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Here is your read! Enjoy!

And we are gearing close to Neil! I am as excited as you are!! 🤩🤩

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Avni was working like a maniac in the office on a thursday evening. Her eyes puffed due to heavy work and pupils shifting from monitor to keyboard swiftly. Her hair put up with a hairclip and one leg folded onto the chair - her convenient stress time position. Just then her phone recieved buzzed with a notification.

'Hi'

Avni quickly typed a 'Hi. Tell me' since it was an unknown number which could probably be any one from Blue Rose Corporations pinging her for some official work.

'Mumma gave me your number only today morning. How are you?'

Avni quickly realised who could it be and grabbed her phone to look at the contact closely. She recognised the face and started messaging back.

'Hey. Sorry. I thought its some official message. I am fine. How are you?'

'I am good. Are you in the office?'

'Oh yes. In the middle of work actually.'

'Oh! I am so sorry. Please go on. When will you reach your hostel?'

'I will be there by 6.30pm'

'I will call you in the night then. Will that be okay?'

'Yeah. Sure. Catch you later'

'Yes. Bye'

Avni quickly sent a screenshot to Tara and told her that Sreekanth had messaged her few minutes ago. His mother had already contacted her telling that she would share her phone number with him and suggested to talk open heartedly. After getting back to hostel, she recieved the call and started talking to him. She rolled her eyes at the teasing stares of her room mates including Tara and sat on the hostel stairs to continue talking. Within a few days, Tara also started texting Sreekanth and addressed him as her Jeeju.

Avni found herself trying her level best to open up and be close to him. Sreekanth was kind of unknown to the bubbly and chirpy Avni because he mostly stayed calm and Avni returned the same vibes. Though there was nothing wrong in their pair, there was nothing right too. But, Avni on the other hand kept on trying to find her happiness with him. Their topics slowly drifted to college life, friends and the life he wanted to live in Germany with her. Every now and then, even though they had just started to know each other, they ran out of topics to talk and ended the calls soon.

Tara, while found Sreekanth to be a decent guy but at the same time noticed that Avni had become silent and unusually stayed disturbed. She knew that Avni herself was not able to decide something. Both Avni and Sreekanth had to come to their final decisions after a week and Avni constantly was in touch with her mother in law who she found to be a nice woman.

One such day,

Sreekanth: I wanted to share something with you.

Avni: Yes. Tell me.

Sreekanth: Don't take me wrong. I am very open and would like to tell you everything.

Avni: There is no need of any preface. Tell na. You can tell me anything.

Sreekanth: Actually, I had some concepts about my future wife.

Avni(sighed): Go on.

Sreekanth: There are three things mainly. I don't want to marry a girl who had been in a relationship in the past.

Avni: Why?

Sreekanth: I think if we love someone, then we should marry the same person. What's the whole point in marrying some one else?

Avni(felt the need to let her voice known): Well. I have never been in a relationship before. But, I had huge crushes too. Had that worked out, I would have been happily in a relationship. And second thing, a relationship can end up in a break up due to multiple reasons right?

Sreekanth: Whatever be the reason, if they are not sure, then why get into a relationship? By the way, its just my opinion. Doesn't mean that I won't like you if you had a past. I like you whatever be the case.

Avni: Hmm. I have different opinion here. Still...what's the second thing?

Sreekanth: I wanted a girl who is.. you know a little.. calm and composed type. Not that she should be silent and shy. Not very talkative. Just the right amount of.

Avni: You mean...the 'Sulji hui Shanth'?

Sreekanth(chuckled): Kind of..

Avni: I am defenitely not..

Sreekanth: I know. I just said so.

Avni: And next?

Sreekanth: Someone who maintains a distance from boys. There were girls in my college who were always around boys.

Avni: Was there something wrong with them?

Sreekanth: No. I didn't mean that. I just don't like that closeness much above a limit.

Avni(sighed): I don't know where is that limit. But still, I believe I may be above the limit. Majority of my friends are boys and they are like my family. So..

Sreekanth: Dear, I like you. And that increases day by day. I just said that these were and are my concepts. Doesn't mean that I don't like you. You are a really good girl.

Avni: Hmm..

Sreekanth: Felt bad?

Avni: Yes. A little bit.

Sreekanth: I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to be open.

Avni: Yep. Can I talk to you afterwards?

Sreekanth: Okay. We should come to our final decision day after tomorrow. You remember?

Avni: Yes. I do. Bye now. Goodnight.

##### The decision making day #####

Neela: Avni. He is a nice boy. All men are possessive when it comes to their partners.

Avni: C'mom Mom! There is nothing between us to be possessive of. I am not saying he is bad. I am just saying he is too different from me and can be very difficult to adjust.

Ashish(angrily): Both of us found him a good match for you Avni. We even went to his home.

Avni: You told its not final.

Ashish: But the reason you are saying is childish! I know that its not your decision!

Avni(looked at him): I know where you are heading to. Its very easy to blame my friends if I don't come your way. If you utter Tara's name, this will go wrong.

Neela: You only told me that she now dislikes him.

Avni: How does that make a difference Mom? When I shared my thoughts with her, she disliked him. But I don't hold a grudge against him even now. I am saying that our relationship will be based on compromises. I cannot become someone else for this! And do not blame Tara for this. She can't be responsible for everything in my life.

Neela: Avni I also love her like you do..

Avni: Then get her out of this. I can take my life decisions alone. If you think I am that immature, then how can you ask me to get married?

Ashish: Avni! Stop argueing! Which prince charming will come for you!? What are you waiting for? You won't get a proposal with 100% perfection!

Avni: Dad! This calls for an arguement! I didn't say anything about waiting for a prince. I am not that dreamy too. You asked me to think over and I gave my answer. You didn't say that you can't take a 'No'.

Neela(crying): Please try again Avni. I really think its a good rishta. We also have drawbacks and limitations. I am your second mother. Ayesha ji is your biological mother and she was a muslim too! Not everyone accepts all these.

Avni: So? I should adjust to anyone who accepts this? There is nothing beyond this?

Neela: Avni. I have informed his mother about your decision. Both of us want you to try again. You can be a really good pair. Will you keep your preconceptions aside and try again? Mere liye? (For me?)

Avni(had tears): Mom. Why are you forcing me?

Neela: We are not. You don't have a convincing reason.

Avni: My 'No' should be a enough reason in itself. I cannot explain how do I feel about this. Please.

Neela: Please Avu. One last time. Try for me. Many rishtas are getting cancelled because of our family background. In fact, because of me. I won't be able to tolerate if I become a hindrance in your good future.

Avu: Mom. Just don't think so low of yourself. I will try again. But remember that you are not doing right with me.

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Sreekanth: I heard that you told No.

Avni: Let's give it a shot again. One more week. Is that okay with you?

Sreekanth: Yes. I am too old fashioned for you right?

Avni: We are just too different from each other..

Sreekanth: Hmm. Relax. We'll figure it out. I need to hang up now to go out for dinner. I will text you.

Avni: Sure.

Days passed and Avni mentally prepared herself to accept him. She pictured about the romantic things that they would do, but failed to find the excitement in those. Nevertheless, she didn't want to see Neela's tears anymore. She had made up her mind to nod in a 'Yes' for this proposal and proceed. That weekend, when she was on call with Sreekanth, he suggested a recall to whatever has happened.

Sreekanth: After I met you, I showed your instagram profile to my cousins. They told that 'Bro. She is too hi-fi for you'.

Avni: Hmm..

Sreekanth: But I decided to give it a try. Then, I saw your photos with your friends. There are two photos specifically which I didn't like.

Avni: Which are those?

Sreekanth: One is a click of you sitting on a bike with some boy.

Avni(recalled): That's Alan. My friend. I have told you about him.

Sreekanth: Yes. You have. Another photo is of someone pinching your cheeks. I didn't like that at all.

Avni: That could be Ali.

Sreekanth: I thought you are a flirt..

Avni(paused for a second): Hmm..

Sreekanth: You felt bad?

Avni: I am 23. No one in these 23 years of my life have called me a flirt. This is new!

Sreekanth: Hey! Please don't get me wrong. When I started talking, I understood that you are awesome and my impressions were wrong.

Avni: Hmm..

Sreekanth: You know, even if my cousin sister uploads a photo with her friends who are boys, I would point it out to her. Its us who should take care of these things. Don't your relatives tell anything to you?

Avni: Once, my chacha had told me. But I didn't care back then. And honestly, I don't care even now.

Sreekanth: Okay..

The next day, Avni was bedridden due to her monthly cramps and then started playing a whatsapp game of posting your friends' pictures with a caption. Sreekanth also asked her to post a picture of him. When she asked for a good picture, he brushed it off saying that "Nahi Nahi. Maine ainvayi poocha".

That evening, Avni recieved a call from her future mother in law.

'Is this some kind of a rebel attitude Avni? That koi kuch bhi kahe, main nahi sudharne wali..'

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Your social media freedom! Have you ever faced these comments?

'Kaisi photo daali hai?'

Let me know your views about this. This is an issue faced by many of us if I am not wrong!

Love..💝
Megha

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