It was the time of night, the moon was shining in the sky, and silence was all over. The sound of crickets was clearly heard because of the silence. Neil was standing in the Mehta house bowing his head and everyone was looking at her. The Khanna family was angry with him and the Mehta family was disappointed. Neil came forward and he stopped.

Neil: Mom, dad...

Shweta interrupted: mat bol mujhe mom. Nahi hun main teri maa.

Neil looked at her sadly.

Shweta: aaj tu ne sari hadain par kar di, Tillu, sar...

Shweta stopped.

Shweta: Nahi Tillu nahi. Tu mera Tillu nahi hai. Tu to ACP Neil Khanna hai.

Neil was shocked

Shweta: jis ke liye us ka kaam, us ka farz hi sab kuch hai baki sab gaye bhar main.

Neil: Mom, kaisi batain kar rahi hain aap. Aap sab bhi mere liye important hai lekin kabhi, kabhi situation asi ho jati hai jahan farz aur apno main se kisi ek ko chunana parta hai. Mushkil decisions lene parte hain... Aap ko pata bhi hai ke howa kya tha.

Shweta: Nahi, mujhe nahi pata aur mujhe janana bhi nahi hai. Main sirf itna janti hun ke aaj tu ne Avni ko bohat hurt kiya hai.

Neil was shocked.

Shweta: Aaj us ki zindagi ka itna khas din tha. Kitna khush thi woh aur tu ne us ke itne special din ko barbad kar diya. Usay sab ke samne akela chor kar chala gaya.

Neil was shocked.

Shweta: Aur sath main ek dar bhi de gaya ke tu kabhi bhi us ka sath chor sakta hai.

Neil was shocked and Shweta cried.

Shweta: Tu ne ek baar bhi morh kar nahi dekha usay. Woh masoom bachi tu per nazrain jamaye khari rahi ke shayad ab tu ek baar morh kar usay dekhega lekin nahi tu... Tu ase gaya jaise piche tera koi apna tha hi nahi.

Till now, Neil was guilty of leaving Avni but now he realized what blunder he has done.

Shweta: Us bachi ne kisi se kuch nahi kaha. Koi shikayat nahi ki. Bus chup chap chali gai wahan se.

Neil was shocked. He looked around and saw Avni is nowhere.

Neil: Avni? Avni kahan hai?

Neil looked at everyone.

Shweta: bohat jaldi nahi khayal agaye tujhe us ka?

Neil: Mom, please, mujhe yeh bataiye ke Avni kahan hai? Woh theek to hai na?

Shweta: Tu ne...

Prakash interrupted.

Prakash: Shweta...

Shweta looked at him.

Prqkash: Shant ho jao. Yeh waqt in sab baton ka nahi hai.

Shweta looked away. Prakash turned to Neil.

Prakash: Neil, Avni ke pass jaa. Woh apne room main hai.

Neil nodded and he looked at Neela maa.

Neil: Neela maa, Avni ka room?

Nm: upper jaa kar left se last room. Tumhe zyada pareshani nahi hogi jis room se siskiyun ki awaz aye wahi room Avni ka hai.

Neil felt a pinch in his heart. Neil looked up and he thinks.

Neil came upstairs. Neil passed by the corridor and gulped. Neil saw Avni's room and he came to it. Neil knocked on the door.

Neil said with a heavy voice: Avni.

Neil waited for Avni to open the door. Neil again knocked on the door.

Neil: Avni, please open the door.

Neil again knocked at the door and this time the door opened. Neil was looking straight and to his shock, Avni was smiling. Neil felt his heart heavy to see her smile because he knew that she is doing acting. Avni moved the steps back after opening the door. Neil was looking at her.

Avni: Neil.

Avni was smiling.

Avni: aao, andar aao.

Avni moved aside and Neil came into the room while looking at her then he saw Avni’s luxurious room. Neil got to know that Avni is living the life of a princess. Neil turned to Avni.

Avni: sab theek hai, Neil?

Neil was looking at her and he nodded.

Avni: Thank God… Acha, tum ne dinner nahi kiya hoga na? ek kaam karo tum jaldi se fresh ho jao phir hum sath main dinner karte hain.

Avni remembered something.

Avni: dinner to shayad kisi ne bhi nahi kiya hoga. Ek kaam karti hun mamma se puchti hun agar sab ne dinner kar liya hoga to yahan le aati hun nahi kiya to sab ke sath dinner karte hain. hmm, theek hai?

Neil was sadly looking at Avni. Avni turned and Neil hugged her from behind. Avni kept her hand on Neil’s side head.

Neil: I am sorry, Avni. Please mauf kar do mujhe.

Avni closed her eyes and Neil was crying. Neil hid his face in Avni’s neck.

Neil: I am sorry.

Neil squeezed Avni in his arms. Neil kept his chin on Avni’s shoulder. Avni’s eyes were teary.

Neil: please, forgive me, I know, I hurt you a lot today.

Avni cupped his face with one hand.

Neil: I am sorry.

Avni gulped with teary eyes but she smiled and turned to Neil. Avni cupped Neil’s face.

Avni: it's ok, Neil. I understand.

Neil: Avni, please ase behave mat karo jaise kuch howa hi nahi ho. I know mujhse bohat bari galti hoi hai. Tum mujh per chillao, gussa karo, maro, jo karna hai karo lekin is tufan ko apne andar mat rakho. Just lash out at me.

Avni smiled slightly.

Avni: how can I lash out at you when I know that mistake is not yours? I admit that I was hurt but when I thought about it with a calm mind then I understood your situation and then my anger flew away.

Neil: Avni, pata hai kya howa tha? Actually, DD aur kuch officers yahan humari engagement main arahe the lekin raste main kisi ne us per attack kar diya.

Avni was shocked.

Neil: Jab mujhe yeh pata chala to main bohat ghabra gaya aur bina kuch soche samjhe bus chala gaya. I am sorry.

Avni: ab kaise hain woh sab?

Neil nodded.

Neil: stable hain.

Avni took a sigh of relief.

Avni: thank God.

Neil cupped Avni’s face.

Neil: Aaj humari engagement thi aur main tumhe sab ke samne akela chor kar chala gaya. Please mauf kar do mujhe.

Avni also cupped Neil’s face.

Avni: it’s ok, Neil, main tumhari situation smajh sakti hun. Bus agar tum bata kar jate to cheezain kharab nahi hoti. Maine pehle bhi tumhe kaha tha ke inform kar diya karo baat bigarne se bach jaegi.

Neil looked down.

Avni: agar tum bata dete to humain sab ke samne embarrass nahi hona parta. Mujhe logon ki koi parwah nahi hai lekin main nahi chahti ke koi humare relationship per ungali uthaye.

Neil was sadly looking at Avni.

Avni: Agar tum yahi bata jane se pehle bata deta to hum na sab ke samne embarrass hote aur na hi cheezain itni odd hoti.

Neil hugged Avni.

Neil: I am sorry, Avni. Maine sab kharab kar diya. Maine promise kiya tha ke humari engagement grand hogi lekin maine hi isay kharab kar diya. I am sorry, I ruined our special day.

Avni broke the hug.

Avni: agar ab dubara tum ne sorry kaha na to main sach main gussa ho jaungi.

Neil smiled and Avni wiped his teary
eyes. Neil sighed.

On the other side, everyone was tense.

Shweta: pata nahi kya baat ho rahi hogi?

Prakash: Shweta, relax, humare bache mature hain woh sab handle kar lenge.

Shweta was about to say but they heard Avni and Neil. They looked at stairs and they saw Avni and Neil coming down the stairs while talking and smiling. Everyone smiled to see them. They looked at one another and then they looked at Avneil.

Avneil can downstairs. They saw their family and smiled. They smiled to see each other.

Avni: bohat bhukh lagi hai, mamma.

Neil smiled.

Nm: han, main abhi khana lagati hun.

Neil: Neela maa.

Neela maa stopped and everyone looked at Neil. Neil looked at Avni and then he looked at the family. Neil moved to the family and Avni too walked behind him. Neil stopped and he sighed.

Neil: I am sorry everyone. I know, I ruined everything. Actually, howa yeh tha ke…

Neil narrated everything and everyone got shocked.

Ashish: ab kaise hai woh?

Neil nodded.

Neil: stable hain.

Everyone was relieved and they thanked God.

Nm: Neil, agar tum pehle bata dete to itna sab kuch hota hi nahi.

Avni looked at Neil.

Neil: I am sorry, Neela maa.
Avni: ok, now close this topic. I am hungry… mamma…

Nm: han, han. Main jaa rahi hun.

Neil and the others smiled.

Avni: aaj hum sab sath main dinner karenge.

They smiled. Neil was looking at Avni who looked at him while smiling. Neil smiled.

Later, everyone was standing outside the Mehta house.

Prakash: ab hum chalte hain.

Everyone met and greeted each other. Neil looked at Avni who smiled to see him.

Neil: Bye and take care.

Avni: you too and bye.

They smiled.

Later, Neil was sitting on the bed in his room and he saw the flashes that how he left by leaving Avni alone. Neil closed his eyes and he ran his hand through his hair. Neil sighed and he opened his eyes.

Neil: Neil, aaj tu ne sari hadain par kar di. Tu ne aaj bohat hurt kiya hai Avni ko, ab tujhe us ke liye kuch to special karna parega… lekin kya?

Neil thinks and an idea struck in his mind. Neil smiled.

Neil; now wait and watch, would be wifey, what I will do.

Neil smiled.

The next day, the birds were hovering in the sky and the sun was shining in the sky over the college building where Avni was standing with her friends in the corridor.

Jiya: Avni, sorry, main tumhari engagement main nahi aa pai. Tumhe to pata hai ke mere bhai ki wedding ke functions chal rahe hain.

Avni smiled.

Avni: I know.

Jiya: by the way, congratulations.

Avni: thank you.

Jiya: apni engagement ki pictures to dikhao.

Avni: abhi to nahi hain mere pass lekin jaise hi milengi main le aungi.

Priya: mujhe bhi mauf kar de meri family itni strict hai mujhe kahin jane hi nahi dete.

Avni: I understand.

On the other side, a jeep stopped inside the college’s boundary. Someone got down from the jeep and the person was wearing a police uniform. Everyone was just looking at the person. The girls lost their hearts to see the boy.

Avni was talking with her friends and they were smiling. A boy came there running and talked with his friends.

Boy: bahar police ayi hai.

Everyone was shocked including Avni.

Avni: police?

Avni looked at her friends and then she thinks. Avni looked up and she was shocked to see the view in front of her. She was just looking there. Someone was coming there and slowly his face showed. It was Neil who was coming with his swag in the police uniform.

Avni was surprised to see Neil and she was just staring at him. Everyone was looking at him and the girls drool to see him. Neil saw Avni and he smiled to see her. Neil came to Avni who was looking at him.

Neil salutes Avni.

Neil: ACP Neil Khanna reporting ma'am.

Avni was surprised and Neil smiled.