Apologize for the late update! Let's jump further into the story! :)
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As soon as they reached home, DD helped Neil with his luggage and showed him to his room. He asked Neil to freshen up and join him for dinner. Before DD left the room, Neil called out to him and said "DD. Thank You so much for accommodating me and for all your help. All this means a lot to me and I will forever remain indebted to you". "Neil you haven't even changed a bit, have you? Still, the emotional fool that you were in college. Can you please stop with all these formalities between us?", said DD rolling his eyes at him. "Alright brother" said Neil smiling back.
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Meanwhile at Sunehri's house, Avni entered into the guest room reserved for her. Sunehri helped her with the luggage. "What a lovely house!" exclaimed Avni. "Thank You and I am so glad to have you here" said Sunehri smiling. "Su, you didn't have to do this for me. But you still went out of your way to help me out. I am indeed blessed to have you in my life. Thank You so much for everything" said Avni holding Sunehri's hand. "Thank You? Really Avni? You just distanced me by thanking me for something I ought to be doing as a good friend should" said Sunehri turning her face. "Okay I am sorry Su..I shall never use the T word again", said Avni facing her, making a my-lips-are-sealed gesture with her fingers. "Nor should you be using the S word" said Sunehri rolling her eyes. "Uffoo..My drama queen. Fine. I will not. Mumbai certainly has had a dramatic effect on you. Have you been watching too many daily soaps?", said Avni while the two friends exchanged some laughter.
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After freshening up, Neil came and joined DD at the dining table. "What special dish have you cooked for me?" asked Neil grinning. "You know how bad a cook I am. I decided not to torture you on the first day of your arrival. I have ordered us some roti and your favorite shahi paneer.", said DD. "Well bring it on. I am famished" said Neil. As they finished up and retired to the hall, they sat opposite each other, with an awkward silence. DD was not sure as to whether and how he should approach Neil. Neil sensed his friend's hesitation and decided to make a move and update him.
Neil: I know there are a lot of questions on your mind right now DD. The reason I did not give you all the details over the phone was because I thought it would be more appropriate to meet you in person and talk to you about the same. You being the good friend that you have always been, never bombarded me with questions. But I think now is the time I give you all the answers that you need.
DD: I understand if you are not entirely comfortable in sharing everything yet. You take your time. No pressure bro.
Neil: I think it's high time you get to know all that has chanced in my life over the past few days. Now that I am here and in a better frame of mind to talk about it, you deserve to know the truth.
Saying so, Neil blurted out the entire sequence of events starting from his wedding being set with Juhi, to how she had run away on the day of their wedding, leaving him completely devastated and heart broken. Teary eyed, Neil reminisced over all the myriad dreams he had made for him and Juhi, but all that had been shattered in no time. It was hard for DD to see Neil like this:
DD: Neil, I know that this might have been very hard on you, but you need to let go of it. Everything that had to happen, has happened. I know this would be easy for me to say, and a lot harder for you to deal with, but please try to forget her and move on. I cannot see you broken like this. Leave behind your past and advance into your future. I am note entirely sure why you needed me to collect information on Vidyut. What do you intend to do?
He wiped his tears and a devious smirk grew on his face.
Neil: What do I intend to do? Well I intend to take revenge. I am going to take a place close to them so that they are constantly under my scrutiny. I will ensure I break this relationship that they both claim to have. I am absolutely certain Juhi loves me. Vidyut snatched her away from me. Now I will make his life a living hell by returning the favor.
DD was not absolutely thrilled by this idea. No matter what the situation, Juhi was now married to another man. This just did not feel right. He did not agree with Neil's actions but also could not point that out to him yet. He was very vulnerable right now. Maybe someday Neil will realize all of this is futile and will give up on this vengeance. Time is always a healer. Some day when he gets all his answers, he will snap out of his obsession, thought DD to himself. But at the moment, it was necessary for him to support Neil with his plans.
Neil: So as per the information you have with you, where is Juhi residing now? Is there any house in the vicinity where I could live, so that I can observe them from a close distance?
DD: From whatever I could gather Juhi and Vidyut both stay in Andheri. There is a house right opposite to theirs, which is available for rent. I have also checked out the house for you. It would probably be small for you, but it's definitely sufficient enough. Especially considering how hard it is to find a house in Mumbai, I hope that this should work for you.
Neil: That definitely isn't an issue. Doesn't matter much to me as to how big or small the house is, I just want to be at a close distance from them, so that I can constantly keep an eye on them from time to time. I want to be able to track their daily routines and most importantly I want to be able to see Juhi in front of my eyes every single day. That would probably inspire me more so that I attain my goal of separating them faster.
A smirk combined with an ardent determination was visible in his eyes.
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Meanwhile, Avni and Sunehri sat at the dining table, eating some freshly prepared rotis. "This is amazing Su. Being away from Delhi has turned you into quite an amazing cook apparently. I remember those days back at home, where aunty had to literally drag you out of your room to help her in the kitchen. This food is scrumptious" said Avni as she almost literally devoured the food in front of her. Sunehri smiled and said, "Well, being independent isn't quite an easy job you see. My parents had to move away to Ahmedabad as my father got transferred again on his job. And I had to stay back because my job was here. So, survival being one of the basic instincts, I finally learnt how to cook."
Avni helped Sunehri with the dishes and they both retired to the living room. As they settled down with some ice-cream, Avni sensed that Sunehri had a lot of questions on her mind, but for some reason was being hesitant to open up. She realized that finally the time had come for her to reveal all that was bottled up in her for so long. "Sunehri. I know you have a lot of questions on your mind right now as to why I am here suddenly. And, also why I requested you to gather so much information for me. I did brief you over the phone, but I felt that it would be more appropriate to give you a detailed version of the story when I am here with you" said Avni. "Avni I do not mean to intrude into your space. You can open up only if you feel you are ready. There is absolutely no pressure on you. You can take your time" said Sunehri as she lightly squeezed Avni's hand. "Well, I think it is the right time for you to know" said Avni. Then she went on to narrate the entire sequence of events. As to how she met Vidyut, how they became good friends, and that slowly turned to love (from her side, though she did not bother to mention this). She told her how he had rejected her proposal, followed by the suicide attempt, his promise and finally his betrayal. Her eyes glistened with tears as she completed telling her everything. Sunehri hugged her friend to comfort her. "I am so sorry that you had to go through so much Avni. And I feel terrible for not being able to be with you and help around when you needed me" said Sunehri as she gently patted Avni's back. "I do not know why he left me Sunehri. He had made a promise. How could he break his promise?", said Avni as she gently reeled out of her friend's embrace.
As she continued to cry, Sunehri held her hand and said "I feel now, like I knew an entirely different Avni. How could you even think about taking your own life? Did you for once think about how hard it must have been for Neela aunty to see her daughter in that state? Also, it pains that you hid all this from me. For God's sake get a hold of yourself Avni. I understand you have been through a very rough patch. There is no problem so big that it cannot be solved. Wipe your tears now my dear strong girl. I cannot see you like this. Forget about everything's that happened in the past and now let us focus on all that needs to be done. Why did you ask me to find out about Vidyut's whereabouts? What is it that you intend to do?" asked Sunehri.
Avni wiped her tears. She stood up and walked towards the balcony. "I intend to destroy their marriage Sunehri. I know that Juhi has manipulated Vidyut and convinced him that he is in love with her. But in actuality, he is still in love with me. She must have compelled him to run away by brainwashing him. It is time to turn the tables. Be prepared Juhi. Your worst nightmare is coming for you!", she said as she had an evil smirk plastered on her face. Sunehri walked towards Avni to join her. She could not believe what she had just heard. No matter what the circumstances are, Vidyut was now legally wedded to someone else. She had never seen Avni so bitter earlier. She did not approve of her friend's ways, but thought that it would not be optimal to go against her right now. She was very vulnerable at the moment. Time is always a healer. 'Yes', thought Sunehri to herself. Time will definitely heal all her wounds and maybe someday, just maybe someday, Avni will realize her mistake and give up on this quest. Till then she had to play the game along with her.
"Anyhow, Sunehri. Were you able to find out where Vidyut stays? Is there any house close by which I could rent so that it becomes easier for me to keep track of his daily routine?" asked Avni.
"There is one house just opposite to them. It probably isn't very spacious, but since you will be staying by yourself, I think that it would suffice for now. You are aware how difficult it is to find houses in Mumbai." Said Sunehri.
"Honestly, that doesn't matter Su. I will manage somehow. What matters now, is for me to get there and make sure I have the house before someone else takes it. And also make sure that I win back my Vidyut. And that would be possible only if I'm as close as possible to him. That would be motivation enough for me to be focused on whatever I intend to achieve. Juhi start counting your days!" she proclaimed with a smirk.
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I know that in terms of the story moving forward, this chapter did not include too many details, but it was essential. So hope you guys like it. Next chapter would focus on AvNeil meet :) Are you excited for it? Please do let me know your thoughts :)