reviews for this one too. It may be abrupt at some places since I typed it all in one go but I'll edit it later if required.
Do review!
~Red
Health and Fitness
Naagin 7
