Addiction (series 2) - Avneil

Where dreams are true

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A bonus chapter! This was clearly much sooner than I had expected :P

So my internal goal last time was to pass time till story gets to 230 votes and 2800+ views and then to post next episode. But I was so addicted to writing this that I had written and saved the below draft and was dying to post it! Really my desperation to post just proved that I very much need the self-applied detox that I am supposed to be doing :P

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Neil walked up to Avni's head rest and looked at her, unsure what to do. She was trembling and mumbling, evidently she was in a very deep sleep. He had heard from his Bebe that it was not good to shake a person who was in deep sleep. So he just sat down by the bed looking at her helplessly and wondering what to do. Neil switched on the night light by the bed and was surprised by what he saw.

Avni was weeping in sleep. A tear slipped out of her shut eye and went down her cheek. Neil could not see it any more like this. He put his hand on Avni's head and gently took her name. She exhibited no change or reaction to it. Avni was continuously whimpering now as if somebody was hurting her in her sleep or nightmare. Neil was fully concerned now. He took Avni's head in his lap and tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her forehead. He realised her forehead was covered with sweat! Neil was sure this was his real Avni, as this could not be faked. He tried waking her up gently now by calling out her name two three times, but Avni was way too deep in her nightmarish sleep. She continued writhing and started gasping in her sleep, as if she is unable to breathe.

Neil was clueless and getting more concerned now, it was building into a state where he would need to shake her up to wake her if she does not wake up soon. Avni was clawing at the left side of her chest now, clutching a particular point as if protecting it. Neil softly took her clenched hand in his hand as to relieve her, and then he realised what she was clutching and protecting. It was the bullet wound.

Neil was already emotionally weak as he was concerned about her well-being. Now he got concerned about her health. Is Avni still feeling the pain after all these years? Is she physically ok? Or is it just a nightmare? Neil kicked himself for not having enough time and energy to investigate about this. But he realized it had all happened very fast. It seemed he went on a rainy day date with Avni only a few days ago and now Avni was in his own room as his wife!

Avni jerked a bit in some mental pain and Neil attention was brought back to the present. He could only imagine what Avni was going through if she was reliving her being shot. How old would she have been then? Judging by the look of the wound, it was at least 10 years old, maybe more. So Avni would have been less than 15 years when she was shot! Neil already had her head on his lap, he bent and kissed her gently on the forehead now. As he went near her to kiss her, he realised she was whispering something, in a very very low voice. He brought his ears closer to her soft lips and tried to hear what she was saying.

'Please mat maaro.. daadi please mat maaro.. I am sorry dadi.. Please dark room nahi.. Please spiders nahi. Please dont shoot me dadi..' (Please don't hit me grandmother. Please don't put me in a dark room..pls don't shoot me)

Avni was repeating this again, and again and again. For two minutes Neil was frozen in his place, just hypnotised by what she was saying and could not think of anything else. Her words had such a deep impact. So her grandmother was her torturer. Is that what this kid went through? Neil's eyes were inadvertently wet by now. He could not take Avni's self - torture any more. He raised his voice - "Avni.. utho.. Avni.. AVNI..."

Avni woke up with a start. She was a sight to behold, she had been crying and some unshed tears escaped her eyes now. She seemed to be in a shock.

She kept saying - "I am sorry..I disturbed your sleep. I am sorry. I am bad. Sorry"

Neil could not stop himself then, it was enough pain for her than for her to think she was hurting him as well. He pulled her into his chest. Avni's head was now safe in Neil's chest and his one hand was around her back pulling her to him and another one was on her head and hard, patting it slowly so as to comfort her. He did not realise she was still shivering till he hugged her. Neil embraced Avni tighter.

Neil - "Main kuch nahi disturb hua. Main kuch nahi sochunga. Avni, samjhi? Avni..?" (Im not disturbed. I'll not think anything. Understood avni?)

He then put her head a bit away from his chest to see if she was understanding and becoming better. And then he saw that she was calmer now, and then he looked at her for two seconds and then pulled her back inside him.

After two minutes, Neil could also think better. He made her sit against the pillow and then got a glass of water for her. He also got his handkerchief dipped in some water and wiped her face a little to make her feel better.

Avni was sitting half sleep now, and Neil was pained to see that still one of her hands was lying protectively on the left side of her chest!

He made her lie down. Avni protested a little and talked in half consciousness - "Neil..neil..mujhe nahi sona wo phir se ayega.." (I dont want to sleep. It will come again)

Neil said assertively - "Koi nahi ayega, kuch nahi hoga..main yahi pe hoon. Aur yahi rahunga. Mere paas ho tum. Kisi ki himmat nahi hai aane ki.. So jao ab". (Nothing will come. Nothing will happen. I'm here only. And will stay here. You're with me. No one dares to come here. Now sleep)

She then lied down and relaxed her body as he covered it with the sheet again. Neil continued sitting there, watching over her..

As Neil over saw her sleeping form protectively, he realized two things:

One, that he still loved her no matter what had happened. And he loved her from the deepest corners of his heart.

Two, that he will kill the person who had hurt her. He will destroy her torturers.

And then Neil kissed Avni's forehead again. He saw that she had slept, more peacefully this time, but still without a smile..