She could feel her heart rate ascending and her confidence plummeting as she walked into the oval shaped living room ,escorted by the men of the house, one on either side.Two glass like stairways rose from either side of the living room spiralling their way to the top floor of the house.Her feet felt iron clad as she dragged them inside forcibly . Idols of various Gods and Goddesses were placed at the centre of the flower decoration at the far end of the room. Various kinds of fruits, traditional sweets of every kind , florets of orange and yellow marigold flowers , incense sticks were arranged in a number of identical silver plates and placed symmetrically infront, along with an array of various other puja related materials.

" Here we go " Neil's exasperated sigh ,made her look up and follow his eyes to the top of the right staircase ,to see Shweta standing there with a silver plate in her hands and a stunned expression on her face.After remaining stagnant like a statue for a few passing seconds ,she flew down the stairs in a dramatic fashion ; the whole scene looked straight out of some magnus Bollywood movie ,the only thing missing being the emotional background music.

Shweta hugged Neil and he hugged her back smiling.Like the theatrical person that she was,Shweta took a step back and caressed her son's face with almost watery eyes.

" Mom ! I'm coming home after a week ,not after decades !! Stop being so melodramatic ! " muttered Neil ,quite visibly embarrassed.

" Han toh ? Ab kya main tujhe miss bhi nai kar sakti Tillu ? " Shweta retorted.
( So what? Now I can't even miss you Tillu?)

" Of course you can but ...."

" But what? You don't miss your mother anymore? " her tearless cries echoed in the hall.

" Mom ! I'm not a kid ." Neil's words were anything but consoling.

" Shweta ji ! " Prakash interrupted .In a matter of seconds he had moved next to Shweta." Look who else is here " placing his hands on her shoulders, he smoothly turned her to face Avni.The crying kid countenance changed to a rather happy one .

" Avni " Shweta hugged her tightly  knocking the breath out of her. " I'm so happy to see you.You kept your words...you brought Neil here,...today" she spared Neil a glance and then turned to face Avni again " You are just perfect for my Neil and this family .God bless you " .Shweta caressed Avni's face lovingly as she bestowed blessings upon her.

" Kya chal rha hai ? " came a loud and intense voice from the top the stairs.The voice emanated from an equally strong personality.Avni could clearly make out that the lady of the hour was much older than Shweta and taking into account that there was only one other person in Neil's family , she concluded that the lady must be Neil's grandmother.
(What's going on ?)

" Bebe " Neil whispered in her ears and Avni nodded her head almost indistinctly .Bebe was elegance personified.Her style ,her simple yet classy saree and her personality enhancing jewellery , everything spoke elegance.She slowly descended down the flight of stairs,one step at a time .Unlike Shweta she took her time to get down and get to them.

" Arey koi mujhse bhi toh milwao " Bebe  announced to her family.Before another word could be exchanged Neil pulled his fiery grandmother into a tight hug disbalancing her and just like that the stern headmistress melted into a fluffy teddy bear infront of Avni's eyes.
(Somebody introduce me too)

" Bebe isse miliye..." Shweta held Avni by her shoulder as she introduced her " ..yeh Avni."
( Bebe meet her.....she is Avni)

Before Shweta could start a proper introduction Bebe took over  " Toh Tu hai Avni.Tillu ki girlfriend." Unlike Shweta , Bebe didn't seem to be in any hurry of taking in Avni as her granddaughter-in-law. Avni who was dazed by Bebe's scrutinizing eyes saw Neil gesturing to her from behind his grandmother.Immediately taking in the hint she greeted  Bebe by touching her feet and as a reflex she blessed Avni by  placing her hand on her bowed head.
(So you are Avni. Tillu's girlfriend.)

" So you are the girl who has made both my grandson and daughter-in-law fall in love with you.What are you ? A magician ? " Bebe spoke calmly still scrutinizing Avni very minutely.

Bebe's words were enough to strum the nervous cord in Avni.She looked from Neil to Shweta in confusion, unable to understand the implications.But it was Prakash who understood her dilemma and volunteered a helping hand.

" Woh kya hai na beta, Neil aur Shweta ji ki pasand ...." he hesitated looking at his now angry wife "..... kabhi milti hi nai.This is the first time this has happened.So you can imagine our surprise " he smiled kindly , soothing the effect of Bebe's blow.
( The thing is dear, Neil and Shweta's choice......never match )

" Toh ab bata .....tu mujhe kaise pataegi? I'm a hard nut to crack." Bebe smiled with an cunning curve to it .
( So now you tell me....how are you going to make me like you ?)

Sweat beads had started making their appearance on Avni's forehead by now.Her throat had gone completely dry making her lips sealed ; this was definitely not something she expected, a curve ball.

Gathering all her scattered courage she  spoke slowly and carefully " I'll do whatever it takes to win your heart ." .She managed a faint smile.

" Ahan ! I like the attitude.Ok so let's start with a question then.Agar tujhe Neil ,Shweta aur mujhmein se kisi ek ko manana ho toh kisse manaegi? "
(If you had to convince only one person out of Shweta,Neil and Me ,then who will you choose ?)

Avni knew the answer right away,it was easy given the fact Bebe was the one asking.But then why would she ask her such a simple question.It was like a question for a competitive exam ; there is always a catch or is there?.She whacked her brain harder for the answer,while everyone patiently waited for her answer.Thats when she noticed nobody had a serious line on their faces,not even Bebe, infact everyone was suppressing a smile . Realisation stuck her , Bebe was just yanking her chain and everyone was playing along.

" Of course you Bebe !" Avni's smile returned as the fine lines of strain disappeared from her forehead.

" Buttering much ?" Bebe wasn't going to give up her pretence of seriousness so easily.

" Of course not.Bebe aap Ghar mein sabse badi hai ,toh aapko mana liya matlab sabko mana liya.Neil aur Shweta aunty aapko mana nai kar payenge " Avni flashed a confident smile at Neil ,who smirked at her smart answer.
( Bebe you are the eldest in the house, so I convinced you that would mean I hv convinced everyone else as well.Neil and Shweta aunty won't be able to say no to you)

"  Smart ! I'm starting to like you ." Bebe finally let that smile out .
" Why is everyone standing.Andar chalo , baithke baatein kartein hai.Aur Shweta kuch khaane peene ka intezaam kar bhai."
(Let's go inside ,sit and talk.Shweta make arrangements for refreshments.)

Shweta nodded a " Ji Bebe " and started moving towards the kitchen ,while the others made themselves comfortable on the couches.

" Sun , panditji se bhi puch lena kab tak aayenge?" Bebe told her retrieving daughter-in-law.
(Listen , also ask Panditji (priest) by what time would he be arriving.)

As everyone settled down , Prakash pulled Neil aside to the nearby small coffee table to discuss some business matter with him.From what Avni could gather Prakash wanted his lawyer son to look into the company's legal issues.

Avni's eyes traces Neil as he slowly moves away to the corner table ,leaving her all alone with his grandmother.The more she tried to look confident ,the more vulnerable she looked.

" Toh kya karti ho tum ? "
(So what do you do?)

Bebe's simple question baffled a distracted Avni ,who seemed not to have heard the question .

" Job ?" Bebe pressed on seeing her befuddled expression.

" Editor....Book editor.." she fumbled.

" Editor!!" Bebe flashed a disinterested look. " Book likhti bhi ho ?"
(Do you also write ?)

" Errr No !!! Nai... matlab....likhti toh hoon par abhi tak kuch bhi publish nai hua hai.Hopefully kisi din mera book publish hoga. Someday it will be my day" Her eyes looked a bit lost and dreamy by the end of it.
(Err No !! No...I mean...I do write but none of my works have been published.Hopefully someday my book will get published too.)

" Acha !" Bebe still didn't understand the excitement of her job.
(Ok)

" But ....I do get to read a lot of amazing stories. Perks of being an editor " Avni added cheerfully.

" Phir toh tujhe bahut saari stories pta hogi?" .For the first time since she met her , Bebe's face showed glimpses of excitement.
(Then you must be knowing lots of stories)

" Ji. Mere pass bahut saare books bhi hain" Avni chirruped.
(Yes.I have a lot of books too)

" Padhna nai hai mujhe." Bebe made it amply clear that she wasn't into reading .
(I don't want to read )

" Phir?"
(Then)

" Sunna hai. Mujhe kahani sunna bada acha lagta hai.Tu sunaegi mujhe kahani ? " Bebe enthusiasm and excitement mimicked a two year old child.
( Listening.I love hearing stories.Will you read them to me? )

" Yes.Yes ,of course " Avni couldn't quieten the unrestrained smile that had broken out on hearing Bebe's childish demand.On the far end of the room Neil smiled seeing her smile , despite being totally clueless about the reason behind it.

Like a wave of precious curves , the smile spree continued as Prakash smiled observing his distracted son's pleasing smile. What added to the effect was that he knew exactly the reason behind it.

" What genre of stories do you like ? " Avni asked still smiling.

" Romantic " Bebe's eyes gleamed with mischief " Young romance. "

Avni couldn't wipe off her smile or Bebe's blush.

" Ab young generation ki hoon, toh choice bhi young hi hogi na.Tu bas bata tu mujhe stories padhke sunaegi ya nai?"
( When I belong to the young generation ,then my choice would be young too.You just tell me whether you will read them to me or not.)

" Jab bhi aap kaho " she replied with honesty in her voice.
(Anytime you wish)

Bebe grinned from ear to ear. To halt the flow of conversation ,Shweta arrived with a pair of helps following her, holding plates full of various mouth watering snacks and refreshments.

" Bebe Panditji ji ne kaha unhe aur 15-20 minute lagenge aane mein" Shweta informed Bebe while the helps set 2 plates on the centre table . Afterwards one of them carried a plate of snack and two cups of black coffee to the small table in the corner following Shweta's instructions.
(Bebe Panditji said he will be arriving in 15-20 minutes.)

" Chal thik hai tab tak main todha puja ki tayari dekh leti hoon " Bebe responded sipping her tea. " Tujhe pe toh bharosa kiya nai ja sakta na" she finished with a taunt much to Shweta's annoyance.
(Ok then ,let me check the Puja arrangements . Can't trust you with all these ,can I?)

" That's not fair " Shweta looked like a grumpy kid as she protested against Bebe's disapproval.

"Main help karun ? " Avni cut in.
(Can I help?)

" Do you want to ?" Bebe smiled approvingly at her will to participate.Avni just nodded her head in affirmation.

" Well then.Lets get to work.Follow my instructions. " Bebe got up from her chair and walked towards the Puja place ,with Avni in close pursuit.Soon instructions started pouring down as Avni hustled to keep up.Few minutes down Avni was busy arranging everything ,while Bebe calmly sat on a chair and observed.

" Neil ne tujhe Kiara ke baare mein toh bataya hoga na ?" . Bebe's sudden question caught Avni off guard.She desperately searched for an answer vague enough to conceal her lack of knowledge on the person in question.
(Neil must have told you about Kiara ,ryt?)

" Ummmm" before she could spit out her well thought of reply ,Bebe spoke again ,saving her the pain.

" I don't think so.Hmm.... bataega bhi kyun ? He mustn't have considered it worth sharing." Bebe spoke more thoughtfully than before.
( Hmm......why would he tell?)

Avni wisely kept quiet, knowing that it was best suited to the situation.

" She was his classmate in law school." Bebe continued . " Very pretty and lovely girl. Looked perfect for Neil. She was in love with our Neil or perhaps it was a huge crush.Whatever it was, the day she came to our house , I knew it wouldn't work out. I knew right away that she was headed for heartbreak town." Bebe sighed . " Poor girl. I knew they were not meant to be ,yet I couldn't prevent her from breaking her own heart. "

Though Avni had never met the girl concerned, she immediately felt a certain awkwardness hearing her story. It wasn't sympathy she felt , she felt somewhat cheated that Neil never mentioned her ,even though she told him all about her love life ,however insignificant that might have been.But the emotion that overpowered it all was curiosity ; curiosity to know how Bebe had predicted everything just by that one meeting .It scared her to even fathom what Bebe has observed about her and her fake relationship with Neil.

She gathered her left up courage and asked 'the question' " How ? How did you know ? "

" Dekhke" Bebe looked at Neil as she spoke remembering it . " We had some function in our house. I don't remember the exact occasion. All of Neil's friends were invited.From moment Kiara entered ,her eyes were fixated on one person ; Neil. In the crowd of people, she kept stealing repeated glances at Neil and blushed really hard when caught in the act. She was in love , even a blind person could see it. "

" Oh " Avni looked on , without saying much.

"Main dur se hi sab kuch dekh rahi this. Aur Shweta ko toh wo bha hi gyi thi.Par.. " Bebe now turned back to face Avni . " One look at Neil and I knew it. I knew he didn't feel the same way about her. There was nothing more than friendship from his side  ; probably less but not more. The whole evening passed and he never even looked at her. The only time he was with her was when he introduced her along with his other friends to us.That's when I knew....iska toh dil tootne wala hai ."
(I was watching everything from far.And Shweta absolutely adored her.

That's when I knew....she was heading for a heartbreak.)

Avni's heart paced irregularly and her hands trembled as she realised the importance of the story. Her verdict was up next.She looked helplessly at Neil ,who was busy looking through pages of a file. Scared of the inevitable ,she prayed to God to save her from the humiliation.

"Mujhe nai pta tum dono ke beech kya chal rha hai. Ye 6 mahine wale story mein kitni sachayi hai pta nai."
Avni knew her time was up.Holding her head down ,she readied herself to take the blow.
( I don't know what's going on between the two of you. No idea how much truth this 6 month story holds.)

" But..... I have seen something in my Neil, that I had never seen before.His eyes never leave you. Even from that far corner ,he is looking at you. " Bebe's smile made a re-entry. " Tabse apne chair to adjust kiye ja rha hai, taki tu usse thik se dikh jaye "she chuckled.
( He has been adjusting his chair to an angle from where he could see you perfectly.)

An instant blush graced Avni's facial contours but she knew non of it was true.The only reason he was looking at her was to keep her from causing blunders.She opened her mouth to speak ,before being quietened by Bebe.

" Tu keh sakti hai ki concern hai but it's more than that.I have never seen Neil like this before.He is all smiles when you are around.Your smile is replicated in his face.There is more to those stolen glances than just concern.You can see it there , in his eyes.There you go again ." Just like that Avni's eyes meets Neil's, a few seconds paas and he looks away embarrassed seeing his Bebe grinning at him.
( You can say it's concern but it's more than that.)

" And unlike last time, it's not one sided. Your eyes keep wandering a lot too. " Bebe's remark made Avni's blush deeper, even though her mind had all the logical explanations ready. Being caught looking at someone , even if it was your fake boyfriend ,was embarrassing.

Avni's dilemma on whether to brush off Bebe's critiques  as baseless or to give them a little more thought was broken by Shweta's arrival.In the next second ,she was calling out to Neil , who came over after finishing his work.

" Kya hua mom.Kyun chilla rahe ho ?" He asked annoyed.
( What happened mom.Why are you shouting?)

" Ye lo." She handed over two shopping bags ,one to Neil and the other to Avni ,both of them had same bewildered expression.
( Take this)
" Tere liye naya kurta " she told her son. " Aur ye saree tumhare liye " she smiled at Avni. " Now go change.Its almost time for Puja. Prakash ji aap bhi change kar lijiye jaldi se " she ordered her loving husband who quickly made his way upstairs, unlike her son who was in no mood of listening.
(A new kurta set for you.
And this saree is for you.
Prakash ji , you too go and change quickly.)

" Why? I'm fine with whatever I'm wearing " Neil protested.Avni tried to join in, but Bebe spoke before her.

" Pehen le na.Kitne pyaar se layi hai teri Maa." Bebe's words were enough to change Neil's stubbornness.
( Wear it na .Your mom has bought it with so much love.)

Avni stood fixed to her place awkwardly , immediately making Shweta realise her oversight.
" Avni ,tu Bebe me room mein change kar le. Let me show you the room ."
(Avni ,you can change in Bebe's room)

Shweta walked Avni to Bebe's room .After showing her around the room ,she left Avni to change.
" Just call me incase you need any help."
Avni closed the door behind a receding Shweta.

to be continued......
    
                  **************

A/N : Extremely sorry for the late update.

Thank you for all the votes and comments on the last chapter.I appreciate each and every one of them.😄😄😄

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Much love.