Addiction - Avneil

Old secrets..

A new character will enter Avni and Neil's life.. will it be a friend or a foe?!!!

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Neil looked over at Avni's phone's flashing screen. A call was coming from an unknown number. He decided to pick it up incase it was one of her friends calling from a different number or incase she had ordered something to be delivered from one of these e-commerce websites! Avni sure did like her dresses like all girls :) Sometimes he felt like offering to accompany her as she went shopping. HE hated shopping himself but would give anything to observe her decision-making and happiness as she selected her clothes..

Neil (picking up the phone)- "Yes?"

There was no response from the other side. Neil asked who it was again, this time a bit louder, yet no response! He shrugged and ended the call. He then checked the calling list and saw that the same number had given 5 missed calls since last night! Neil got more curious and was meaning to ask Avni aloud if she knew who was trying to reach her so desperately. There was still so much about her life that he did not know! For instance, where she went after Dayawanti shot her in the chest as a child, how she survived (he again thanked God that she did!), where did she get her schooling done from, who all her friends were apart from Ali. Neil was about to call Avni aloud when he heard the bathroom door opening , Avni was coming out after her bath.

AS she entered the room, her fresh sweet fragrance took over the room and a little cloud of steam rolled into the bedroom through the attached bathroom door as Avni walked in.. Neil caught her fragrance and involuntarily his eyes closed and he felt weak in the knees. He turned around to face Avni and tossed her phone back on the bed. Neil had forgotten all about the call and that he meant to ask Avni so many questions. AS usual his attraction to Avni had temporarily killed his intuitions as a police officer and a concerned husband!

Avni looked beautiful, no ravishing! Neil kept on looking at her without blinking his eyes. Avni was pretty. Logically, she could not have been the most beautiful person he had seen. However to Neil, he realized that he had not seen a more beautiful and surreal image before. He kept on looking at her as she dried her hair with a towel, with her head bent a little to the side. Avni at that time was totally involved in her work and was not paying any attention to Neil. This helped Neil as he was happier observing her without being made conscious of it! She looked pure and childlike, with a concentration towards what she was doing and an angelic innocence surrounding her.

Suddenly Avni tossed her hair as she was drying them with the towel, and some water droplets fell on Neil's face. This broke him from his trance and he realized he had been staring at her! Neil quickly averted his eyes and tried to act casual. One day he will tell her how he felt but not right now. He wanted to live in his dream of staying with Avni and did not want to do anything to disturb her comfort and peace of mind in this house. He was afraid, in fact almost sure that she did not love him, why would she?! He was nobody in her eyes.. He was not a childhood friend to her like Ali, nor did she share with him what she did all these years that she was away. Avni probably saw him only very professionally as a police officer who helped her solve her mother Ayesha's murder case and brought Dayawanti to justice.

Thinking of all this Neil took a deep sigh and Avni heard him. She looked around to see Neil lost in his own thoughts and smiled a bit as again a glow came to her face! She recalled last night again. Avni did not want to think what would have happened had Neil not arrived on time! Maybe she would have needed to be taken to hospital, maybe something worse. All she knew was that Neil saved her somehow, yet again! Since Neil had entered her life, he was sort of her superhero! He had always helped her, initially she did not even know that he was helping her out when he found about her true identity and yet kept it hidden from her, quietly helping her in the background!

Avni was thinking that Neil did this as he is a very good human being and a great police officer. And not because he loved her. After all who would fall in love with her of all people! She was the illegitimate child, the unloved one, the orphan! Avni shook her head. She could not afford to think negatively again and go back into depression and panic attack mode. What she had today was another opportunity that life had given her! Neil's grandmom, Bebe loved Avni! She felt very warm and nice about being with Bebe.

Avni (to herself) - "I will make every effort to keep this family happy, to keep Bebe happy.. I promise.."

Neil looked up at her and saw her muttering to herself. Out of the many things he loved about her, this was on the list as well :) Avni was so childlike that she talked to herself sometimes and got lost in her thoughts even with him in the room! He loved her innocence..

Avni's phone ran again and it suddenly reminded Neil of the question he wanted to ask Avni!

Neil (waving his hand in front of Avni's eyes to break her out of her self-talking mode!')- "Hey Wifey! Tumhara phone baj raha hai! Someone's trying to reach you urgently it seems.."(Your phone is ringing)

Avni (startled) - "Oh haan! I saw 5 missed calls. I don't know the number but let me call back and check! I totally forgot!"(Haan =yes)

Neil sighed happily knowing that it was mostly a random number and that mostly it was not Ali or any other man who might have been in Avni's life previously! Neil had not admitted to Avni, but he loved her out of the deepest corner of his heart and wanted her to be with him forever as his 'wifey'!

Avni dialed back the number on her phone.. Neil was getting ready while she did this but his one ear was paying attention to whom Avni is going to talk..

Avni said - "Hello! Yes I got many missed calls from this number.."

There was a long silence after that as Avni possibly listened to what was being said on the other side. And then Neil heard a thump! He quickly stopped buttoning his shirt and turned around and saw Avni sitting on the bed with her hand clamping her mouth.. her face had turned white in shock. Neil rushed saying out her name and held her hand.

Avni (still holding the phone in her other hand, her eyes wet) - "ye nahi ho sakta! .. I saw it happen with my own eyes....How is it possible? How are you even there?"(It can't be...)

Her voice and her hands both were trembling now. Neil had to take away the phone from her as she was in shock. He spoke into the receiver asking who was it. The person on the other side was quiet now but Neil knew that someone is listening to him and is purposely not answering! Suddenly he heard the other person hanging the phone up!

The person on the other side had cut the call on Neil, for a second time!

WHO WAS HE?