Hey My Little Virtual Family.!!

Even before I begin to say Any Other Thing, I would really Like To Thank You All From the Deepeset Bottom of My Heart ❤ for all Your Amazing Messages and Confessions.! Its Huge to be recognised and being wished as a good writer, even when i myself consider to be just a Begginer and a learner.!

That Feeling when You Open up WP after a long tiring day and find ur feeds and inbox filled with Tags and Mentions of ur name, all for good reasons..!!! ITS INCREDIBLE.! ITS EXQUiSITE.!!

A Big Thank u to everyone who has contributed for my overwhelmness.(U are going to receive personal Replies too😄) And Another Thank You to all those who are reticent in expressing their true feelings but do believe in me. Your one second of thinking about me is equally important for me.! 😙

About the Update, Itni Shiddat se maine is update ko post karne ki kosish ki hai ki sari Kaynath ne Aesa na hone dene ki sajeesh Ki hai.! 😄😄 I mean seriously, i have been trying to post from last 2 days but everytime some or the other thing would pop up.!

This is going to be Another Heavy duty Emotional, Philosophical kindda chap but last of its kind. I promise.!

I personally think, I have been partial to 2 of my story characters, Ali and Prakash. So, for all Ali ke Dewaane, you will see more layers of his character, than merely being a comic relief.! I hope u'l like it.! And Prakash Papa's turn will also come.

Warning - An ultimate long boring chapter which even i cant define as how it is.! *clueless *need help

Hope you have a happy read.!

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CHAPTER 78 : "The Repercussions.!!"

Enshrouded under Neil's warm jacket, Avni was comfortably snuggled on his chest with one of his arms protectively wrapped around her waist in a side hug. Her head was propped up in an attempt to stare the Moon above, while his chin was resting on her temple as he was staring at their dangling feet inside pool water.

"So this was the Tough Situation You were talking about.?"

"Uhh-ha..! And you even wished me luck for it, which i can already see to be working."

"You took my best wishes by cheating. Anyway, My Question still stays, Why did you bring her here.?"

"For You.!" He confessed honestly. She slightly pulled back her face and rolled up her eyes to meet his orbs that were gazing her back, reflecting nothing but purity in it.

"For You.. To give a Chance to Your own feelings for your best friend who is as much part of your life as you yourself. For you.. To not hide behind the facade of Stubborness and ignorance. For You.. To accept that the strong connection is still unscathed even if the trust was broken, courtesy your own intuitions about her. For You.. To stop being harsh on yourself and learn to let go if your heart is ready for it. Just For You..!!"

Avni squirmed under the intensity of his words and immediately straightened, only to make Neil reflexly tighten his hold over her waist.

Breaking away from the captivity of his intent gaze, she stated timidly, "I accept, i can not stop thinking about her. I can never totally abandon her. She was a huge part of my life, which i simply cant erase even if i try."

"But... neither can i forget the brutality with which she shattered My Trust in trillion pieces and in turn broke a deep-rooted and pious relation."

"Fair Enough.! Its you who have endured the pain, and so it will only be you to decide whether she deserves forgiveness or not. I will not even be the last person to push you to do something which you dont want to. But the question is Do you really know what you want.?"

"Whatever it is, I just want you to consider her genuine efforts of contrition. Dont put a blindfold of ignorance if your heart wants to believe in her remorse."

Her eyes found his in a curious inquisitiveness, reading more through his lines, albeit uncertainly. As if studying the hidden questions behind the veil of her gorgeous eyelids, Neil sighed before begining the untold story from his side.

"It all started with our not-so-civil introduction by one and only My Angry Bird, after Bebe's party."
(Reference chap 53)

Avni chuckled at the memory when she, with all pricey attitude, had introduced her Fiancee to Rhea, pulling off all her impudence in a single act.

"I knew nothing of the equation between you two and wasnt sure whether the girl with whom we almost fought in the middle of the road was trustworthy or not. I was skeptical that she might expose the mystery girl of my life in front of Media. Hence i kept a distant yet vigilant eye on her. Neverthless she came clean and i was on the brink of dropping the matter. When.."

"Two weeks later, My Receptionist informed me that a certain Rhea Singh came to see me. My first reaction was "Anger" followed by many negative notions so i bluntly denied to give her my time."

"But she was more persistent and determined than i thought. Every now and then, She would call and politely ask for an appointment and would receive a "No" uncomplainingly. And the cycle would repeat. I was almost tempted to hear what she desparately wanted to convey but then neither i wanted to break your Trust nor to push you to share about her."

"Then few days back you called me to share about your restlessness and was worried that it has something to do with Rhea. You ended up telling me everything from the day you met till the time you last saw her. There and then, i knew what i have to do."
(This happened around time of chap 73 (A))

"I called her to office through Mr. Sharma and she was ecstatic that finally her 10th attempt in meeting me went successful."
(Remember the end of Chap 73(B))

"When i demanded what is it that she seeks from me, her answer left me speechless."

"What did she say.?" Avni who was hearing everything with mild interest and straight face till now, suddenly prompted with grave curiosity.

"I am seeking Repentance but unfortunately cannot reach the person. You are my last hope, Mr. Khanna." Neil recollected and reiterated Rhea's exact words, and immediately felt Avni to stiffen beneath his arms.

"She did trust you Avni, albeit belatedly. I would be lying if i say i wasnt moved by her genuine efforts and pure intentions. But again i am not a person in question here, Its You. That was the time i decided to bring her here."

"Its time Avni, Question yourself, what exactly You want.? To crib and cuss over the things that went wrong or To move ahead and preserve the things which are still right."

She bowed down her head unable to bear his boring gaze, "Its not easy, Neil" Her delicate lids couldnt bear the weight of the emotions pooling inside her eyes and a lone tear somehow found the escape path.

"It will never be, Avni." His hands reached out to wipe off her tears, "Whether they are good or bad, memories Last Forever, its upto us which side we choose to carry in hearts. Even a white Rose has a black shadow."

"I'l need more time."

With a tender pull through his palm that was still caressing her waist, he guided her to the safety of his embrace. Gently cradling her against his chest, "You have all the time. Whatever you decide, Just Remember that We are Partners, and you will always find me by your side, Like Rock-Solid Support."

In no time, He found her breathing to be calm and even, as if he just said what she wanted to hear the most, "I dont want to behave as Mr. I-know-it-all, but i know deep down You still crave for your Best Friend and miss those good old times, because i know You too well."

She promptly whacked on his shoulder playfully and mumbled in her quacky voice, "I hate You for knowing me so well and shamelessly flaunting it on my face." making him softly chuckle.

"You can never hate me, Miss Fiance." He said pulling out of hug and arranging her hairs that were stuck in his stubble.

"What makes You so Confident all the time.?" She almost whined like a kiddo.

"YOUR LOVE.!!" His heart whispered.

"I should better be going to My own Suite, its getting too late and cold. Now You dont want to spend Your Friend's wedding, curled like a ball inside a comforter, in company of hoards of tissues, do you.? Get some rest, sweetheart."

He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead, got up on his bare damp feet and was about to leave, when a firm hold on his wrist stop him mid-stance. He turned to find a pair of beautiful hazel eyes stuffed with innocent plea, staring back at him.

"Stay with me.!"

****

(Aliya's convo continued from last part.)

"What if i say, I was actually at fault and did some terrible things in past with Avni.? I am the horrible person here."

Judgements and Opinions were probably the only things Rhea had never entertained in her entire life. But suddenly someone's opinion became a reason of grave concern for her, beyond her level of comprehension. Is it because He is Avni's Friend or Is it because she is too tired of hearing insults that she is craving a change or Is it because she wanted him to think good about her.?

She waited for his answer with her bated breath as He was busy pampering his tongue with overload of sweetness.

"Ummm.!!" Ali began thoughtfully, "Then i would say you are "The Courageous" Horrible person who wishfully came to slaughter herself in Tigeress's den." He said extending both his hands in claw-shape as if to prove his point followed by his lousy attempt to mimick a roar, trying hard to curb his urge to laugh.

"Ali yar.!" She smacked him continously, alternating between both his shoulders while he tried to bend and dodge, "I cant believe you can joke in such serious situation too."

"Ohkay Ohaky Times up. I am serious now." He said sobering up, holding his palms in defeat.

"You are not a horrible person Rhea." He stated with conviction making her eyes go widen like a saucer, "Repentance is a rare plant that sprouts only in the fertile land of a caring Heart and needs to be nurtured through perseverance."

"A person who accepts her mistakes and is willing to face all the obstacles - which i might add is 10 times more difficult in case of Avni - to seek for its pardon can never be bad at heart."

At that moment Rhea was clueless as to how she should feel and how she should react to the feeling of reverence that ensnared her heart. Someone do believe her.!

"Dont you wanna know what i did.?" She asked hesitantly.

"If Avni thinks our involvment is not necessary then i would like to think the same. She knows the best." He said shrugging casually, "Besides, Whatever you did, it was in the past, let's leave it there in the past only."

"Is this the same Ali who was here 5 minutes ago, or do you carry some 'sensible' switch.?" She asked impressed, only to make him chuckle and scoop the last bits of brownie to please his taste buds. How can this guy be all mature and a kiddo at the same time.?

Few minutes passed by in defeaning silence and Rhea was distant again, lost in some thoughts of her own. A reassuring pat on her shoulder broke her trance.

"Avni ke bareme soch rahi ho.?" She let out a long sigh before nodding her head.

"Dont worry she may take some time but she will come along. You see, we all have our unique Defence Mechanisms to salvage ourselves from unwanted situations. Like for me, its My Humour, For Neil its his Patience, and For Avni its her anger and annoyance."

"Ahhhaa.! Tell me about it, i have been at the receiving end since 2 yrs now." She said raising her eyebrows, totally dramatic.

"And You are still willing to face it, for however time it will take, didnt i tell u earlier, You are a good Human Being.!" Finally Ali saw a glimse of her genuine smile which put up a distinct glow on her face.

After a long pause, that mainly consisted of detoxifying herself from all the negativity and stacking up the small packets of happiness that this noodle haired guy is generously showering her with, Rhea finally demanded, "Ali, Can you fill me in with Avni's past 2 years of life, that i missed.?"

He smiled appreciatively at her innocent request and eager eyes. He didnt have the heart to deny her, esp when she is making all those puppy eyes and pleading pouts.

"Ohkay toh shuru se shuru karte hai.!" He said excitedly rubbing his hands together. "So, we met on the First day of our joining and i kindda made the worst impression ever." He said scratching the back of his neck.

"Dont tell me you hit on her.!" She guessed.

"Hey.!!" He defended, "It was a boys Prank and i was forced to oblige. Neverthless she treated me as good as a non-existant entity in all the get together's and freshers Party that followed."

"This is so Avni.!" Rhea beamed proudly.

"She was the best in her unit, cordial, well mannered yet so withdrawn and hidden inside her own shell. Like she was on some "Mission Self-Preservation". I didnt think i heard her voice for as good as intial 2 months. It was as clear as daylight that she was silently fighting some storm inside her. If there was any place that could keep her sincerely happy, then it was Children Ward. Infact the first person she begun to open up to was a child patient from her ward, Shivam."

"Soon She started to bond with Aakash over their on-duty deep meaningful talk sessions. She is still closest to him. Though, being the roommate with Angie, they were stuck at smiles and hi's and hello's untill Aakash broke the ice between them. Angie and Aakash clicked off in their first meeting itself and soon became very good friends. DD, Angie and me were working in the same unit."

"As if fated, one dot connected to another, and We were a close-knit gang of five even before we realise. Although it took an onerous effort from my side to convince Avni that the hit-on thing was a prank." Ali chuckled at the memory while Rhea tried to fill her empty memory book with some smiling images of her best friend.

"My buddies were all different kind of people with their different set of problems, but a common way of dealing with it, "Overthinking and seriousness". Thats when I decided to swtich off my "Sensible" button and vowed to keep them always happy, even if the result would be "Ali Tera Kya Hoga Ali", In the process I end up being the Clown of my gang. But anything for them. No regrets there." Rhea held his hands and patted understandingly while he returned the gesture with a sweet smile.

"Then, One fine day, Neela Aunty dropped 2 proficient bombs on Avni, one "Marriage" and two "Neil Khanna"

"Arranged Marriage.!!!!" Rhea exclaimed google-eyed, making Ali snicker.

"Your Reaction is the copy-paste of that of Angie's when we first heard about The MultiMillionaire Celebrity Neil Khanna's Marriage Proposal for Avni. Our Avni.!"

"No offence to Mr. Khanna, but Arent this hot-shot, famed Millionaire's supposed to be all Arogant and Egostic.?" Rhea proposed her doubt.

"Exactly.! We all thought the same. But the Guy didnt even have an A of Arogance or E of Ego, All the E's he has is in Loveeeeeeee.! He is everything we didnt expected him to be. And the Most Important part was, He Loves and Respects Avni with all His Heart. He came as the answer to all the Unjust that life treated Avni with."

"If you will see through the hype of this tag Millionaire, You will find a normal man, who is just like us in many ways, who himself was craving for True Love and Good Friends in his life. Buddies gang proudly extended their branches to include certain Mr. Millionaire. And then came Amaya, DD's girlfriend, and we are now 7 against the world."

"Avni is Really Lucky.!!!" Rhea said dabbing the undersurface of her eyes with her fingers.

"Ofcourse, Afterall she has Neil with her.!"

"Nope, because she has Greatest of Great Friends with her. And she deserves every bit of it.!"

"But that girl is the epitome of dumbness. How can she not realise how much she Loves Neil."

"WHAT.!!!" Her bewilderement was dripping from her eyes and voice, before Ali enlightened her about the journey of Avni's Unspoken Love for Neil.

"I cant believe You guys left it on herself to decode the notions as strong as Love. Hey there, we are talking about Avni here. She'l take Forever.!" Rhea whined as if irritated by stating the obvious.

"You know what, I think I Certainly Know What I'l have to Do now.!" She smirked slyly with a loopsided smile.

"What.?" Ali asked squinting his blue eyes, not exactly following her line of thinking.

"Reverse Psychology.!!!!!"

To be Continued..

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Phew.! Never written so long, like its almost 1 n half chap.! But never mind i wanted to get done with Boring stuff in one go.!

And OmG Neil is going to stay for the night with Avni, may i add, not just this but for all the coming nights.! *hyperventilating

So Now You know Rhea's Role in AvNeil's life.! Btw any guesses as to what she is upto.? Its going to be so interesting.!

And Now Avni and Rhea are on same page, as in they are well acquinted with what other went through after their fallout.

I wasnt planning to go so much in detail with regards to Aliya convo, but i just went with flow. Do genuinely tell me if u think its unnecessary or repetitive, i might edit it from Novel.

Anyway lots to look forward too, if u are interested 😉

Do drop down ur reviews for this one, even if its going to be bad, i will suffice.!

Love
Riya❤