AvNeil Two Shots
Shattered Hopes
Shot I
"Avni ... bacha at least have this juice" Neela was tired of trying to feed Avni for the past one hour.
Avni didn't say a word. Right after coming from the altar she didn't speak a word to anyone. She just folded her hands in front of the guests and ran away from the place, took a cab and came to Neela's place. Neela and the remaining family's words fell empty to her ears.
Neil's parents, Bebe, Ali, Nannu, Maddy and Kareena followed Neela home but Avni has locked herself in her room, refused to meet anyone and they left except Nannu and Ali, feeling sad, guilty and regretful. Their son shouldn't have done this! Leaving his wife at the altar, in front of people! Nannu and Ali left too after few hours.
"Bacha at least for me please" Neela tried again, pleading.
Avni turned to look at her mother. She hasn't cried a drop since coming from the church. The pain in her red eyes scared Neela. It was something which Neela wanted Avni to stay away from, yes pain which followed her in every stage of life, choking her, snatching her dreams for a normal life, if not a normal family.
"In the end I became an another Ayesha na ma" Avni said in a broken, defeated tone which broke Neela's heart.
"No bacha" Neela broke into tears hugging Avni who started sobbing, tears sliding down her cheeks "No, don't say like this, you are not Ayesha"
What DD told Avni remained fresh in her mind, pricking her heart every damn second. Neil left her in the altar, in front of people, not caring a bit about her, without a word to see Juhi.
Avni have always acted calm, composed and collected in Juhi's matters. Hell she was even ready to give up Neil for her but Neil had made her believe that she is his present that she hoped and dreamt for a life with Neil only to get broken.
When hope and dream gets broken, it crushes a big part of you. And Avni can't help but compare her to Ayesha! Ashish Mehta left her mother in the mandap too, in front of people.
She won't deny that Neil stood at her side thousand of times even though he know she did illegal things for her revenge against Dayavanthi Mehta but it's human nature that when in a situation like this, the people won't be rational but hurt and that they couldn't think straight. A single thing goes through their mind and affect them.
And presently Avni has one thing running in her mind. She felt like an another Ayesha who was abandoned at the altar. Her mind played the images of little Avni seeing Ayesha standing in front of people with her head down, waiting for Asish. In the end he didn't showed up.
"No ma, when I was young, same thing happened. Mumma and Papa were about to married but in the end he left her at the altar. Why do I have to go through this again? Why do I have to feel the same pain over again? Why I can't a normal life, a normal family? Is wanting a normal family wrong?" Avni cried, hugging Neela "Is Dayavanti Mehta right? Is it a sin for me to live happily? Is it sin for me to live? It's happening again in my life"
"Avni!" Neela broke the hug and cupped Avni's face "Bacha don't talk like this! Beta relax, have some trust on Neil. He is n-"
"No ma, Swetha aunty was always right! Neil hasn't forgot Juhi and it's my mistake that I wanted to move on in life with Neil. I turned down Neil's every advance because I not only wanted to be a burden for him but also for my own good. I shouldn't have loved him. I shouldn't have loved the person who was not even mine in the first place. Not even mine. I should just go away from his life! You did the same thing for Ayesha ma. I'll do the same thing. I shouldn't be anywhere near them. I'm a bad omen "
Avni was mumbling, shuttering like a mad person and Neela shook Avni to finally brought her out of her messed up mind.
"Stop Avni!" She yelled "Stop thinking of you as Ayesha or Neela, you are Avni! You are not a sin or bad omen, you are my life bacha, my everything! Believe in Neil bacha, he loves you. Why are you blaming yourself, thinking of all negative things before thinking why Neil must have left from there? Did Neil gave up on you when he knew you were Avni and not Ananya? Why are you giving up now? What if Juhi is in some trouble and Neil had to rush to save her life? He's a police Avni, he won't hesitate a moment to help others and you know Juhi's state right!"
Avni stunned at Neela's words, her brain finally working. The thoughts of what if' started making rounds in her mind and she can't help but tremble at her thoughts.
Was she being dramatic and senseless to be this way? She shouldn't be crying here but go to Juhi to check how she is. Wasn't she the one who wanted to save Juhi from the hell? Is she struck in her past so bad that she couldn't reason Neil's actions?
"Ma" She said painfully, fighting a lump throbbing in her throat.
"Ha Avni, talk to him before mourning for the past and being insecure. Just to remind you, you are still Avni Neil Khanna, you're his wife Avni. You should be listening to his side rather than jumping to conclusions this way Avni!"
And that was the actual eye opener for Avni.
~ * ~
Avni couldn't sleep that night, just tossing around the bed, eyes wide open, thoughts wider than that and room pitch dark.
Her head throbbed from thinking too much. She felt the need to push all thoughts away and just lose herself to sleep but then her pain kept her awake, let her suffer both her thoughts and headache.
Avni got alert as the window to her room opens, bright light shoving away the darkness of the room. She sat on her bed, shocked and puzzled. A dark figure jumped into her room, making her fist the blanket.
"Who are you?" She shouted at the figure who had it's back to her. She can see the figure go stiffen at her voice and then slowly turned towards her.
A gasp let out of Avni as her eyes takes in the person before her, her hold on the blanket let loose.
"N-Neil?"
~ * ~
I know you guys expected an AvNeil convo related to the topic. Even I did too but before that I have to be sure of my mind about what to write first. But I will write one tomorrow if not today.
I'm damn sure from first that the kid is not Neil's, I just doesn't want to see a track where Avni suffers because her mothers themselves were in the same situation before and little Avni had witnessed everything and butchering Neil's character and the essence of NaamKarann's story.
NaamKarann is a very different show from others. Let's hope for the best, Gautam Hegde shouldn't spoil it for us. He won't but he shouldn't! That's the point.
Regards,
