Author's POV

Weeks passed by just like the monsoon season, that drenched people whole in its wake since the last few months.

While some liked the idea of it being September, the last month of the dreadful season that caused water-clogging in local areas, traffic snarls, delayed flights and shutting down schools – creating havoc in the city, some simply enjoyed the downpour because it was their favourite season, however, it wasn't exactly the kind of monsoon they wanted.

Neil was busy, incredibly busy in something as 'important' as a political conference that needed security. He knew what was to come when he met the MLA, and since then his mind has been a mess. He would rather solve those cases that needed to be shed light upon unlike what he was doing past few days. However, things like this weren't in his hands.

After that day, Neil met Avni just once. Digging up on the card, he found it strange, those details and a kinda similarly. It felt too relevant to go unnoticed. He was at her doorstep early in the morning before going to work. He didn't like the feeling that invaded his chest out of nowhere, that sudden gush of sorrow hitting him, jabbing at his senses. So he knew, it was now or never.

He asked her if she knew that person or if she could remember him properly. But, if there was something Avni was bad at, it was at remembering faces; of people, she just caught glances of, once.

She told him things that she could remember. Though there was nothing strange about the conversation but it was still eating up Neil. 'Cause he was sure that the card he found in that girl's case (who referred herself as Viv) and this had similarities.

One, how she described the person in that second investigation was quite close to how Avni did. But there could be so many people who could describe someone like that. But the second one made his doubt turn into an assumption – that the person that Viv mentioned and the one who handed Avni that card was maybe the same.

This was ridiculous though. To think that the VR imprinted on the card and the flower bouquet that depicted VR as the recipient were the same. There could be so many people in the world with those initials, and Neil was jumbled up because it was his first time it seemed that two completely different cases had the possibility of molding into one.

But that was it. He didn't get to meet Avni again since his attention was solely focused on the cases. It was unfortunate that there would be an average of three cases registered under murder in a week. Other crimes included assault, theft, abuse, arson and a few more but the stress that came with cases in which the culprits were unknown was extreme.

Somehow, they tackled it trying different ways, looking at things from a mismatched perspective. They knew if something was out of their reach and then it was transferred to be handled by investigators who excelled in it.

There were days where Neil could just wish for a good sleep, all because of how tiring it was. Some days were easygoing if there wasn't much work to do, and on those days he wanted to meet her.

So, here he was. Instead of going back to his home after a tiring day of work, he went to a person who strangely, yet surrealistically, felt like home.

He rang the bell twice when the person whom his eyes searched for, undeniably, in this gloomy, hazy weather didn't show up the first time. It was crazy, to think that he was here in this weather despite how rashly it pounded against the pavement, he could hear it, he could feel it as the cold breeze brushed past his body but he didn't try to reason with his heart. It was only fair if he gave his mind a rest and let his heart take the course of what it wanted.

The pit-patter against the window resonated in the stills of the closed room, the sound almost melodically fading into dreams unknown.

Avni was sprawled on the bed, hair messy, a book loosely wrapped around her fingers. She stirred in her sleep, eyes squinting at the sound that reached her ears and narrowed down as a disturbance to her slumber. A few moments passed when a shiver ran through her, it was cold and the duvet was in the laundry. She forgot to take out the new one from the guest room and the weather wasn't helping her either.

Groaning, she sat up, eyes half-closed, still wanting to go back and just be nuzzled in the sheets. When the doorbell rang again, she swore she was going to kick someone.

She got out of bed, hastily walking out and rushing down the steps, hair dishevelled, and clothes a wrinkled mess. She glanced at the clock once and opened the door.

Was someone messing with her? 

There was no one when she opened it, strangely, no one. The cold buzz that rushed through her was enough to tell her that it would be idiotic of her to step out. So, she closed the door shut.

That was when she heard a mellow sound of a ring, a familiar one, though faint. She decided to go upstairs until the doorbell seemed to pick her right from where she was to the entrance.

She sighed, and clicked it open only to see a drenched Neil with a lousy grin on his face. She gasped, her gaze flitting from his damp hair to his barely dry uniform and droplets dribbling down his body.

"You took an awful amount of time to open this damned door," Words slipped past his lips, gushed and raspy, but the grin was there nonetheless.

"O-oh god, come in silly," She murmured, the sound a mere whisper in his ears as he entered, lazily, just wanting to be anywhere but outside in the chilly weather.

Though he denied it a few times, Avni made him sit on the couch, regardless if he was soaked in the rainwater. She didn't speak much, words dying down on her tongue as she watched him shivering a little.

Neil wiped himself with the towel she brought him after, the atmosphere comfortably quiet. But he thought it wasn't the best of choice to look at Avni who shoved a cold glare at him.

"Liste–"

"What was so important for you to come here in this weather?" She huffed.

"I–"

"And even if you are here, you could use an umbrella so you wouldn't get wet."

"I forgot," He mumbled, head hung low.

"Wow. Great." She put her hand up in defense as if the debate they were on was closed then and there.

"Okay, look I'm sorry. Okay?" He passed her an apologetic smile to which she tried hard to not be convinced but who was she kidding. It was Neil. The man that seemed to have a different effect on her and since they had that talk after the misunderstanding, she found herself craving for his presence. Not missing the fact that even they barely met after, they still kept in contact over messages.

"You'll get a cold at this rate," Avni said after a moment, still not sure whether he would be okay.

"No worries, I'll manage."

She eyed him warily, "Seriously?"

"God, fine. My fault, okay?" He sighed. There was frustration laced in his tone, basically because he wasn't here to get an earful from her but Avni ignored it. "You look like you're going to kick me out..." He trailed. "But to tell you the truth, I wasn't here to go back right after." He dotted, hoping that she would get the hint.

Avni walked towards him, eyes carrying warmth and before Neil could think, she grabbed his hand and led him upstairs. "The floor's gonna be dirty if you drag me along like this."

"Shut up."

"Are you seriously worried about the floor?" She rolled her eyes, "Look at you..."

"Jeez, okay. I hope you're not gonna give me your spare clothes 'cause I doubt they would fit." He snorted, the sound rumbling against his chest. At that, he received another glare but even so, he couldn't help but stifle a laugh. 

They stepped into her room, his steps reluctantly following hers, slightly agitated by the fact that it would ruin the perfectly posh floor.

"I'll give you something that would fit," She said, her eyes searching in the closet. When she found what she was looking for, she grabbed it and kept those on the bed. "Go take a shower and change. I'll be in the kitchen."

"Whom do they belong to?"

Avni waited a moment before she answered, "Piya's boyfriend."

"Should I ask what are they doing in your closet?" Neil asked dryly.

"No."

"I hope they are clean at least."

When Avni didn't answer, he turned around and asked her again, "They are clean, right?" But she shut the door, abruptly, laughing when Neil yelled from behind, his voice utterly desperate, "Please, you could just say a simple yes." Avni tried to hide the smile that caught her lips as she leaned against the closed door.

Neil was an idiot. But Avni couldn't deny that he was cute.

🎬🎬🎬

🎬🎬🎬

Avni was humming a song, timed perfectly as the piano music played in the background. It was the right moment to turn on the radio but since it was pouring, the connection wasn't top-tier. So she went with her library music instead. A few pieces that just relaxed her mind, the calm dwelling onto her along with the sound of rain.

Minutes ago when Avni glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she saw how horrible she looked, her hair in knots, and her top weirdly folded. He saw me like that? Fuck, no.

Then, she combed the knots out with her fingers, and straightened her top, trying to look as presentable as she could. It wasn't something that made her anxious though. Nah, she was far from it. Instead, she felt used to. Used to being in Neil's presence and be comfortable with it.

Neil called for her from upstairs after a while. Avni being Avni rushed, worried if something was wrong. When she knocked, he asked her to come in. As she did, she was met with him.

But there was something that was clearly not on the right path. Her heart. It beat frantically against her chest as her eyes trailed on him, gaze never leaving his ruffled damp hair as he proceeded to wipe it and damn, the fit wasn't supposed to look like this. It was fine with the sweats but the shirt was tight, his muscles protruding when he moved his arms and Avni...she swore the sight was surreal.

"Don't you think it's too loose?" He smirked, eyes catching Avni off-guard as she tried to pretend she didn't just ogle at him before.

"Yeah, I can see that," She just smiled in return, it came naturally.

However, Neil didn't call her for just that. After he took a shower, he thought he should go downstairs as that was where Avni told him she would be. But he was worried if his Mom messaged or called. Though when he checked, his phone was dead.

"Is there a charger for my phone? It died," He asked, flashing his phone in the air.

"Unplug my phone and put yours," She gestured at the bedside table. Neil nodded, doing the same. And when he glanced back at her, he saw a coy grin dancing on her lips, "Wanna have hot chocolate?"

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They weren't sure what got them indulged in so, that they went from sipping the hot chocolate to talking just random things at one in the morning.

He told him about how work kept him busy so he couldn't enjoy their family time. He told her about Sasha, and how he missed the opportunity to spend time with her. But as Bebe had company, they didn't mind Neil's busy schedule much.

On the other hand, Avni started telling him about the upcoming projects and how Lovely got on to sign up a deal for her being a brand ambassador. However, she told him he requested time of a month or so until she was back at it again. And Neil, he couldn't help but admire as he took all of her in, her pretty smile and how her eyes shined as she talked about it.

"Suggest something then," At this point, they were beyond bored. They wanted to talk because sleep was a foreign concept right now. Avni regretted reading a book that led her to sleep early and Neil, he clearly wanted to spend time with her.

As the rain continued to pour, Neil suggested what came to his mind first, the game being old but he thought it was a good way to start.

"How about 20 questions?"

Avni chuckled at that, "What? Are we kids? You want to know my favourite color or something?"

"I won't mind," He winked, teasing her.

But Avni was used to it, so she shook her head chuckling. "Okay, you start!"

"What's your dream holiday trip?"

He took time before asking though Avni was thrown off-guard. She didn't expect such a question but it didn't hurt answering so she settled with, "I wanted to go somewhere serene, where I feel happy and content without any worries."

Neil nodded not before asking, "Yeah, any ideas though?"

"I don't know, really. I've never been anywhere. Just my hometown and here, Mumbai."

Neil didn't ask further, there was no point if she was clueless. Now, it was Avni's turn to ask.

"What's your dream?" She had asked him that before. He answered it. But it felt like he didn't clarify.

"I told you, didn't I?" He smiled.

"My dream was to just be," He started. "I didn't really want anything when I was young. Well, I wished for things a lot but it wasn't something big."

"And?"

"Have patience, Miss Raichand," He teased. "It was a kinda vacation with my family. We went to visit somewhere every year because Dad used to be extremely busy so that was our escape once in a while. And...that's when I roamed around the beach playing with the marbles but then a little girl approached me."

Avni chuckled, "Are you telling me your little love story?"

"Just listen..." He trailed, gaze on the ground as if he wanted to remember more. "We played marbles and she had a toy gun with her. I wasn't fond of those but she told me how to play."

Oh, so he wanted to be a police officer? Avni thought.

"No," He said and Avni's eyes widened, wondering if she said it out Loud.

"She told me she wanted to be an agent when I asked her why she liked it so much."

"So, like a spy?" Neil nodded.

"We hit off. Played a few hours and by then, I had been really interested in being an...agent. So yeah, that's it. We parted ways and we never met again. At least, I don't think I met her again."

Avni nodded, smiling knowing more about him. "That's interesting."

"So do you want to meet her again?"

Neil's eyes perked up, "That girl?" Avni nodded.

"Hm, I am not sure. It's not that we would remember each other. We were five or something back then."

"Oh."

Avni thought how he talked about it, it would've been in his teens maybe, but they were literally kids. "So, why a police officer then?"

"Oh, being a spy ain't that easy. We have to train specially and there are a lot of rules. No family member should know and all and all. But my family's not something who would let me go just like that without knowing. So, yeah I settled with this."

"Do you like it?" Avni asked with hesitation.

"It's not about liking anymore," He grinned, eyes with a hint of something. "I pledged to serve and I am doing it. But when someone gets justice and they have his gratitude, a feeling of satisfaction, a feeling of being whole again, it makes me happy."

Avni smiled at him, gazing over how beautiful he looked, how it was so easy to just sit with someone and talk. And Avni would not have it any other way.

By the time, they asked more, they forgot any rules and explained everything, telling stories and what not. A few questions were remaining, and Avni was starting to get tired, wanting to get it over with.

"When did you last had a girlfriend?" Avni asked, abruptly, not thinking much about it. It didn't occur up until later when Neil looked at her with a crooked smile, slightly shy, slightly teasing.

"Maybe in college." He pondered, "No – wait, maybe when I was training...yeah I think. I had a colleague as my girlfriend. But we split as we were too busy with our training."

"You liked her?"

"Of course, I did. But I was younger back then, and so much has changed now."

Avni couldn't keep her curiosity at bay, so she asked, "What has changed?"

Neil didn't answer for a while as if he was contemplating himself, the train of thoughts confusing him but one thing was for sure, he could see his future ahead, and he wanted it.

"I think... I want to settle down." He said, and at that, Avni's smile faltered. Something churned inside and she didn't like it. Though Neil failed to notice and he continued, "It's no rush but I want to have a family. I want to think about it now because back then I didn't. Back then I dated because I liked that certain person and broke up if we didn't catch on or if we were too busy with our professional lives. But now, I think even if I have a work-life, I want to have one outside of it too, and I think I am capable enough to work for it."

"That's...great," It was dry, really. Avni couldn't think of what to say. The concept of family was too broken for her, and to be honest, she didn't see a future like him.

"Avni..." His voice brought her back. She jutted her chin towards him, hoping he won't ask her about her future.

"I think you should sleep. It's almost two."

"Uh, yeah," She murmured, missing the worried glint in his eyes.

Avni kept the mugs in the dishwasher and asked Neil if he could help her carry the duvet from the guest room to hers. Neil agreed. When they reached the room after switching off the lights downstairs, Neil made the mattress, and unplugged his phone after. Avni saw him busy with his phone, walking towards the door, and she wondered if he was going.

"Neil?"

He turned to look at her, "Yes?"

"You are staying, right?"

Though unsure, she still asked, the silence from before eating her up, and she thought she ruined the mood by responding like that. Still, she didn't want him to leave because she – no, it was raining. Yeah, that was the reason she asked.

"You want to kick me out in the middle of  the night, Avni?" He teased, eyes barely carrying mischief and a smile set upon Avni's lips, the red tint appearing again and she shook her head, turning to the bed.

"I'll see if Mom called," Neil said, and stepped out of the room, giving Avni room to spend a little time in her mind.

|××××××|

A/N:

Hey everyone! I'm back after my finals and to say that, I mean I finally completed my degree 🥰 I'll be starting my bachelor's degree after I get my results and I apply in a college. So, I think I still have a month or so to enjoy before study takes a toll on me :')

Enjoy this little chapter, I split it into two and will update soon. I've left some clues here in their conversation, if you assume something that's great, if not you're in for a surprise hehe (which is an important part of the story) 💌

And what do think why Avni's a little distressed after Neil shared the idea of his future?

It's at #1 again 😭 (been like that for a week or so) thank you so much! ❤️