Ok guys, here's my second attempt at a fanfic. Hope you guys will like it. Its kinda a sequel to the first FF but you can read it as a stand alone piece too.
Some of the timelines are a bit screwed up but I'm taking the liberty. After all if our CVs can show so much crap, I can also take some creative privilege! The story hasn't been proofread fully, so my apologies. Look forward to your feedback. Please do reply and temme what you think.
It had been a month since their first epic road trip together. Avni had been convinced to join the family business by Neil and he was busy with a new case at work. So both avni and neil hadn't had much time to themselves . They were still enjoying the physical intimacy that was fairly new to them. Cuddling in each others arms at night, all the kisses and making out sessions which was almost a daily ritual, and a couple of showers together as well. They were getting comfortable with each other but it was still a few minutes a day that they really had to steal for themselves. Which is why they were both super excited for Christmas that was coming up. Neel had some leave saved up which he could take and Avni also could take a few days off from work because it was going to be closed for Christmas. They were both secretly hatching plans for surprises for each other on that day.
Neel- (in his head) Christmas is coming up and I need to make this special for avni. This can finally be the one festival that we really celebrate together without it getting ruined.
Avni Its been a month since our trip, and I've been too caught up with my work neil and me should do something together, I should plan something for him. Then she remembered Christmas was coming up so she made plans too.
On Christmas eve- after dinner, Avni had been pecking at her food, barely eating and he looked like she was in deep thought. As soon as everyone was done eating she literally fled to their room. Neil was wondering what was going on. Avni only ate less when she was anxious/nervous and he was a bit worried. The family knew that she was planning a surprise but didn't know the details. But they all kept their mouth shut when neil looked at them quizzically. They didn't want to spoil the surprise. But they kept trying to keep him occupied with some talk and neel was getting suspicious about why he wasn't being allowed to go up. He was dying to see what the matter with avni was and why she had gone in a hurry. So finally after being stalled for about an hour he finally broke free and ran upto their room. He realized the room was locked and started knocking- Avni tum theek to ho. Whats going on? Open the door ya avni
Avni- Neel, gimme 2 miutes please
Neel- what are you doing baby? Why have you locked me out of my own room?
Avni- 2 minutes please.
Neel- had no choice but to wait. But his wife was good with time exactly 2 minutes later, he noticed that she turned of the lights in the room and then he heard the door open. She stepped out and he just stared at her unblinkingly.
She looked stunning. She had worn a long dark blue dress which hugged her figure perfectly. Ever since she changed her fav color to blue, she had multiple shades of it in her wadrobe! And neel felt good seeing her in it because it made him feel special. Eveytime she wore a blue shade saree/kurta/dress, she gave him a smile which Neel knew was reserved for him exclusively. While he was staring at her she quickly moved behind him and covered his eyes.
Neel- Avni yaar kya kar rahi ho.
Avni- oh gosh ya. patience hubby. Chalo. 10 second mein tumhe khud pata chal jayega. She held his hand and led him in and she heard her lock the door behind them while she used one hand to keep his eyes covered.
Neel was getting excited now. She was standing close to him and he just basked in that unique fragrance that was just her.
Then he felt her move away his hands and once again Neel took in the whole setup in front of him with a stunned silence. Their whole room was decorated with fairy lights and she had put up a small Christmas tree in their room which was decorated. Under the tree he saw that she had placed a bunch of gifts as well.
Neel pulled her in for a tight hug and whispered- I love it babu. Thank you so much!
Avni- I'm glad u like it. Chalo.
She led him to the beanbags that she had placed by the tree and made him sit down.
Avni- neel kaafi din hogaye, humne saath me kuch nahi kiya so I thought ki since tum bhi chutti pe ho, we should do some stuff together.
Neel- I know. I'm glad that u've also set up this whole xmas stuff. I was thinking ki isske pahle hamaare saare festivals were jinxed our first holi was full of tashan- even though the time together locked in the bathroom was memorable. But we both not remember much of what happened. Next was janmasthami- when you were kicked out by my family, then at ganpati- I told you about juhi, during navaratri was the RM fiasco, Diwali was ruined by the chuhi bacchi . I'm really sorry avni that abhi tak hum ek bhi festival thik se nahi mana paaye hai. He looked upset
Avni- neel , please tum puraani baatein yaad karke mood mat kharab karo. Whatever happened is done. Tum hi kahte ho na that we should live in the present.
Neel- smiles at her and says- Role reversal ho gaya lagta hai. Tum mujjhe mere hi dialogues suna rahi ho! Accha chalo batao kya plan hai.
Avni- who actually main jab college me thi toh mere principal joseph sir kaha karte the that Christmas bahut accha time hota hai and whatever we wish for will happen. Uss time pe I didn't believe anything he said but now I want to start traditions with you. I think it might be nice to have our own unique Christmas traditions na...what do you think?
Neel- haan aage bhi bolo, I'm listening wifey!
Avni- so I was thinking ki hum Mount Mary church chalet hain...vahaan pe aaj midnight mass hain and uske baad when we come back we can come back and open the gifts under the Christmas tree.
Neel- sounds good. And then he looked at his watch and realized that it was 11, so he got dressed in a matching blue dress shirt and pants and they made their way out. Avni was in a mood to drive so he let her. Meanwhile he was busy texting.
On their way- suddenly Neel turned off avni's music and turned on the radio-
Avni- Kya hua? Tumne mera music band kyu kiya? She asked him with an adorable pout
Neel- mimicking her earlier dialogue- patience wifey, abhi 10 second me pata chalega.
The RJ announced the next track as a special dedication from Neel Khanna to his beautiful wifey Avni Ayesha Khanna- and a romantic number played on the radio.
Avni turned to neel with the biggest smile and gave him a peck oh his cheek. She was touched by his small but ultracute gestures. They enjoyed the song and once it was over he turned off the radio.
Avni- Tumhe kaise pata ki voh exactly uss time pe gaana play karta?
Neel- Arey maine kuch setting kar rakhi thi-
Avni just smiled at him and shook her head.
They reached the church and went in for the service.
As the pastor asked them all to bow their heads for a prayer-
Neel looked at his wife who was looking so innocent with her eyes tightly shut in prayer , with a smile on her face. (in his head)- I just want to constantly see this smile on your face. You've seen enough drama till now, and my only aim is to make sure that I can keep you happy like this forever!
Avni (in her head)- thank you Lord Jesus for sending Neil in my life. my husband is really amazing. Pata nahi what I did to deserve him but thank you so much for this blessing you have sent me.
As her eyes opened it locked with Neil who was as usual staring at her. She blushed furiously.
Neel just grinned, leaned in and whispered- tum abhi tak itna kaise sharma leti ho miss tamatar?
Avni- shushed him quickly reminding him that they were still in church, but her smile never left her face, it only grew bigger.
After the service, they went back home.
While Avni went into change in the bathroom, Neel quickly took out some gifts from a hiding spot in his cupboard and added it to the pile under the tree.
Avni came out and neel had already changed too. Then they made their way to the Christmas tree
Neel- so gifts khole.
Avni- haan chalo- excitedly- hands him the first gift
Neel opens it to reveal a nice grooming kit for men- he had been meaning to buy it for the longest time and he had no idea how avni knew that-avni pointed out a note attached to it.
The note read- Dear hubby, meri pahli salary ke time pe toh tum meri life me nahi the unfotunately. But tumhaari vajah se I've taken up this new job. And this is a gift from my first salary in my new job. I hope you like itJ
Neel just looked at her with all the love and gave her a peck on the cheek- but how did you know that I wanted it?
Avni- mene bhi kuch setting kar rakhi hai! And winked at her husband
(Actually she had noticed one day that her husband had the habit of scrolling online on amazon for stuff and adding it to his wishlist but he was always stingy when it came to spending on himself. So one day when he was sleeping she quickly pulled out his phone and looked through his wishlist and made a note of the stuff there for her future use!)
Neel just smiled at her enthusiasm.
Avni handed him one more gift- and said this one is actually for both of us.
Neel opened it excitedly ripping the wrapping paper- and his jaw dropped- it was 2 tickets to the cricket match- it was on 25th- India vs srilanka, T20 game at 4pm!
Avni- I thought ki since we both like watching cricket we should go enjoy a game in the stadium!
Neel- Jaan ur the best wifey in the whole world. And he pulled her in for a smooch.
Avni- just enjoyed the feel of being kissed by her man. Just as things were starting to heat up she withdrew from him and neil grunted in frustration.
Avni- sorry neel, but ek last gift hai.
Neel wow baby, tum toh aaj mujhe poori tarah spoil kar rahi ho!
Avni- Haan toh me apne husband ko nahi spoil karungi toh aur kise karungi, and quickly pecked him on the cheek and handed him the small parcel.
Neel- opened it and found a cute ornament -It was a snowflake but when he looked at it closely he realised she had personalised it. It had their names inside it.
Avni- I thought every year we could add one personalised ornament to the Christmas tree.
Neel- was overwhelmed- his wife was so thoughtful and he felt really lucky to have her in his life. He added it to the topmost branch of their little tree that she had already decorated with other christmasy ornaments.
Avni- I hope you liked it neel. Accha chalo ab sojaate hai.
Neel- Wifey, but abhi kuch gifts baaki hai na.
Avni- confused- nahi sab ho gaye. Looks at the tree and suddenly notices 2 more boxes peeking from behind the tree. She was ecstatic- Tum bhi gift laaye ho kya?
Neel- ofcourse wifey. Tumhe kya lagta hai, sirf tum mujhe spoil karogi? Chalo ab kholo And he hands her the first box.
Avni- before opening the box itself launches herself onto him for a hug and squealed- thank you!
Neel- laughing- Arey arey gift kholne ke pahle hi reaction de rahi ho. Kholo toh sahi.
Avni- opened the gift and saw a jewelry box- she opened it and saw a very cute silver charm bracelet inside it. It was elegant and cute at the same time.
Neel said May I?
And avni extended her hand to him instantly so that he could put it on her wrist. HE carefully hooked the bracelet on her wrist and then gave her a peck on her hand as well.
Avni then reached down to open her second gift- it was a scrap book. He had covered it with a brown wrapping paper and on the cover it said- Avneil in super fancy calligraphy. Avni was shoked that her supercop was a hidden artist as well and that he had actually made something for her from scratch that too by hand. She opened the book to find the title- Adventure 1 and the dates mentioned . Below it he had stuck pictures from their first road trip. This was on the first 5 pages. After that he had already titled the new page as Adventure 2- and there was a pamphlet about a hike with the date 26th December.
Avni- We're going for a hike on 26th? She asked him excitedly
Neel- Ya, I didn't have enough time to plan a road trip but I thought we can do a hike atleast. Apparently the view from up there is great.
Avni- Perfect. Kal hum match dekhne jayenge aur parso hike par! Worked out well na.
Neel- I know right! And mujhe pata hai ki abhi kaafi khaali sa scrapbook hai but I thought we can add the pics from all our future road trips and adventures into this book.
Avni just looked at him in awe- what was this man doing to her! She had never expected that Neel of all people would make her a scrapbook and she just looked at him with tears in her eyes and whispered- its perfect, thank you!
Neel- reached out to caress her face and pulled her into a hug! Merry Christmas baby he whispered into her ear.
Avni- continued to sniffle as she hugged him close, resting her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.
Neel- baby please na...mene tuhe rulaane ke liye gift nahi diya hai! And he wiped her tears
Avni- sorry voh thoda senti hogayi. And she smiled sheepishly.
Neel just shook her head at his ajooba of a wifey and pulled her back into his embrace.
Suddenly he heard a small rumble from avni's tummy! And he couldn't stop laughing. Wifey...tum akeli aisi ho jiske pet me raat ke dhai baje bhi choohe daudte hai!
Avni- hits him lightly on the shoulder and says- voh maine thik se dinner nahi kiya isliye! Main ye sab organize karne me itni excited thi na...
Neil- ki tumhaari bhook chali gayi! (he completed the sentence)
He knew that his wifey always lost her appetite whenever she was anious/nervous/excited.
Accha chalo neeche. He grabbed her hand and led her down to the kitchen. He pulled out the chair and made her sit.
Neel- abhi dekho tumhaare masterchef pati ka kamaal.
HE quickly made 2 mugs of steaming hot chocolate and whipped up a plate of avnis 2nd fav dish after poha- Maggi! He handed her the mug and then bought her a plate of maggi as well.
She looked at him as if she had won the lottery and quickly dug into the maggi! In between she took sips of her hot chocolate as well.
Neel- just watched her childlike glee while eating her maggi and hot chocolate. This is what he loved about avni. She was a very simple person, quite easy to please if you just observed her well enough! She didn't want any grand gestures, and found joy in the simplest of things. He knew that she genuinely appreciated all the little things in life and when she gave him her 1000watt smile he was a complete goner!
Once she was done she took the dishes upto the sink and then they made their way back upto the bedroom to finally go to sleep.
They were both content and slept with smiles on their faces excited for the next 2 days as well.
25th December:
Avni and Neel had been excited all morning for the match that day. Neel had last seen a match live long back when he was in first year of college and he had gone with his friends. Avni had never seen a match live before. Neel could never stop being surprised by his wife. HE didn't know anyone else whose wife/girlfriend had taken them out for a match as their date. She could have very well planned all the clichd romantic things but avni was special. And the cool thing was she herself liked watching sports too. He remembered the time 2 weeks back when they were watching a match and she had screamed at the TV screen when one of the players had dropped a catch! She was so into it. And she had superstitions too, like no one could move when kohli was batting! He was sure that she would be even more excited in the stadium. And sure enough he got a glimpse of it when he was waiting in the living room for her to get ready and come down. She stepped out in the blue Team India jersey and jeans and she had literally bounced down the stairs. Shweta looked at her and said tu sach mein jhalli hai avni! Neel ne mujhse kaha ki tum date pe ja rahe ho toh maine socha movie ya beach ya dinner pe jaoge. But tum log toh match dekhne ja rahe ho!
Avni- mummyji, voh sab toh ham kabhi bhi karsakte hai. But match ke liye tickets kaafi setting laga ke mili hai (and winked at her)
Neel- looked at their interaction and felt glad that things had worked out well between them. Once shweta had realized what avni was truly like she had fallen in love with her! And just like avni had once challenged him- on some days it did appear as if she loved her more than him- her tillu! Last week he had some important case related work and his phone was not reachable. He had been so caught up with work that he had forgotten to text/call and inform anyone at home and obviously everyone was worried since he was very late. And when he finally came back home he was given such a huge lecture by his mother and most of it was about how he could dare to give tension to her beloved avni puttar! Finally it was avni only who managed to calm her down and explain that neel didn't do it on purpose.
Avni and Neel had a wonderful time at the stadium. India won the match so they were happy. On the way back home, avni insisted that she wanted to have chai at her fav tapri near his police station. Neel obviously agreed!
As they sat there sipping chai,
Avni (in her head)- feels like a dream, I hope I never have to wake up from this dream. This was the kind of life that both her mothers did not get and she had never imagined that she would find a life partner who was as amazing as Neel was. Even now, ever so often she would get thoughts about how she did not deserve him but she would push it out of her mind.
Neel (in his head)- he could just keep looking at her all day long. He thought about how misguided he was when he first met her. He knew in his heart that she was not at fault but his mind wanted him to believe that she was a criminal, he was so mad at her for marrying him without consent! But now he couldn't thank god enough for the twist of fate- and now here they were- she was truly his better half. HE had always desired a simple lifestyle. He was not one for show offs. And his wife was exactly like that too. She was a revelation to him. Once she had let go of her past he realized that she was actually a very positive person. She encouraged him to focus on work and was a sounding board when he needed someone to talk to. Once he motivated her to join the family business he watched how invested she was in it. She worked really hard and his dad couldn't stop singing praises of his daughter. HE was so proud of the fact that she didn't take the easy route. She started at the lowest rung.
Once they finished chai, they headed back home and slept early because they had to wake up next morning for the hike.
26th morning
430am:
Neel- Avni, wake up baby.
Avni- Neel, nahi 2 min ya, please and she pulled the comforter over her head
Neel- shook his head at her with fondness and pulled the comforter back down and gave her a peck on the cheek- baby utho na please.
Avni was not really a morning person. It was a task to get her to wake up on most days. And these days since the weather was colder she used to complain about how unnatural it is to wake up early when one should be cuddled up in the warm bed. But neel loved these little quirks about her. HE was happy to see her open up and pull a few tantrums. In the initial days of their married life and with one drama after another- things were always tense and she was always very mature and responsible at the time. But it was only recently that they had really settled into their married life and now that all the drama was done, she was starting to show her true colors! And neel was glad that she was comfortable enough with him now that she could do these things.
Avni was showing no signs of waking up. So neel finally used his ultimate weapon.
He got up and switched of the fan. And 1 minute later Avni was awake.
She could not sleep until the fan was on full speed even on a cold day. She would use extra blankets if required but she would not turn down the fan speed. And the minute the fan was turned off she would wake up!
She got out of bed with a glare at neel.
He just smiled at her!
Finally she was ready and at 5am they headed out to take their hike. They drove to the meeting point. There were about 20 other people there. They were split into 5 teams and along with avni and neil there was one guy called kabir and a girl called Diya on their team. Kabir looked like he was the silent types. After a polite handshake he did not say a word. But Diya was mega flirty. She took one look at neil and was eyeing him like candy. Avni immediately noticed how shamelessly she was flirting with her husband. Avni tried to calm down because she felt that maybe it was because she hadn't figured out that they were married. Avnis mangalsutra was well hidden inside the shirt she had worn and she wasn't wearing sindoor for a hike!
Neel in the beginning was a little uncomfortable with how forward diya was. Instead of a handshake she had hugged him as if they had known each other for ages! He quickly broke the hug but when he glanced at avnis reaction and noticed that she was getting jealous .He loved seeing her get jealous and annoyed because he could see her love behind it all.
Once they began the hike- kabir had set the pace for their group. Avni followed him, neel was right behind her and diya was behind him. Avni noticed that diya kept falling behind and neel being a gentleman would stop and wait for her. Once she would catch up she spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone , flirting with her husband. But avni didn't want to be rude and say anything to her. What was pissing her off was that neel didn't do anything. He didn't look bothered by how flirty this girl was being. She knew he was very polite but she still expected him to be a little bit more formal so that the girl would get the hint that he was not interested in her. But here maamla was fully opposite. He was helping her up giving her a hand in the tough portions. More than halfway through the hike there was a particularly difficult portion up a rock. Neel had glanced at avni who was very surefooted and made her way up the rock by finding handholds on the rock. HE was so proud that his girl was independent and had great presence of mind too. Avni was a bag of contradictions. In her daily life she was clumsy as hell and would always be knocking into things or tripping and falling. But on a hike she was being very cautious and very confident in her strides. Every little thing about her made Neel smile. Neel went up next and then as diya was climbing up, she was struggling a bit. So he gave her some instructions. But diya was still not following them and she was just about to slip but neel held her hand and pulled her up. In the process she had landed on top of him and the girl was really enjoying the moment while it lasted. Neel could not push her off him so he had to wait for her to get off and the girl was taking her sweet time. Avni looked back and saw the scene and she was really worked up now. But she knew she cant create a scene so she just took deep breaths to calm herself down. But her mood was really starting to sour. Finally neel and diya were up on their feet and they all took a small break before the last stretch . They sat down sipping water. Neel took a bar of chocolate that he had brought to boost his energy levels and took a bite. There was some chocolate at the side of his lips. Diya noticed this and instead of just mentioning it to him she decided to wipe it off herself. Her fingers were lingering longer than necessary and now neel was also very uncomfortable. Avni was so upset that her eyes were tearing up and she just quickly turned away, wiped her tears away roughly and started walking up again. Neel knew he had let things go too far and that his wife was very upset but he was lost as to how to tackle the situation. Finally they had reached the top. The view was amazing and it was a great to watch it after a long hike. The weather was great too. Neel was hoping to catch a quick word with avni so that he could calm her down but she was now avoiding him. He knew he had to apologise but she was not even making eye contact with him. With a heavy heart neel decided to let it go and talk to her once they reached the bottom. The way down was quicker than up. Diya kept trying to make small talk with neel and he was trying to be as curt as possible, But avni was so pissed that she had quickened due to all the adrenaline rush. She was leading the group now and was several paces ahead of them. Suddenly as she was walking with all the rage she slipped and fell down and she slid down a few rocks. Avni was panicking , but a few metres later she found a handhold and stopped falling. She managed to pull herself back up but she had grazed her sides and hands in the process. Neel who had seen this from above was terrified. He had run down shouting her name but by the time he reached her, she had thankfully found her footing and was getting up. He helped her dust herself off and examined her for any wounds, but avni just dusted his hand off and told him in a monotone voice- I'm fine and started walking ahead. Neel was very upset, he wanted to give her a good shaking asking her to be more careful. He shuddered to think if anything worse had happened. But he couldn't create a scene so he just walked back down.
Neel couldn't be happier when they were done with the hike because he really had to talk to avni and also check her out for any injuries. He knew that when Avni was upset she just closed herself off. As they were about to walk to the parking spot, diya walked up to him and thanked him for helping her out in the climb. She gave him a hug and the nerve of the girl she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and passed him a piece of paper with her phone number. And she had walked away before neel could even react. He turned back to avni hoping she had not seen this exchange but bviously today was not his lucky day- avni had seen it all and now she just had a blank expression on her face. This was the worst thing to happen. Neel had been around her long enough to know the grades of her expression. When she was upset her expressions would change from stern with a clenched jaw to tears and finally the worst was the blank expression. He quickly jogged upto her as she sat in the passenger side. HE got into the car and immediately asked
Avni. Tum thik to ho na. Zyada chot toh nahi lagi. Haat dikhao.
Avni- didn't say a word and just pushed his hand away
Neel- (by now he was also upset)- Yelled at avni- bahut hogaya. Ek toh itni careless ho ki gir gayi aur upar se ab attitde dikha rahi ho. Dekhne do kahan chot lagi hai. As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he was too harsh and he was already regretting it. But surely avni could see that it was his fear and concern that had come out as anger
But avni was not in the mood to be her usual understanding self. As soon as she heard him yell at her, her expressions changed. She quickly got off and ran out, flagged an auto and was off.
Neel had run behind her but she had taken off in the auto. So he quickly got back in the car and drove back home.
When Neel got home he ran upto his room but he was shocked to find avni was not there. Now Neel was scared, HE knew that Avni could be impulsive when upset .
Avni meanwhile had gone to neela ma's house. Ma was out of station but she had a spare key so she let herself in. She just collapsed on the sofa and wept. All the frustration, followed by hurt that she was controlling just came out. She was physically hurt as well from the little fall and right now she wasn't thinking straight. As she remembered the kiss that diya gave him as she left, she was furious. After crying for 10 minutes straight she had calmed down a little bit. She was so upset that neel had not pushed away the girls advances. Just because he is a gentleman doesn't mean he will allow the girl to flirt with him in front of his wife. He knew that she was upset yet he didn't say anything and the final straw was yelling at her in the car. Avni was very possessive about him. She knew in the back of her mind that she was probably over reacting a little but right now she was just upset. This was supposed to be a happy day, their little adventure, a chance to spend some time together.
As she sat there , she heard the door bell ring. She walked up and opened the door and was shocked to see neil on the other side. She didn't expect to him to already be here.
Neel- as soon as he saw avni his heart broke. Her eyes were red, tear tracks down her face, she looked miserable, she was all sweaty and grimy. But he just took one long stride in and gave her a long hug. He whispered- sorry baby, mujhe chillana nahi chahiye that tum par. I was really worried about you isliye muh se nikal gaya. Sorry.
Avni hadn't reacted yet. She was itching to hug him back but she was still upset about everything.
Neel released her and then looked at the grazes on her hands. It wasn't very deep but it was covered in mud and he knew that in a few hours she would be sore. So he told her. Chalo please lets get you cleaned up. Tum chalo- take a shower and come, then we'll put some antiseptic on these wounds. Ok. Come
Avni- was too tired to argue. She just walked up to her room and went in to shower. Neel laid out clothes for her and also a first aid kit. Thankfully he had some spare clothes in neela ma's house too. So he quickly took a shower in the other bathroom and changed. He went back to avnis room and waited for her to step out.
A few minutes later Avni walked out wrapped in a fluffy towel. Her hair was dripping wet. Her eyes were still red .
To neel everytime he saw her like this all the breath was sucked away. She was the most beautiful woman on the planet. He was gazing at her in a trance
Avni- change karna hai mujhe
Neel- was stillstaring at her.
Avni- little louder- Neel mujhe change karna hai.
Neel- heard her this time- haan toh karo na.
Avni- tum bahaar jao.
Neel- knew she was still upset, so to avoid any further argument he went out.
5 minutes later he walked back in and saw her sitting on the bed with her wet hair dripping.
HE walked up to her and towel dried her hair.
Then he pulled her hands- applied some antiseptic on her fresh cuts with a cotton ball. It was tinging but avni was so upset that she just flinched a little but didn't say a word.
Neel- couldn't take the silence any more. Avni plese yaar- baat karo mujhse, don't shut off like this. I know ki tum upset ho. Please lets talk and sort this out na. I cant tolerate your silent treatment.
Avni- still no response.
Neel knew that avni took her time to process the words in her head. So he just pulled her into himself, hugging her and both of them sat in silence for a few minutes.
Avni instantly felt better in his embrace. But she was still trying to process her emotions. She knew that she was overeating a little but she couldn't help it. She was possessive about neel. She did not like this feeling of jealousy and she was even more upset if neel yelled at her. She knew that he didn't mean it and he was only concerned. After a long pause- she finally said- sorry maine over-react kiya.
Neel immediately cupped her face and said- nahi baby, its not ur fault. It was mine. I know tum us ladki ke behavior ko dekh ke upset ho gayi. I should have said something to her. Sorry
Avni- haan but tum thode zyaada hi polite ho. tum use kuch nahi kehte mujhe pata tha
Neel- haan but kahna chahiye tha. She was getting too clingy and I know it was upsetting you, I didn't want to be rude or create a scene, but whats the point. Abhi meri wifey itni upset hai. And you know I hate seeing you like this. Sorry baby. Please mujhe maaf kardo
Avni- couldn't stay mad at him for too long- but she was not completely over it- she would be ok in a few hours- its ok. Chodo.
Neel- although he was glad that his wife had forgiven him, he knew that her mood wsnt fully better. It had been a long tiring climb and she was drained. Plus she was hurt. So he decided to cheer her up
Accha chalo niche chalte hai.
Avni- haan tum chalo. Mein aati hoon. YE towel sukhana hai or mere kpdon ko washing machine me bhi daalna hai
Neel- ok jaldi aao. He gave her a peck on the forehead before getting up and walking down.
HE quickly ordered a large pizza with all her fav toppings and looked in the fridge and thankfully there was a tub of icecream there. Next he decided that he'd set up the cushions and blankets in the living room so that they could watch a movie. He found the dvd her current favorite movie- Zindagi na milegi dobara and set it up. Avni was down in a few minutes.
Neel- come here baby- I know tum abhi bhi poori tarah se ok nahi ho. but I have the perfect plan to cheer you up. Tumhari fav movie and maine lunch order kiya hai. Thodi der me aajayega.
Avni- just wordlessly joined her husband to watch the movie. Neel wrapped his hands around her as they were watching the movie. He knew that she would come around fully soon.
Half an hour later he noticed that she had a hint of a smile on her face as she watched the movie. The doorbell rang and the pizza guy was there. As soon as he walked in with the pizza he saw her eyes brighten up a little. When he opened it up she gave him a proper smile as she saw that it was all her fav toppings. She was very hungry, so she straightaway picked up the first slice and started eating it.
Neel- knew that after pizza there was only one last step before she would fully snap out of her bad mood.
Avni had gorged on the pizza as she watched the movie and now she was half lying on his chest, her legs sprawled out in front of her. HE knew that her mood was better because now she was hugging him back and was unconsciously drawing patterns on his chest as she was staring at the screen in front of her.
A few minutes later neel paused the movie and said gimme 2 mnutes.
He came back with the tub of her fav butterscotch icecream and 2 cups and spoons.
And he got the reaction he was waiting for. His smile had widened. As soon as sat beside her, she grabbed the tub and spoon and dug in. after the first spoon, she suddenly looked at him. Her eyes were now twinkling with mischief. She took both the cups also, scooped in some icecream into both, pushed it to him and said ye lo tumhara and then then turned back to the TV, playing the movie back and happily digging into the icecream directly from the tub.
Neel just shook his head at her childishness and knew his mission was complete. She was back to being his avni now. No longer sad, she had snapped out fully!
Once he had finished his 2 cups he scooted close to her to grab a bite from the tub, but she turned away. HE looked at her with an adorable pout and she was done for
Avni-groaning- Neel nahi yaar- you cant do this everytime - you know ki main ye wala expression dekh ke pigal jaati hoon.
Neel- eyes twinkling- I know, faster than ice cream! Abhi do, nahi toh icecream bhi tunhaari tarah pigal jayegi! And he grabbed it out of her hands to help himself to a few spoons.
Avni just settled herself back on him, into the previous position, again watching the movie. And neel also just wrapped one arm around her, while one hand was playing with her hair softly. A few minutes later he looked down and the sight made his heart swell. She had been lulled into almost a complete sleep. Just as he bent down to peck her forehead, she turned and mumbled into him- I love you and she was out after that.
Neel laid her down slowly, pecked her forehead, discarded the pizza box, icecream tub etc and came back and lay down beside her on the living room floor next to the her on the cushions.
They woke up a couple of hours later and cleaned up the place and went back home to spend a peaceful evening before they went back to their work next day.
When they got home, suddenly avni said sadly- Neel humne aaj koi photo liya hi nahi scrapbook me daalne ke liye.
Neel- hands her his phone which had a few pics of her that he had taken without her knowledge before they had begun the hike and a few selfies of himself on the hike too. Avni was stunned into silence.
Neel- I know perfect nahi hai,but atleast we have a few pics!
Avni- gave him a hug and said- sorry baby- main itna overreact nahi karti toh we could have taken nicer pics to add to our scrapbook
Neel- wait a minute- what did you just say?
Avni- sorry, main itna over...
Neel- voh nahi, uske pahle
Avni- uske pahle kya?
Neel- you said sorry BABY!
Avni- (blushed) na..nahi maine aisa kuch nahi kaha. Tumaahre kaan baj rahe hain
Neel- laughed- nahi I know it- tumne kaha BABY. Vaah, aaj toh chamatkar hogaya. Avni Ayesha ke muh se baby!!
Avni- hit him lightly on the shoulder and said...btw its not only avni Ayesha...its avni Ayesha neil khanna.
Neil- pulled her closer and said...yes and always remember that wifey. Chahe koi aur mujhse kitna bhi flirt kare, ur the only one for me!
And they hugged, smiles on both their faces.
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