Hello everybody😊..I was supposed to post this by yesterday, but it got unimaginably long.. hope you don't fall asleep reading it🙁 I hope you enjoy reading the AvNeil meet 😃 Kindly post your comments/ thoughts. It really is a source of inspiration to write better🙂
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On hearing the door click open, Neil wondered who it could be. 'Maybe the house owner was dropping by to hand out something that he might have missed earlier', he thought to himself. As he approached the living room, he caught sight of a person clad in black from top to toe. He immediately hid behind the wall adjacent to the living room and peeped as he stared at the figure in black moving inside with a backpack. The stranger now turned to face Neil and placed his backpack on the couch. Neil was trying hard to recollect that familiar attire and then in the next minute he realized that this was the same stranger that he had helped out earlier this morning. 'This thankless idiot is back. Wait a minute! What is he doing at my place? By any chance did he end up following me to talk to me? But if he had to talk, he would have done it earlier. What if he is here to attack me? What if he is involved with that gang?' Many random doubts flitted through his mind and he finally decided to approach this stranger.
He walked towards the stranger and decided to grab him from the back, but the other person just turned at the same time to face him, and his hands ended up landing on the shoulder in a tight grip. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" yelled Avni taken aback by this sudden attack on her. He also joined her and screamed back in response, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa", as he realized the voice seemed so feminine. His hands slowly shifted from her shoulder downwards and groped the sides of her chest. On realizing the awkward position, he retracted his hands back, and at the same time, she pushed him away with her hands and stepped back. She removed the helmet and the black scarf slid down her face revealing her pretty face and her long tresses. She seemed panic stricken with a horrified expression in her eyes. As he fell slightly backwards due to her push, he lifted his eyes to see her for the first time. He couldn't take his eyes off her for a brief few seconds as he intently gazed at her beautiful kohled doe shaped eyes which now had an expression of fear in them and her flawless complexion coupled with sharp features. Avni though was petrified wondering who this strange man inside her house was. Their eyes met and she noticed he was well built with a handsome face adorned with beautiful brown eyes which one could get lost in. When their eye-lock broke, Neil was the first to speak. "What the bloody hell! You are a girl. I thought you were a man" he said with an unbelievable look on his face. "And just what the hell made you come to that conclusion?" retorted Avni as she zipped open her jacket and laid it on the couch. "Well weren't you the same guy...errrmmm I mean girl I saved from those goons this morning. I spent my precious time on you and you didn't even have the basic courtesy to say one simple Thank You. You just fled form the place in an instant. And just what the hell are you doing in MY house?" Neil bit back. "Ohhhh! So that strange man was you? I couldn't notice you properly from a distance. Well I don't really want to say this, but Thank You.", said Avni throwing some attitude and a fake smile his way. "And just what the hell do you mean by YOUR house? This is MY house. It belongs to me.", she added in an annoyed tone, huffing, placing her hands on her hips. "You only have the looks of a girl, but I'm sorry to say nothing is girly about your attitude. Your tone is so arrogant and look at the audacity of you, barging into a stranger's house. To a house where a well-behaved honourable guy like me stays. What should happen to my reputation?" he said dramatically, throwing a condescending look at her. "Hey Mister. Just mind your tongue. And what do you think of yourself huh? I haven't barged into any stranger's house. This is my house. I have just paid the owner the advance and I rightfully belong here.", said Avni pointing a finger at him. "Oh really? Is that so? How much did you pay the owner?" asked Neil out of curiosity, now wondering whether he had been tricked by the owner. "I paid an advance amount of Rs.50k to the landlady Mrs. Chopra.", replied Avni. "Well I arrived way before you did and I paid the owner an advance amount of Rs.50k too. Moreover, it seems like I did occupy the house earlier than you. Logically speaking this house is mine. So, Madam, please be kind enough to leave from her immediately along with your backpack. Otherwise I might have to consider lifting and throwing you out of my house with my own two hands.", said Neil gesturing his hands and slowly started to advance towards her with a playful smirk. Her eyes widened on hearing his over smart comment. "Oh, so you think you can threaten me and I shall flee from this house. Dream on Mister whatever your name is! No way am I leaving from here. I am not scared of you. In fact, it will be you who will be leaving from my house right away.", said Avni as she slowly advanced towards him with extreme determination in her eyes.
Their eyes refused to tear apart from each other's. Their brief hatred filled eye-lock was broken when they heard those familiar voices. Almost immediately, they ran towards the window. Vidyut and Juhi exchanged kisses and drove off from the place in their car. To say their faces were filled with disgust, anger and resentment would be an understatement. Neil picked a backpack, turned to Avni and said "I shall deal with you later!" and walked off. "Hey you...go to hell!" she yelled behind him.
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'There is no one in the house right now. This would be my perfect chance to get in and do what I need to' Neil thought to himself. He walked towards the opposite house and entered inside the gate. He noticed that there were two passages, one on each side. He first slowly moved towards the first passage and realized that it was perfectly useless as there was no way he could get inside. After that he ventured onto the passage at the right side. That was where he saw that there was a huge window, easily accessible to him. He opened his backpack and removed a screwdriver. He slowly worked on the window with it and unscrewed the window grill carefully without causing any damage. He placed it on the ground below and jumped through the window sill into the house. Though there was not a single soul in the house, he still had to be careful. So, he walked around stealthily without making a noise and ventured into the different rooms to have a look. He removed the wireless cams that he had brought with him and placed it in appropriate locations in the hall, the dining room and the kitchen. He had placed them in such a way that one could hardly identify it in plain sight. Meanwhile, after a few minutes had passed, Avni who was in the house, also put on her backpack and followed him. She had a look at the two passages and on realizing that there was already a way to get into the house through the right passage, she jumped through the window and entered the house. She walked around the house slowly observing each and every minute detail. She removed a few wireless audio devices and placed it carefully in the master bedroom as well as the guest bedroom of the couple. As she was walking around admiring the grandeur of the house, she banged into someone at her back. She gasped in horror, thinking that there might be someone else in the house and that her game was up now. She slowly turned to see who it was and saw the same annoying man that she had just met a few minutes ago. Both of them heaved a sigh of relief on realizing that it was each other they had banged into. "Hello Madam. What is your problem? Wherever I go, you end up following me. What would it take you to quit stop following me?" whispered Neil in a low voice on her face, as he tightly gripped her arm. She shrugged off his hand, walked closer to him and whispered in a lower voice, "Excuse me Mister. It is not me following you, but the other way around. Not only did you follow me to my house, but now you are here too." she said twisting her lips in an angry smirk. Immediately they heard the loud sound of a horn and a car stopped just outside the house. Neil, fearing that it would be Juhi and Vidyut returning, and thinking that they would get caught, first ran towards the room which had the open window sill. He covered the window with the curtains, closed the door, pulled Avni towards a small store-room that he had spotted earlier, and latched the store room door from inside. It was an extremely compact store room with not much space, for more than 2 individuals. To top that, the store room was filled with basic essentials, making the available space for them even lesser. The only source of light and oxygen was from the base of the door. Neil held Avni's hand upwards facing her, their fingers interlaced. They were breathing hard from the fear of getting caught. His left hand slowly slid down and landed on her waist encircling her back. She felt his cold fingers on her bare waist which was exposed as her hands were raised. She let out a gasp in response. Neil immediately moved his right hand down and placed it over her mouth. Their intense proximity, the way his cold fingers felt across her bare waist coupled with his strong masculine scent, was wreaking havoc with her senses. "Are you of your senses? We have barged into a stranger's house. Do you want us to get caught? Please stay still until they are gone. And I shall make sure we escape somehow from here", said Neil leaning towards her whispering into her ears softly. His lips lightly grazed against her ears as he spoke to her, resulting in her eyes closing automatically in response. She obviously didn't want him to know the kind of effect he was having on her. She just muttered a simple "Hmmm" in response. They lay standing there with their bodies sandwiched to each other for a while. He realized their proximity and the fact that their curves were pressed against each other's. Her sweet strawberry scent was also not doing good to him. The only sound that was audible to them in the darkness was their slow but hard breathing which was now intermingling. The position seemed so comprising that Neil feared that if they stayed longer like that, he might end up doing something silly that he would regret. 'Have to figure out a way to get out from here, before I lose my last ounce of sanity' he thought to himself, wishing that their unexpected guests would leave soon.
On the other hand, Juhi and Vidyut entered the house. "Hadn't I reminded you to check your purse for tickets before leaving? Why don't you ever listen to me? Always trying to act like Miss-Know-It-All" said Vidyut mockingly. "Oh come on! Like as though you never make mistakes. It was just this one time. Let it be already, will you?" replied Juhi annoyed. "Fine. I will let it go. Just grab those tickets soon. We will be late for the show otherwise.", said Vidyut getting impatient. Juhi grabbed the tickets from the dressing table where she had placed it earlier and thrust it into her handbag. She headed out after locking the main door and the duo drove off. Meanwhile, Neil was straining his ears hard to make out if they had left or not. The acoustics of that tiny storeroom was terrible for sure. You could hardly hear anything happening outside. Neil gave up and slouched his head down, which landed on Avni's bare shoulders. His short stubble pricked her and she could feel his warm breath fanning her neck. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. She closed her eyes as well as her fist tightly to overcome the sparks he unknowingly was igniting in her body. Neil now faintly heard some voices. He lifted his head to again try attempting to overhear anything that he could manage to grab. It was then that Avni let out the long breath that she had been holding for quite sometime now. After a while, the voices became fainter and then he could hear nothing. Assuming that the air might be clear and it might be safe to step out now, he decided to step out. Before doing so he again whispered softly in her ears, "I am going to step out to check if they have left. Please do me a favour and stay here till the time I am back. Do not wander away anywhere on your own. I can't afford to get us both caught. I shall come back and take you with me, when I feel that the coast is absolutely clear. Got it?". "Okay" is all that she could manage to reply back, as she was still reeling under the side effects of his proximity and his accidental but frequent lip brushes against her earlobes as he spoke. Neil carefully crept out of the storeroom without making a sound, closing the door behind him. He crawled on the floor till he reached the living room. He was now convinced that no one was in the house and this was their only chance to escape from there before the couple would return. He ran back to the storeroom immediately and opened the door, and pulled Avni outside with his hand. Her eyes flinched a bit on coming in direct contact with the light suddenly. A slight tinge of pink and some sweat adorned her beautiful glowing face. 'Maybe she experienced claustrophobia back in there' he thought to himself, totally not realizing that he was the actual reason for her condition. "We need to get out of her as quickly as possible. Before they creep up on us again. Let's go!" said Neil. She shook her head in response. He ran to the room, opened the door and jumped out the window. Avni followed suit and he lent his hand to pull her out, but she refused it and leapt outside by herself. She walked away instantly without even waiting for him. 'Ufff what horrendous attitude this girl has!' thought Neil to himself rolling his eyes. He screwed the window grill again back on with the help of the screwdriver and fled from the place carefully, ensuring that he wasn't being spotted by anyone.
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Once they were back in the house, the Tom & Jerry duo were at it again! "You don't have an ounce of shame left in you, do you? You just barged into a newly-wed couple's house and rigged up cameras in their bedrooms. I mean who does that? That's their private space, you stupid girl!" said Neil. "How dare you call me shameless? Oh, and just for the record, how different do you think you are? You just did the same thing. You rigged up cameras in their house too. At-least I didn't set up cameras, just audio devices. I respect their privacy that way, unlike you! So before dumping your lecture on me, please care to have a look at yourself in the mirror too!" she shouted back at him, turning and folding her arms together. "Ok fine. Just do whatever the hell you want to, but please leave me alone.", he said exasperated, folding his hands in front of her as though he is begging her to do so. "Fineee" she yelled, hmphed, stormed away from there and sat near the dining table. Neil opened his backpack and took out some equipment and laid them on the table. He connected the projector in such a way that it faced the blank wall opposite the couch. He then began to connect a set of wires to the electronic equipment. Avni, who was sitting at a distance, slowly peeked towards him. Whatever he was doing had grabbed her interest. She sat watching him intently. She then got up slowly, pulled a chair and sat next to him. She also began to set up her audio equipment on the table beside the couch. He switched on the projector after having connected the necessary equipment. The projector displayed them the clear views of the hall, the dining room and the kitchen. She had to wait till the couple got back to know if they could overhear their conversations through the microphones that she had managed to hide. Extremely elated that they could now keep an eye on the couple next door, "Yessss" shrieked both of them, almost instantaneously at the same time. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, and their smiles dropped. Neil finally decided to break the ice. "Hi. My name is Neil. And you?", he asked extending his hand to her. She reciprocated by giving into the handshake. "Hi. My name is Avni.", she replied, giving a faint smile. "Why did you fit those microphones in that house? Do you happen to know the people living there? Are you related to them in anyway?" asked Neil out of curiosity. Avni walked away from the couch towards the window of the hall and held onto the sill. "I am madly in love with him. He had promised never to leave me. Then why did he betray me? I am here to find out all the answers I need, as well as to separate him from his so-called 'wife'. I will never let Juhi lead a peaceful married life with him", she said with vengeance, as tears streamed down her eyes. Neil was observing her closely and he felt her pain. At the same time, he was shocked by her revelation. She was here for the same thing basically. Avni wiped her tears, and turned to him. "How about you? What was the intention behind you sneaking up into the house to fit those cameras? Do you happen to know anyone there?", she asked. "He destroyed my life. I had this dream of leading a happy family life with Juhi, but Vidyut snatched her away from me. I will make sure I leave no stone unturned in winning the love of my life back. She was mine, is mine and will always be mine. I have planted those cameras so that I get to know what their weaknesses are. That would help me in destroying their relationship in no time. He has tricked Juhi into marrying him. I will get her back in my life no matter what it takes!" said Neil spitefully. "Well I guess we both are sailing on the same boat! But be mindful of one thing. If you hurt my Vidyut, I will hurt your Juhi.", warned Avni. "Oh really?" retorted Neil with a smirk. "Do not take me lightly Neil. I am not joking. I seriously mean it. If you hurt him, I will hurt her. So, let's strike a deal between the two of us. We will do whatever it takes to separate them but in a way that involves no physical attack on either party. Deal?" she said extending her hand. He held her hand and said, "Fine. You have got my word." He replied. The door bell rang breaking their handshake.
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Avni opened the door to find Mr and Mrs. Chopra. They stepped inside and walked up to them. "We seem to have some sort of a predicament here. You see my wife had already promised the house to Avni last night, as she had paid a small booking advance. I was not aware of it and handed over the house keys to you Neil. I apologize for the confusion that happened. Here is the advance amount. Since Avni had booked the house earlier, it rightfully belongs to her. So, it would be logical that she stays here.", said Mr. Chopra. Neil's face fell, as he received the money from him, which did not go unnoticed by Avni. Neil turned and looked at Avni with disappointment. They looked at each other. "Mr. Chopra please keep the money from Neil as the rent. We both have decided to share the house. Moreover, I would be eased of the burden of paying the rent by myself. He is a good friend of mine.", said Avni without wasting any time. To say that Neil was shocked would be an understatement. His heart jumped up in joy. She had agreed to sharing the apartment, even before he could request her. Immediately he turned, walked up to Mr. Chopra and returned the money. "Thank You Mr. Chopra. I wouldn't mind staying here for a few days. Please consider this as the rent. Moreover, Avni is a good friend of mine.", said Neil looking at Avni, as he literally lied though his teeth. "Alright then. I guess we have struck a deal.", added Mrs. Chopra. After the owners left the apartment, Neil turned towards Avni and said "Thank You so much for letting me stay. You don't know how much this means to me." "Well..this was just a way of repaying you back for helping me this morning. You did help me handle those goons.", scoffed Avni with a tone laced with attitude. "Okaayyy..I am from Delhi. Where are you from?" quizzed Neil. "And why exactly do you want so much information about me huh?" replied Avni. "Miss pea-brain Avni. We are going to be living together in this house. What if we run into some kind of an emergency? I at-least should have some basic information about you.", replied Neil sarcastically. "Excuse me, how dare you call me pea-brain? Just what do you think of yourself? ", bit back Avni. "Your new live-in partner" said Neil winking, holding her hand and placed a gentle kiss at the back of her palm. She instantly retracted her palm. In return he received an angry glare which made him gulp. "Sorry..Sorry Avni. I promise that will not repeat. Now can you please divulge some more information about yourself?", said Neil holding his ears. "Okay fine. I am from Delhi too" she replied. "Also, this house has only one bed. Since I arrived earlier, I will be occupying the bed inside whereas you will be sleeping on this futon here.", stated Avni in a stern tone. "Okay Madam. As you wish.", replied Neil bending as though to curtsy before her. He was way more relieved about the fact that he could live in that house and focus on his goal, rather than worrying about where he will have to sleep. Nothing else mattered to him. He would stay in the house even if it meant putting up with the 'annoying girl'. "Also, just to add, I know karate. So don't you dare try to get all touchy/flirty with me" she warned him. "Oh, that wouldn't be a problem at all. Except for the form a girl, nothing seems girly about you. Even if the world is ending, and you are the last girl surviving on this earth, I still will not touch you. Breaking news Miss Avni – You are not my type" he said and smirked mockingly. Annoyed with whatever he had just said, she faintly mumbled something to herself and stormed out of there towards her room, while Neil laughed internally seeing her so riled up. Later that night, they both could not help but somehow recollect the tiny passionate storeroom encounter. However, they brushed aside all those unwanted thoughts and focus on their common goal – To somehow make sure that the couple in the opposite house would be history soon. In no time, they both drifted into a deep slumber.
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So how was it? 🙂 The next few chapters are mainly going to focus on AvNeil with cameo sequences of the parallel couple. I'm sorry for rambling on in this chapter, but it was required. Please friends do leave your thoughts. 😊