Some Years Down The Line - 

Avni smiled in delight when Neil ran his fingers gently through her hair, massaging her scalp lightly while she squinted her eyes open to adjust to the daylight. 

N - Good Morning, Sweetheart! - he mumbled as he pressed a kiss on her forehead, making her smile brighter. 

A - Good Morning. Tum kab uthe? - she asked in a rather hoarse sleepy voice. 

N - About an hour ago! - he said as she sat up and rested her face on his chest, wrapping her arms around his stomach. Made you green tea, sleepyhead! Chalo utho ab! - a chuckle escaped his throat as he stroked her hair while she nestled more into the comfort of his warmth.

A - Neil, thodi der aur sone do na! Tum kitne soft aur warm ho! - she mumbled mindlessly and his chest vibrated with a laugh. 

N - Baby, just so you know, I'm really hard too! - he teased. 

A - You're not getting anywhere near me for a week at least after what you've done last night. My whole body is sore! - she wasn't complaining though. She had enjoyed every bit of it as much as he did.

N - Massage? - he asked as he handed the cup of tea to her.

A - Mujhe pta hai it never ends there! - she narrowed her eyes at him. So, no! - she gave him a tight smile as she took a sip from the cup and Neil faked disappointment.

Avni's muscles relaxed as the hot tea provided some relief to her strained body, she really needed a massage. Between her office, looking after the family, and music lessons, it used to get a bit tough to get some time for herself, or to simply have some rest. But she had always been grateful for the fact that she had the best of family one could ask for. Her in-laws treated her like their own daughter, sometimes she thought that they loved her more than they loved Neil. She could never get enough of teasing him about it. Her brother had always been one of her biggest cheerleaders and she proudly claimed her husband as the best husband ever. 

 A smile found its way across her face as she kissed his cheek leisurely while making a buzzing sound against his skin, making him smile at the antics. 

N - Itna pyaar? - he laughed as he tucked some of her hair behind her ears.

A - Aaj ice-cream khaane jayenge! - she said, placing a quick kiss on his other cheek. 

N - Aaj performance hai na tumhari, uske baad chalenge. Okay? - he said while stroking her cheek, turning it a shade of red under his touch.

A - Okay! - she smiled while he smiled back. 

Neil then got down the bed as he held his hand out for her to hold, which she accepted with a smile and a flutter of her heart. The man never failed to make her blush even after years of marriage. 

Neil intwined their hands as they walked to the room next to theirs. He slowly opened the door of it as they quietly walked up to the bed. An instant smile graced both of their faces when they looked at the little rays of sunshine in their life. The year old twins grinned at their parents as they flashed them a gummy smile, making the said parents swoon in awe. 

Karam had got two cribs when they had found out that Avni was pregnant with twins but the two little girls refused to rest without each other. Every time Avni used to put them in different cribs, they used to cry at the top of their lungs. It was Neil who figured that they wanted to sleep in the same space. Avni had laughed at how worked up Karam had got over the little predicament and had asked in a carpenter to get a bed ready for the girls overnight. 

Avni watched how Neil tickled both of them with his hands as the three of them laughed, the sound pure bliss to her. It was her favourite part of the day. To see the man she loved with the two little angels they created. Both of them had Neil's eyes and Avni couldn't have been more glad. They had the same eyes she had fallen in love with. Still did, every single day! 

N - Avni, tum ready ho jao. I'll get both of them ready. Hm? - he said as he looked up at her. 

A - Itna khyaal kyun rakhte ho? - she heard herself asking. 

N - Kyunki tum meri ho! - Avni could feel her heart racing at the smile he just flashed her way. Aur meri yeh life tumhari hai, tumhare liye hai. Tum mera kal thi, Avni, mere saare aane wala kal hogi, aur mere saare aaj tumhare hain, main tumhara hoon! - he brushed his nose with hers while she bit on her lip to hold a smile back. I love you, will always do. - he whispered as she leaned into his touch.

A - I wish younger me knew that she'll get so lucky one day. Pta nahi tum mujhe kaise mil gaye ho! I can never be thankful enough. - she sucked in a breath from her mouth as she closed her eyes and their foreheads were pressed against each others'. 

N - Baby, you sure have no idea who is the lucky one here! - he mumbled as he traced his thumb over her parted lips, and Avni sucked another sharp breath in.  

His mouth parted as he inched closer to her face, however, before he could reach her, a sharp cry jolted them apart. Yashvi threw her hands in air as Aadhya tugged on her onesie as both the sisters cried. 

A - Sisterly love! - she chuckled as she carried Yashvi in her arms while Neil carried Aadhya in his. 

Both of them rocked the babies in their lap and in no time they were again looking for each other. Avni & Neil shook their heads at the girls as they made them sit on the bed while they played with the toy that Neil had got them. 

It was a slow morning as it was a Sunday. Otherwise Avni would have been at her shift at the hospital while Neil would have been busy looking after the babies. To manage time, Avni had taken a morning shift in the hospital so that she was back home at around three in the afternoon while Neil managed work from home  till that time. He had had a slow but steady progress with his gaming startup after he had won the contest organised by 'The Tech Studio'. Since he wanted to make some time with his daughters and had made it a point not to miss any of their milestones, he had started working from home till mid-day and used to go to the office after lunch. The time between Avni was back home & Neil went to office was the most treasured time for the elders of the Khanna Family as they got the two princesses all to themselves. Prakash took them to the nearby park in the evenings while Bebe read them stories, and Shweta was the one who indulged the little munchkins in all things fun. Karam along with his wife Sehar used to drop by in evenings to cuddle and play with the girls while Kareena spoiled them with tons of gifts that she used to send over from New York where she had a job.    

They had gotten married after about two year of dating, Neil had wanted to have a stable business before getting married as he wanted to make sure that he was the man that Avni deserved and so did she, she had complete her MBBS before they got married and now worked as full-time doctor in one of the top hospitals of the city while Neil's gaming company was one of the biggest growing startups around. It was Avni's 29th birthday when they had found out that she was expecting and Neil had almost fainted after hearing the news. He, Ali & Karam had gone to the nearby orphanage to distribute sweets and school bags to the kids there to celebrate the news. 

She had never stopped learning music once she had gotten back to it and on Neil's insistence, she even performed in cultural events and fests. Today was one of those fests where she was invited to perform and Avni was starting to get the jitters. It was a big event, many renowned classical as well as modern singers were supposed to grace the stage alongside her. 

N - Sweety! Please don't put the wet towel on the bed. - he grumbled as he cleaned the room to the best of his effort. This was one thing that both of them had rubbed off on each other. Neil had become a freak for cleanliness while Avni had no care if her things were on display around the room as he used to put it. 

A - Neil! Tension ho rhi hai! - she whined as she fumbled with her earrings while standing in front of the mirror. 

N - Arre! Kyun ho rahi hai tension? You're going to rock it, Baby! - he assured her as he took the earring from her fumbling hands and made her wear them slowly.

A - Jitters feel ho rahe hain! What if it doesn't turn out well? - she leaned her back on his chest as he wrapped his hand around her waist. 

N - First of all, it will turn out well! - he pressed a kiss at the side of her forehead as he looked at her through the mirror. And even if by chance it doesn't, then also it's alright. Everyone has their bad days! I know you put in so much effort everyday, Sweetheart! That's all what matters. - Avni took in a deep breath as she pressed herself closer to him.

A - I love you! - she mumbled with her eyes closed. 

N - I love you too! - he smiled.

A - Yashvi aur Aadhya ready ho gaye kya? - she asked.

N - Arre yaar, woh dono mujhse ready ho hi nahi rahi thi! Toh Mom is getting them ready. Tum Papa aur Karam Bhai ke saath venue ke liye niklo, main bachon ke sath Mom aur Bebe ko lekar aata hun. Thik hai? - he asked.

A - Hm! Thik hai! - she kissed his cheek as she turned around. Time se aa jana! - she said while he nodded with a smile.

Avni took in a deep breath as she stepped on the stage and passed a genuine smile to the whole auditorium, trying to find Neil in the crowd. The lights dimmed as the music started and Avni could feel herself losing in to the rhythm of it as the anxiety was soon replaced by the love for the art. She could feel his eyes on her from somewhere in the middle of the full auditorium and her heart was at peace. 

At the age of fifteen, she had thought that she had lost her chance at life, at the age of twenty five she had forced herself to believe that love was stupid and she wasn't a fool, but at the age of thirty one while she was happily married to the love of her life with a beautiful family to call her own, she knew that things do get better. With time & effort. She & Neil had their share of fights and arguments, some were trivial, some were ugly but what made them still stand together was the undying zeal to be with each other. To be each others' biggest cheerleaders, and safest escapes, each other's coziest home, and constant inspiration. 

Avni didn't realise when a tear slipped her eye as the curtain fell, she shook her head as she wiped the happy tear away from her face. Neil would be mad if he gets to know. She was backstage when the whole of Khanna Family along with Mehtas came to see her. A shriek of surprise left her when she saw Kareena waving at her as she whistled at her. 

Kareena - You were so amazing, Bhabhi! You owned the stage. - she hugged her while Avni hugged back, no longer surprised by her bear hugs. 

A - When did you come? - she asked, happy to see her best friend after so long. 

Kareena - Just before your performance started. Itna traffic tha, phas gayi thi main! - she told.

A - Kaisi hai tu? How is Sharad? - she asked about her friend's brother, now Kareena's fiance and the girl blushed making Neil hoot in a tease as he carried both his daughters in his arms.

N - Chamgadar sharmaati bhi hai! - he teased while Kareena narrowed her eyes at him. 

K - Hehe! How funny! You know what, Tillu? I, Sehar Bhabhi & Avni Bhabhi are going to have a girls night today. You can very well go & wallow alone about your Dad bod, you oldie! - she scoffed making everyone laugh. 

N - Excuse me? 25 se ek din bada nahi dikhta hoon main! Aur abs hai mere, puchle Avni se! - he rolled his eyes while she poked his tongue out at him. 

K - You're so gross, Tillu! Shut-

A - Can you two stop? - she interjected before the sibling fight could escalate any further.

N - Yes, Baby! Whatever you say! - he chirped as he kissed her cheek, reddening her in a second as she averted eyes from all the family members while they simply awed at the couple.

They drove to the ice-cream parlour once the event was over and all of the family settled in the seats while Neil & Avni went to order. Avni's eyes narrowed at the caterer as she passed Neil a flirtatious smile.

"What would you like to have, Sir? We've have some new flavours in fruit ice-creams. Would you like to taste?" - Avni almost gagged at the sugary sweet tone. Couldn't she see he was with her? 

N - Uh- - he started but was cut off even before he could begin to speak.

A - My husband doesn't really like fruit ice-creams. - she very clearly emphasized the term 'husband'. He thinks they're stupid. Don't you, honey? - she smiled at Neil who was fighting back a smile. I guess, I & my husband would like a cassata. Could you please take the other orders? - she said with a threat underlying in her politeness while the attendant nodded. 

Neil possessively wrapped his arm around Avni's waist as she ordered in for all the family members and they waited for the order. 

A - Thankyou very much! - she flashed a toothy grin to the attendant when she brought their order while Neil's face had become red for controlling his laugh for so long. 

God, he loved how feisty she got at times!

Apparently, Kareena had not been joking when she had said that they were going to have a girl's night. Karam was thrown out of the house along with Kabir, their two years old son as the girls took over the Mehta House. Putting Kabir, Yashvi & Aadhya to sleep, the family had dinner, played some board games , conversed over topics that ranged from politics to economy to grocery to plumber. It was around two in the night that all of them retired to their room, with Karam being in the guest bedroom. 

When Neil was sure that the shore was clear and he could take his boat out, he quietly tiptoed his way out of the house as he climbed up the terrace of the Mehta House, hoping he would find her. 

A smile spread across his mouth when he found her standing near the parapet as she watched the full moon sky. Slowly walking up to her, he tapped at her shoulder to grab her attention and succeeded well enough, she screamed in fright.    

N - Baby, its me! - he shushed her as he kept her finger on her lips.

A - Neil! - she whisper yelled as her hand flew to her chest. Humare do bache hain! Ab tum insaano ki tarah main gate se aa sakte ho! - she glared but Neil only flashed her a dimpled smile making her shake her head in disbelief.

N - Couldn't sleep. Wanted to hold you! - he mumbled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and puller her closer to his chest.

A - Suno! Yeh cute face banane se kuch nahi hoga, samjhe? - she narrowed her eyes as her lips puckered out in a frown.

N - Acha, toh...why don't you punish me? - he whispered in her ear as he sucked her ear lobe, making her gasp in surprise. 

A - Neil, chhodo! Kya kar rhe ho? - she moaned out as her voice became heavy.

N - Kya kar rha hoon? - he whispered as his hot mouth trailed kisses down the curve of her neck.

A - I need to go down, warna Kareena upar aa jayegi! - she shivered under his kisses.

N - Why did you come up, Avni? - he asked, looking into her eyes lovingly as he caressed her cheek in his hands. 

A - Wanted to see you! - she whispered while leaning into his touch. 

N - You knew I'd come? - he couldn't help but ask as a smile spread across his lips at the way her eyes delated under his touch.

A - You always do. - was her simple answer as she smiled cheekily and Neil could feel his heart flutter. 

N - Tum khush ho na? - what would he not give to make her happy! Anything & everything! 

A - Tum khush ho? - she asked back as she was reminded much of a sweetheart his husband was! 

N - Happiest man alive!- he told with a smile on his face.

A - And you make your wife the happiest woman alive! - she held his chin in her palm as she pressed a deep kiss on his cheek making him laugh in delight. 

They weren't perfect but they had understood the fact ki life perfection ke baare mein thi bhi nhi! It was simply about finding happiness in the bigger pursuits of it & in the smaller ones! Toh agar kabhi chizen thik na bhi ho, toh bhi they were going to hold on to each other, go through it & come out stronger, humbler & more grateful than before!