Neil's POV

"Where are you going, huh?" She stares at me.

"Going away from someone who is currently annoying me!" I stare back.

"Come on, Neil." She whines.

I roll my eyes. "Just go and tell him you like him. It's easy." I glare at her gesturing to the one she was crushing on a long time.

"It's not that easy to confess to someone you like." She says in defence, pouting.

"Practice on me then."

"Neil, you're not hitting on me, are you?" She wiggles her eyebrows, and I let out a laugh.

"No way, you and I are going to nothing more than best friends." I stammered, "Your future boyfriend won't have me as a troublemaker," I wink as she tilts her head a little. "I'll probably be a third wheel."

"You are gonna find someone too." Her eyes light up, "If not I'll find you one."

She entwines her hand with mine as we walk on the pavement side by side, hand in hand.

Back then, we were friends with the strongest bond.

Nothing could break us apart, but I guess...life did.

Not always in life, things go according to our plan. But then again, that is, what life is. Unpredictable.

And most of the times, we can't do anything about it. Just move on, and go with the flow.

We were just 18 back then and look at me now. There is no us because she is gone.

I miss you, Aditi.

"Neil!!" Mom's voice reaches up to my ears and I smile, keeping away my phone that displayed our childhood picture, us in our usual brown school uniforms, smile on our faces, throwing a peace sign as we pose for a picture.

"Yes Mom," I stood up to hug her when she eyes me with an amused look.

"Hm, what's so special? My son is hugging me and all."

"It's not like he doesn't, Shweta," Bebe says, smiling at me.

"Sure but from a few days, he is acting all different."

"I am a little tired, that's all. And I miss Aditi, sometimes." I try to keep my smile, but I can't seem to smile.

Bebe looks at me with a pained smile, "We miss her too. But let's accept it? Hm?" She says, and Mom nods with a faint smile.

"I guess her absence reminds me every day that she won't be back. I am a little close to accepting. Also, it's been almost half a year to that."

Bebe pats my shoulder before she tells me to come to breakfast. We sit at the dining table, talking about Aditi's Mom NGO, and how it's doing. Dad always leaves early for work, attending early meetings and appointments with different business tycoon's. He was well known here.

As I got up and finished my breakfast, putting the dishes on the sink, I asked Bebe, "Did you prepare it, Bebe?"

"Oh I did, it's healthy and will be beneficial." She hands me the vessel with a smile.

"Hope your friend gets well soon."

I nod, walking away, but she questions me, "You're not wearing a uniform? Aren't you going to the Police Station?"

"I am, but later. First...I need to give her this." I gesture at the vessel.

"Her? I thought it was a boy. Nevermind, what's her name?" She grins at me.

"Uh...Avni."

"Oh Avni, that name is familiar."

"It's because–"

"Bebe, Mrs Oberoi has called," Mom yelled and Bebe waved at me.

I started the engine of my car, heading over to her house.

I am certainly not very sure how she'll react after seeing me but I am trying to be positive. Well, that never has worked before. I wondered why she was so against the police. Something may have happened, maybe something related to her family...I don't know yet.

Avni...she is beautiful. In Every Way. Maybe I felt that the first time I saw her, but I was oblivious. These past months I grew feelings for her, and it won't go away. It's not that I'm wanting them to, but Avni gets irritated by me a lot.

I chuckled as I remembered her angry faced laced with annoyance. She seemed cute then, but also a bit...um scary?

But I have to have her near, I can't let her go. Not because of what I feel, but that accident that happened that day. It was intentional, and I might have a clue about it.

She was a target, and I wasn't wrong about it. And if that person did go to this at their first attempt, I don't want to imagine what their next move would be.

There was one thing I didn't understand. Why? Why she was a target?

I read articles, rumours, interviews or any other controversial things that may have led to...this but nothing seemed to have caught my mind.

There was more to this and I have to dig more to find out.

I turned left, stopping my car at the side, before taking a deep breath and going in.

The guards recognised me and bowed a little. I rang the bell. Before I stood her PA. He hesitantly smiled at me, opening the door a little more for me to enter.

"Who is it?" Someone yelled. I saw a woman coming towards me, wearing an apron, eyeing me up and down.

"Ma'am is upstairs," Lovely answered before I could even ask.

I nodded taking a few steps forward but a hand stopped me.

"Where'd you think you are going, Sir?" She eyed me again.

I faced her with a tilted smile, "To meet someone you work for, Miss. Your Ma'am, Avni Raichand."

She scoffed, "I don't work for that brat." The realisation took over her, "No way, I'm not her cook, I'm her friend." She stammered in disbelief.

"Your look says otherwise." I puckered my lips into a tight-lipped smile.

"That was because I was making breakfast for her, and I have work to attend after which is why I don't want to stain my clothes." She explained and nodded softly.

"Wait, why am I telling you this?" She pondered.

She glanced at me then, "Who are you?"

"A well-wisher."

"Names Mister? I am asking for a name." She crossed her hands, shifting weight to the other side.

"Neil Khanna."

"Oh–WHAT?"

"Neil Khanna."

"No way, like the real Neil Khanna?"

"Um...I don't know who is the real Neil Khanna, but I'd like you to believe that."

"Are you perhaps," she cocked her head, "ACP Neil Khanna?"

Okay, she is impatient.

I nod, smiling. "May I go and see her now?"

"Nah."

"Sorry?"

"You can't. Wait a few minutes, the nurse is dressing her."

"Oh, I'll wait then." I make my way towards the living room. That day, when I first met her, officially.

"So Mr Neil Khanna..." I fluttered my eyes shut knowing I have to endure her questions till I meet Avni.

"How you met Avni?"

"One day when her driver was driving over the limit, and her car almost bumped into mine."

"Woah...that is a little Bollywood."

I chuckled and she laughed at her comment.

"You seem like a nice person."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I smiled faintly.

"What is that?"

"Oh, it's soup."

"That's very kind of you but Avni isn't allowed to have processed food."

"It's homemade. My grandma made it."

"Oh?" She brightly smiled. "But still the nurse will maybe check it or something, she nags a lot." She huffed, "Still it's better for her health so I don't mind."

She took the soup to the kitchen and I waited as minutes passed by.

"Hey, Mr Neil, you can come to meet her now?"

I followed her up the stairs, towards Avni's room, the flashbacks weren't helping.

"Yes, dammit I like you."

The door opened and I saw her, sitting with sweat pants on and a regular tank top, hair loosely tied or maybe they weren't tied at all. I neared a little and I saw she was barefaced when she smiled at the nurse before looking at us.

"Piy–oh...Neil?" Her smile faded. She gaped at me, but the smile soon appeared again.

For the first time I felt, she was happy to see me.

I smiled back at her, moving forward to her. The other girl gestured me to sit, and I did.

"You didn't tell me you were coming, Neil." She mumbled softly.

"I didn't inform you all the times before too. So why do you think, that would change?" I amusedly asked and she chuckled lightly.

"You too seem a lot more comfortable than I expected." The other girl said. I realised I didn't know her name.

"Do you expect us to fight Piya?" Avni glared at her.

Piya? Oh...her best friend, the one she told me about, at the hospital.

"No, but everything you told me about h–" Before Piya could speak further, Avni threw a pillow onto her face with her right hand, earning a groan from her.

"What was that for?" Piya scoffed, collecting the pillow from the ground.

"There are guests, should I teach you how to treat them again?" Avni kissed her teeth.

They seemed to be having talking with expressions.

"Doesn't seem like a guest to me." Piya scoffed before scurrying out of the room.

"So I am a guest?"

She smiled. "It was to make her leave, she is annoying," She spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"I HEARD IT YOU BRAT."

"I INTENDED IT TO," Avni yelled back while I just laughed at her.

"Does it hurt too much?" I asked eyeing the cast, that hugged her left arm.

"A little. It is still better than not feeling I have an arm. Just I can't use it more often is an inconvenience."

"Rest well and you will be fine soon."

"Yeah, I received those wishes like a hundred times now. Just hope they work." She grinned.

She seemed to be in a good mood.

"So–"

"Mr Neil Khanna, have some?" Piya asked as she came with a tray of snacks.

I just took the water. "I'll have water, I already ate breakfast at home."

The next thing Piya spoke made my eyes widen, and I choked on water, coughing a bit.

"So you have any plans to ask her out or you're just gonna pretend you never confessed?"

"Piyaa!!!"

|××××××|

A/N:

So what you expect next, huh?🌚

I am re-editing chapters of Destined, and most chapters that are gonna be updated will be proofread but still, if you discover any mistakes, let me yk know? :)

Also, I am thinking of naming chapters...I'll start with this one, and will do the previous ones when I edit them •ᴗ•

Thank you for 26k🥺❤️