I know I'm too late with this update. Was too busy so couldn't write and post the chapter earlier.

Next day morning

"Mom, I'm leaving for office and later would be going to my apartment. So don't wait for me in the evening. Bye!" Neil said and walked out of Khanna mansion.

"I know Tillu..... to avoid talking about the girl I'm telling you to meet, you are  not going to come home. But if you are smart, I'm smarter. I'll make sure that you meet this girl" Shweta thought and smirked.

__________________

" Avni wait......dahi shakkar toh khaake jao(eat this curd and sugar) .... today is a big day for you...... hope you succeed in your life. " Neela smiled.

"Thank you Maa, see you tonight" Avni kissed her cheek and then left.

"God, plz keep my daughter safe and happy" Neela prayed.
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In Police station

DD was busy looking through some file cases. The other officers too were busy in their own work. Then, a delivery boy came inside  the police station.

"Excuse me Sir, this delivery is for Mr. Neil Khanna. It's from Amazon."

"Ohh.......but he's not here. He has some work so he'll take some time to come. You can give it to me, I'll hand it over to him. Tell me the amount to be paid" DD said.

"The payment is already done" the delivery boy said.

"Ohh....But I still don't think that Neil Sir must have ordered anything. He doesn't like shopping online." DD said.

"He might not have ordered, someone else must have ordered for him. Like a gift. It's a trend nowadays. People surprise their loved ones with online gifts" the boy said.

"Hmmm....that can be the case...ok tell me where to sign" DD asked the boy and then took the parcel from him.

"I think so someone special has sent a gift for Sir. But who?" he thought for a while. " Ohh yaa...I totally forgot.....it must be Neil Sir's girlfriend. Yesterday only he told me that he'll introduce us soon. It can be her". He placed the parcel on Neil's table. Then, he got a call from someone and due to some network issues, he went outside to attend the call.

After sometime, a girl in her early twenties entered the police station. She was wearing formal clothes which made her look classy. She had long black hair which were tied in a high ponytail. Her facial features were sharp, and her eyes were the most beautiful part of her face. As she entered, the people in there started looking at her and some of them looked confused. Then, she approached one of the officers and asked,

"Excuse me, can you show me where is ACP's cabin?" she asked.

The officer looked at her and then answered with some hesitation,
"Umm.....he's not there....do you have some work with him? If you have any complaints, you can lodge it here."

"No, I don't have any complaint to lodge"

"Well, you cannot meet him directly, he's too busy to address anyone. "

" Officer, I'll wait in his cabin. I'm here to meet him as I have some important work."

The girl was adamant on meeting him. So the officer, with uncertainty, led her towards Neil's cabin. The girl then sat on one of the chairs present in the room waiting for him. The officer then stood outside Neil's cabin, as he was unsure of the girl's intention. The girl could be a fraud and could try to steal some files or information, he thought.

After sometime, Neil came. He was going through some important case files. DD, who was sitting at his desk. After he saw him, it occurred to him that he had to inform him about the gift that was delivered. He stood up from his place and advanced towards Neil.

"Sir?" he called out standing behind him, facing his back.

Neil turned around to see who had called out his name and then saw DD.
" Yes DD, what happened?" he questioned him.

"Sir, there's a surprise waiting for you in your cabin" DD smiled widely.

Neil gave him a dubious look and narrowed his eyes at him as if asking him what was he talking about. DD facepalmed and said,

" Offho sir, chinta mat karo, koi khatarnaak cheez nai hai.(Don't worry sir, there's nothing dangerous)Infact, I'm sure you'll be happy" he said widening his smile. Neil gave him a puzzled look.

"What is the surprise DD? he asked.

"Main agar boluga toh surprise surprise kaise rahega sir ?!(If I'll tell you about it, the surprise won't be a surprise )" he stated the obvious. "Come on, Sir" he said pushing him a little forward asking him to walk towards his cabin.

Neil, still confused, started thinking about all the possibilities of what the 'surprise' could be while walking towards his cabin with DD trailing behind.

" Sir, show some enthusiasm" DD said meekly.

"Why are you so excited?" Neil asked.

"For you, Sir!" he replied glistening his battisi(teeth).

Neil rolled his eyes and stood in front of his cabin and DD joined him. The officer, who was waiting outside Neil's cabin saw him and saluted him. Neil nodded in reply. Then he said, " Sir...."  while pointing inside his cabin. Neil followed his finger and looked inside. He saw a girl seated on one of the chairs while her back was facing him. He continued, "Sir woh...-" but he was cut off by DD who said ,

"Ajay, tum jao ( You can go) " DD said, totally unaware of the girl sitting inside and did not let officer Ajay complete his statement. Officer Ajay obeyed his senior's orders and then walked away.

Here, Neil's gaze was still fixed on the stranger sitting inside his cabin. He was getting strange vibes from the girl sitting inside. DD looked at Neil, then followed his gaze and saw the girl. Even he was confused about who the girl was. Neil then shifted his gaze towards DD and saw his surprised expressions. He was about to question him about the girl when his  cellphone started ringing. He saw the caller ID. 'Mom', his phone displayed. He answered the call,

"Hello Mom?"

"Tilluuu......Kaisa  laga mera surprise? (Did you like my surprise?)" Shweta asked.

Neil started looking around, getting ready for some shock as he knew that his mom's surprises were weird.

"Tillu, kaha kho gaya? sundar hai naa? (Tillu, where are you lost? It's beautiful naa? " Shweta asked excitedly.

Neil was hell confused about what she was talking. 'sundar?'(beautiful) he thought about it and then started connecting the doubts. Even DD was talking about some surprise, he realised. Then, it struck his mind. He remembered what his mother had told him yesterday.

Flashback

"Listen Neil, if you don't have time to meet the girl outside, no worries. She'll come to your office to meet you" Shweta  said.

Flashback over

As the realisation hit Neil, frustration took over him. He was already tired of his mother's every week ladki dikhaao sessions. And now, one more added to the list of these girls.

"Hello? Tillu?! are you there on the line?" Shweta asked

Neil was pulled out of his frustrated thoughts by her voice. He was now angry with his mom. " Mom, like seriously? This is my office, and to top that, it's a police station. How can you even think of doing these things? Here people are going to question my professionalism. How many times should I say this mom, I'm not interested. This is the last time you're putting up such an act. "

"Why are you so riled up? It's not that big deal. Listen -"

Neil cut her off and said, " That's enough mom, I have work to do. Bye" and he ended the call. "I'm already tensed due to so many pending cases and here add another problem to it" he thought.

All this while, DD had witnessed this apoplectic behaviour of Neil and was trying to understand the situation.

"Calm down Sir. Wait I'll get you some chilled water." DD said and walked off in the opposite direction. Neil was still standing at the entrance of his cabin. He made up his mind, to face the girl and immediately reject her to send her out of his office before anyone questions him about her. He started walking towards the girl with irritation clearly visible on his face

Here, the girl had her headphones plugged in, one of the reasons she didn't hear Neil's outlash while he was talking to his mom.

Neil took cautious steps towards the girl, wanting to duck out of the situation but had no other option. Here, the girl still engrossed in her music, saw some movements from her peripheral vision. Just as Neil reached near her, the girl suddenly got up and turned, causing a jerk to both of them due to the sudden
proximity. This caused the girl to stumble a few steps backwards. She was about to fall on the table but Neil caught her in time, his one hand latched with hers and the other on her waist and pulled her up. Sparks flew between them and both ended up staring in each other's eyes, oblivious to their surroundings. Both were shocked to see each other but were too busy to react. Neil's hands were still connected to her waist, both failing to pull out of the moment. Who was the girl? The same stranger Neil had got acquainted with the day before. Avni.

Both were still lost in each others eyes, when DD decided to walk in with chilled cold drink for his Sir. As he took steps towards them, his eyes widened, seeing the scene in front of him. Neil standing with a girl in such close proximity. He immediately turned around not wanting to see some unwanted scenes. Firstly, he was shocked to see Neil with a girl. Then, he started thinking about who this girl might be. Not coming to a proper conclusion, DD decided to turn and break their moment. He cleared his throat and looked down at his feet. The sound was enough to break Neil- Avni's moment. Avni pushed Neil a little to cut off their physical contact and stabled herself. Neil straightened himself and started looking here and there. Both were too embarrassed of the situation and then, an awkward silence spread around them. Slowly, Avni started processing things and was confused as to why this stranger was present here, in police station. Here Neil, on the other hand, was too shocked to see her as the girl selected by his mom for him. He was unsure about how to react at this revealation. Avni, still confused, decided to break the ice,

"DD, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at Neil.

First, Neil was confused as why was she calling him DD. And then it struck his mind, he himself was the one to introduce himself as DD to her.

Just then, DD, who was standing behind Neil, staring at his feet, suddenly looked up at the mention of his name. How does she know my name, he thought. He sensed the awkwardness around all of them but still he decided to reply,

"Umm, I just-I just came to give this drink to Sir. I'll come back later Sir" he kept the drink on the table and left.

"Sir?Why was he calling you sir, DD?" Avni questioned to Neil.

Here, Neil was still deciding on what to say and how to explain everything to this  Ajooba.
_______________

Here, coming out of Neil's cabin, DD was still in a confused state. How did that stranger girl know his name. He was sure he had seen her for the first time. And whatever he saw in Neil's cabin just added fuel to his confusion. Then, it struck his mind, something Neil told him the other day.

Flashback

"Sir, aapne mjhe kabhi apni girlfriend se nai milvaaya. Kab milvaa rahe ho?( Sir, you've never introduced your girlfriend to us. When are you planning to introduce us?)" DD asked.

"Ok DD, soon she'll come to meet you." Neil answered.
(Chapter 7 reference)

Flashback over

"Ohh.....so she must be Neil sir's girlfriend.....matlab ki my bhabhi!!!" DD concluded. He was busy in his thoughts when his cellphone started ringing. He picked up the call,

" Maataji !!! How are you??" DD asked.

"What's going on DD? where is Neil? And why is he so angry? I want to talk to him. I tried calling again but he's not picking up my call. I want to talk to him." Shweta replied.

"Er..... Maataji....he's busy with bha-....he's busy with someone"

"Who is this someone? Is he having stress due to work? He sounded so angry, who is with him? "

"I don't - I don't know " he stuttered.

"DD.....Tell me the truth " Shweta commanded in a tone by which DD was easily intimidated.

" Umm....He's - he's  talking with a girl"

" Girl? Who is she ? Victim? Colleague? Friend? Wait a minute....is this girl his girlfriend??Does my Tillu have a girlfriend??!!!!" Shweta asked in a panicked tone.

" No - No Maataji....she's just a friend of sir....They are good - good friends"

"I want to see that girl " Shweta demanded.

"Wha - what??? How??"

"Are you sure you are of this generation DD? Videocall, ofcourse!!"

" No - No, sir will kill me"

" If you don't then I'll kill you. Now don't waste time, you just have to be at some distance so that I can see that girl. And don't get caught. I'll videocall you" saying this she ended the call.

"Kaha phas gaya yaar!!!! ( where am I stuck!!!)" DD sighed and started walking towards Neil's cabin.
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"Sir?Why was he calling you sir, DD?" Avni questioned to Neil again.

Here, Neil was still contemplating on what to say and how to explain.

"DD!!!!" Avni snapped her fingers in front of Neil's face. This brought Neil out of his reverie.

" Yes-Yes. Cause this is my office. " Neil answered

" Ohh....so you're a police officer??"

" Yes, I am....but what are you doing here? Mera peechhaa karte karte yaha tak aagayi??!!! Itna pasand aaya main tumhe?( You followed me till here? Do you like me so much?)" he said while a smirk formed on his face.

Avni scrunched her face and replied,
"Ohh plzz.......tum mein pasand aane jaisa kch hona bhi toh chahiye( There's nothing likeable in you) And the person I'm here to meet is a respected and honest person unlike you, who always interferes in other's matters. Dakhal Dayal kahike."

"Ohh.... this girl thinks I am DD..... obviously coz I only told her that my name is DD. But what should I do now? Too much confusion. Well, I think I should continue acting as DD. It's not like she's going to be here forever. Only for sometime I've to continue this act, after she leaves, I don't think our paths will cross again. Woh apne raste, main apne raste." Neil was thinking.

"Earth to officer DD!" Avni snapped her fingers in front of his face which caused Neil to come back to the real world from the thought world.

"uh - yes?" he asked in confusion.

"Wait....If you're a police officer, where's your uniform??" she asked.

"Kitne sawaal puchti ho yaar!!(how many questions do you ask!!)It's none of your business whether I'm wearing uniform or not. The main question is, why are you here? " he asked, a bit annoyed by her.

"Yeah right.... it's none of my business that you are a police officer but look like a chor(thief). But who's complaining!" she said while surrendering her hands.

"Chor??You think I look like a chor?? Infact, it's the reverse case actually. You act like a chor and are present in mysterious places where crime is taking place. It's my job to judge you and interrogate you, but look at what you have to say!! Now the question, why are you here??" Neil was angry and he knew why she was here but still wanted to hear it from her. "Rishta aur iske saath?Never!!" he thought.

" Ohh plzz...tum rehne hi do....bade aaye mjhe criminal samajhne wale. I'm here to meet the ACP" Avni answered.

Here, DD was on video call with Shweta and came near Neil's cabin with his back camera on so that Shweta could see what was going on. He was standing outside the cabin so that Neil would not see him. He wasn't able to here the discussions going on between Neil and Avni as he was standing at a distance.

"DD, who's this girl? And why is Tillu arguing with her?"

"Um....I - I don't know Maataji " DD stuttered.

" OMG!! My Tillu really has a girlfriend!!!! The way they both are arguing I'm sure she's his gf. I've never seen Tillu talking with girls and because of that I was having many doubts. And here, he's arguing with this girl. Mere Tillu ki dulhaniyaa(bride)!!" Shweta exclaimed dreamily.

"Maataji.... there's nothing like that"

" You know nothing, DD. And this Tillu, even he is zero in the matter of girls. Who fights like that with a girl?! Now go further so that I can see my to-be daughter-in-law's beautiful face and try to figure out what's wrong."

"Mothers and their one-track mind about shaadi(marriage)" DD thought but still moved a little closer to them. "I'm moving further but please don't speak anything, Sir will kill me for spying on him" he said to Shweta.

Here, Neil and Avni's conversation still continued.
"Accha.....I'm the ACP. So tell me, what work do you have with me? " Neil asked as he wanted to confirm his suspicions about her being the girl his mom had selected for him.

" Initials of ACP are N. K." she said while looking at the name plate. "I don't think so Dhakal Dayal stands for these initials." she replied rudely, feeling proud of her observation. "Jhoothe kahike....( liar) "

Neil was stunned after listening this.
"I'm such an idiot!! Now, I'll have to tell her everything to clear this confusion" he thought and sighed.

"Listen, I want to clear something." he replied calmly.

"What?" she asked.

I would try to update the next chapter sooner. Please tell me how was the chapter. There are many surprises waiting in the next chapter 😌😉