The next morning, when Avni walked into the kitchen she spotted Neil trying to prepare food. She noticed that there was some dosa batter lying on the kitchen slab close to the stove. Her face lit up in joy as he was preparing one of her favorite dishes. She walked across to the idols she had kept in her room on her table to silently offer some prayers. After she was done with her prayers few minutes later, she started to feel a bit hungry. Hence, she decided to walk over to the kitchen. The sight before her left her amused and she couldn't help but giggle. Neil was struggling with the ladle and trying to spread the dosa batter. He failed miserably in spreading it evenly leaving big holes in between. To make things worse, he had turned the flame so high, that the other side of the dosa was charred. An amusing smile played on her lips as she continued to watch him. "Need some help Neil?" she asked, unable to hold back her grins. "No Thank You! I shall manage.", he retorted and continued to struggled vigorously to get the sticky burnt dosa off the pan. Avni stood there, leaning against the wall, with her hands folded and staring at him. She obviously couldn't miss this free entertainment she was getting. Neil could sense her presence from the corner of his eye. He really needed her help at this stage, but his fragile male ego prevented him from asking her for any – not from her at-least. He continued to struggle with the batter and ladle, and his patience was slipping away with every passing second. He continued to curse himself for having brought the batter in the first place. Avni knew that he wouldn't give up on his ego, but she found his gesture of trying to make something different very endearing. She made up her mind to help him and walked up to him and stood beside him. "What?" he asked startled to find her suddenly beside him when he turned. "Neil let me help you.", she said softly. "No, I can manage by myself.", he tried to hush her again. "I know that you can manage by yourself, but I still want to help you. Please let me help you.", she said in the sweetest tone and an adorable puppy dog look adorning her face. That cute face did something to him internally – he found it hard to resist his sudden urge to kiss those puffed cheeks and pouty lips. His insides melted and he immediately gave the ladle to her. As she continued to instruct him, he couldn't take his eyes off her beautiful face. Her instructions went unheard, as he ended up lost in her cute facial expressions as she taught him how to pour the batter, spread and make the dosa. His eyes were fixated on her pretty face, her rosy lips, the beauty spot just above her lips, her sharp nose, her almond-shaped eyes, her hairlocks flying haphazardly on her face, and for some reason it budged to move away from there, while she was busy explaining the procedure to him. Once she was done, looking up to him, she asked "So did you follow it? See it's very simple". Seeing him so lost, she waved her hands in front of him. He still did not budge. She then shook his shoulder and said "Neil. Are you alright?". Her nudge broke him from the trance and he said "Huhhh..what??" "Did you follow what I just showed you?" she questioned. "Y..y ...yes I did" he stuttered realizing he hadn't heard a single word-thanks to her cute pout which made him forget everything around him. He smacked to himself and muttered, "Focus Neil FOCUS..and NOT on HER". He picked the batter and tried to spread it again. Seeing him struggle, she held her hand over his and moved it to spread the batter evenly. Her sudden hold on his hand rendered him numb. He had no idea why she was having such an effect on him. "Put the oil Neil" she said hurriedly. "Where?" he questioned her, confounded. "Oh God!..at the sides Neil" she said facepalming, as she proceeded to pour the oil by herself. She held his hand again as she flipped dosa with the ladle. "It's so simple Neil. Why are you making it so complicated?" she said dragging her words. As she turned to go, he called out to her. "A...Avni..can you help me with one more please?", he implored. "Okay sure. Or you know what? Let me do it. I shall get it done faster", she suggested. "N..n..noo..You can just guide me and I'll do it", he said fumbling. He wasn't sure what the reason was for his refusal of her preparing it by herself-whether it was because he wanted to do it all by himself or because he wanted her to help him just as she had done a few minutes ago, so that he could be in her vicinity for more time. As she spread out the batter, from behind her, he gently placed his hand over hers, intertwining his fingers between hers. She gulped a bit at his sudden grasp of her hand, as she was totally not expecting it. Brushing away all the silly thoughts clouding her mind, she continued to spread the batter. Once she was done, she whispered "Neil" as she tried to wriggle her hand free. He reluctantly let go of her hand. After she had poured the oil and held the ladle, his fingers once again entwined with hers, as she continued to flip the dosa back and forth. He stood behind her and watched peering over her neck. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and she closed her eyes in response. His grip on her hands and his breath on her neck were tormenting her. She took a deep breath and continued to prepare the dosa, trying hard to brush away all the sensations flooding her. Once she was done, she let go of the ladle, turned swiftly and ended up banging into his chest. He held her back with one hand to support her as their eyes met. "I...I.. think I should go..I hope you will manage now" she struggled with her words, trying to avoid his gaze. "Yes, I will manage" he replied and instantly let go of her. After she had left, he smacked his own head softly thinking 'What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you always lose yourself in her presence? This is not good news. You should get out of here as soon as possible'. Meanwhile Avni retired to her room, thinking about whatever had chanced between her and Neil a while ago. "What is wrong with you Avni? Why can't you control your silly thoughts in his proximity? You always end up making a fool of yourself in front of him" saying so, she smacked herself.
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She picked up her phone and dialed Sunehri's number. "Hello Avni" boomed Sunehri's voice from the other end. "Hiii Suuuu" replied Avni. "Seems like you've entirely forgotten that I exist. No response to any of my calls. What's happening with you? Are you sure the handsome hunk isn't keeping you too busy?" teased Sunehri. On hearing Sunehri mention about him, her heart skipped a beat and she blushed slightly. "No..Sunehri..nothing of that sort. Stop overtaxing that small brain of yours" said Avni, brushing her away. "Ok madam, as you say. So how come you suddenly remembered and decided to call me?" Sunehri playfully taunted. "Suuuu...Stop it will you? I need your help with shopping a dress" said Avni bluntly. "Ahaan..there you go! The cat is finally out of the bag. So, you need help with something. Otherwise I do not exist at all for you. Right?", Sunehri teased further. "My dear melodramatic Su. I was just a bit busy for the past few days and was also not keeping well lately" replied Avni. "Oh my God Avi. Are you alright? Why couldn't you call me? I would have come and picked you up. You could have stayed with me and I would have taken care of you" replied Sunehri worriedly. "I am alright now Sunehri. Neil took good care of me when I was sick. Moreover, I didn't want to trouble you for such a small thing" replied Avni. "You know what Avni. I'm happy that you are sharing the place with a good person who is taking care of you. And madam since when did the word 'trouble' come in between us?" asked Sunehri miffed a bit at her words. "Okay I'm sorry. Next time I fall sick I will call you first. Happy?" Avni shot back. "Well I really don't hope you fall sick again!! Okay I shall take you to some malls around the city, where you can shop for your dress. Shall I come over to your place and what time would work for you?" asked Sunehri. "I shall meet you at the mall directly in an hour. Just text me the address.", replied Avni. "Alright Avi. I shall text you. Will meet you at the mall. Take care" said Sunehri and hung up. When Avni returned to the dining table she saw Neil already gorging on the dosas. She sat beside him, served for herself and began to eat. There was an awkward silence between them for a long time. To break the tension, Avni spoke up saying, "Neil, I won't be in the house for a few hours. I will be going to meet a friend". The minute he heard 'friend', his brain was instantly on overdrive, as to determine whether it was a male/female friend. "Oh Okay. Who is this friend? I mean where will you be going. I'm asking just in case I need to contact you for practicing the ballroom-dance", he fumbled, trying to justify his questions being directed to her. "I will be out with my friend Sunehri. She knows the city well. So, she will be able to assist me. As far as the dance practice goes, don't worry. I'll be back well before time!" replied Avni. The minute he heard the 'she' from her, his mouth spread in a wide grin. "Ohhhh!..so SHE's going to meeting you. Don't worry. Take your time" he said now more relaxed and still grinning, while his brain kicked back at him, 'Stop grinning you Idiot!'. Though Avni found his reaction a bit absurd, especially the stress on 'SHE', she decided not to give it much thought and continued to eat.
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An hour later, Avni met Sunehri at the City Center Mall. Sunehri on seeing her, immediately engulfed her in a bear hug shrieking "Aviiii". "Suuu" yelled back Avni and continued to hug her. After their warm friendly hug ended, Sunehri spoke up "Aviii..How have you been? It's been so long. However, I see a special glow in your face. Is this the effect of the handsome hunk?" she asked teasingly. Avni blushed slightly and tried her best to contain her blush saying, "Sunehri..Stop teasing me. Let's finish buying the dress and then I shall fill you on everything that's been happening". The slight blush didn't go unnoticed by Sunehri. "I'm sure there's something cooking. Your blush says it all!" she said winking. "Suuu" retorted Avni. "Okay fine. I shall stop with the teasing. Let's go" replied Sunehri. They walked into a store 'Beautiful You Dresses'. "This place has the best collection of dresses Avi. From Formal wear to Wedding to Party- There's a dress for every occasion" said Sunehri as they walked in. The duo walked towards the party wear section and Avni started browsing through the dresses while Sunehri did the same. Nothing gained her interest for quite some time. She never took this long ever to pick a dress. She wanted to look good- but her heart wasn't sure whether it was for Vidyut or if it was for the stranger living with her. She dismissed her goofy thoughts, and finally her eyes caught sight of a gorgeous off-shoulder beaded red gown. She pulled it out and showed it to Sunehri. "Wow Avni. This will look great on you. If your handsome hunk sees you in this - he will definitely collapse on his knees, at that very moment" teased Sunehri. "Suuu..will you stop it now?" said Avni feigning disinterest. "Okay okay okay ..I shall stop! You go try it on and if you need any help let me know" said Sunehri as they walked towards the trial-room. Avni slipped on the dress. She saw that it indeed looked gorgeous, but there was a slight concern - her hands were unable to reach the zip. "Sunehri can you please help me with this zip?" asked Avni. Sunehri walked in and zipped up her dress. After she was ready, she looked at herself in the mirror. She loved the way it fit her. The fact that she was looking stunning would be an understatement. The dress accentuated all her curves flawlessly. "Avni. Oh My God! I don't know what you intend to do with this dress, but oh my my! You are indeed dressed to kill. God help the men around you when you wear this dress!" said Sunehri impressed by the way Avni looked. She blushed at her friend's remark. She slipped out of the dress, and purchased it without giving much further thought. As the two friends sat down to have their food, Sunehri started, "So Madam. Can you at-least now tell me what's happening? Why the sudden urge to buy a dress?". "Well Suuu. I am going to a masquerade party along with Neil. And I brought this dress specially for Vidyut. He will be there in the party and I intend to dance with him. My agenda is to keep him away from Juhi", said Avni smiling. Sunehri who was all excited for Avni, on hearing Vidyut's name, her face fell. Her friend hadn't yet gotten over her obsession called Vidyut. 'When will this girl stop with this?' she mentally muttered to herself. She then decided to divert the topic towards Neil. She had noticed a slight gleam in Avni's eyes whenever it came to Neil-but she had no idea what the girl was up to. "Oh okay. So, about the handsome hunk. How handsome is he?" asked Sunehri playfully. Her face slightly flushed as his perfectly handsome face came in front of her eyes. "He's okay Sunehri..not too great" she lied. "Oh really? Is that why you look like a hot air balloon right now?" asked Sunehri who was observing her friend closely. "Suuu" dragged Avni. "Ok alright. Do I stand a chance with him? You think he would be ok with going out on a date with me?" asked Sunehri slyly anticipating her reaction. "No ways. Of course not... I mean..I mean.." fumbled Avni. "Why not? He's single and you absolutely have no interest in him. At-least let me try and see if I stand a chance with him. Unless you have fallen for him and you are jealous much huh?" teased Sunehri further, seeing her friend get all worked up. Avni had no idea why she had reacted in that manner. "No ways Sunehri. Nothing as such. Well he really likes Juhi you see.. So, you don't stand a chance" she said trying to cover up for her foolish reaction seconds ago. "Tough Luck" said Sunehri feigning a sullen look. Internally her heart was beaming and Avni couldn't help control her sly grin. By now Sunehri was convinced that her friend was in a confused state of mind and was tending towards falling in love with the handsome hunk-or may have already done so. 'God bless the two of them and I do hope they really get together', she prayed silently in her mind. "Sunehri..Why are you so lost?" asked Avni. "N..n..nothing Avni. It's just my silly thoughts!" said Sunehri dismissing her thoughts. After spending some quality time, discussing their lives, the two friends departed from the mall to their respective homes.
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When Avni entered the house, she saw Neil sitting on the sofa, intently looking at his phone. It seemed like his eyes were a bit red. 'Maybe he just got up from sleep' she thought to herself. As she entered, she smiled at him only to get an annoyed stare in return. She wasn't sure why he reacted that way. She ignored him and quietly walked up to her cupboard to place the dress she had purchased. She closed the wardrobe door and turned swiftly only to bang into his chest. When she looked up at him, he looked down into her eyes, "Let us practice..NOW..and make it quick" he said strictly and walked away. She changed into a black off shoulder dress. When she came to their usual practice area, she noticed his grumpy face still lurking. "Neil. Is everything alright? You seem a bit upset and your eyes look red. Are you sure you want to practice now?" she asked in a concerned tone. "I'm perfectly fine. And hell yes, I want us to practice today" he yelled at her, anger still gleaming in his eyes. His fierce yell did scare her a bit, but she decided to go ahead. As the music started, she felt herself being pulled very hard by him. He pulled her so vigorously that she crashed into his chest. Almost immediately he held her hand in a tight grip and started swirling her suddenly. Her arms began to ache. When she faced him she said, "Ouch! Neil that hurt me.." in a feeble voice, but he ignored her words and continued to pull around her in a rough manner. "Neil ..you are hurting me" she spoke up almost tears in her eyes, but her pleas went to deaf ears. He just kept dragging her around from one end to another end vigorously hurting her in every possible way, completely ignoring her pain/cries. She finally struggled to get away from his grip by pushing him away from her. As he fell back a bit, she yelled loudly, "What the hell is wrong with you Neil? Why are you hurting me so much?" tears streaming down her eyes. He looked back at her in anger, advanced towards her in a quick stride, held her by her waist, pushed her back to the wall behind and rested his head against hers firmly. Both of them were breathing hard and profusely sweating. He then held her face in a tight grip with his hand, while his other hand encircled her waist. "I'm hurting you?? What about the hurt you caused me?" he retorted, his eyes tearing up slightly. "I don't know what you are talking about" said Avni confused. "You told me that you are going to meet a friend, but you were laughing away to glory with some random loser. What was the necessity to lie to me Avni?" he roared at her. She now recollected- Immediately after she had bid goodbye to Sunehri and was walking towards the exit, she happened to bump into one of her old college friends, Ali. It had been quite some time, so the duo decided to talk a bit over a cup of coffee. Since she had more time before evening, she agreed to his proposal and maybe Neil had spotted her with him. "I don't owe you any explanation Neil. I can roam and meet up with anyone I desire. Who are you to question me? Were you spying on me?" she shot back. His grip on her face and waist tightened as he pulled her closer to him. "As I always say you're not Princess Cleopatra for me to stalk you-I just happened to be in the same area at that time. You definitely owe me an explanation Avni and a very good one. We both stay together in this house and you are my responsibility. Not everyone you meet will be a nice person. What if something untowardly happens?" he asked gritting his teeth. The whole thought of some other guy touching her boiled his blood and he had absolutely no control over his feelings. "I am not your responsibility. I am responsible for myself. If anything happens to me, why do you care anyway? It's my life. I'll sort it out" she yelled back. "I care." he said softly. Her eyes widened up, but his ego was way too much to reveal his true feelings, so he continued to speak "I care - not for you, but for me. You are just a way in which I can get closer to Juhi. If you are with Vidyut, Juhi will never think about getting back to him. I care only because you are an important pawn for me in this game we are playing" replied Neil sharply. His acidic words tugged at her heart. She continued to cry while he released his hands and walked away. As he walked back with slight tears, he realized how much he had hurt her. He was not able to comprehend as to why he was behaving so harshly with her. Was he possessive about her? Was he truly jealous about her being with another man? He had many questions but no answers, and he had absolutely no clue why there were tears in his eyes.
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Hello Dear Readers,I wanted to thank you all for being kind and patient with me😀. And a big thank you for all the well wishes too❤️. I'm sorry I can't do quicker updates these days, but I will provide them(even if delayed). Also, a lot of you are asking me to make them realize their feelings for each other soon. I'm afraid that will take some more time, because I want to show a proper progress in their relationship🤠. So please do not curse me🙈. I will try to give you as many AvNeilicious moments as I can, but at the moment, realization will have to take a back-step. Hope you like this update!😃