Avni's Home in Ajmer :

Avni sat quietly on the swing out on the porch.Her knees bent and drawn close to her chest,hands wrapped around the knees and head rested upon them.Lost in thought s.Thoughts she couldn't share with anyone, not even with her mother.Thoughts which terrified her and shook her to her very core.Thoughts she wanted to bury deep inside a box, lock it and throw the key into the boundless depths of ocean.

" Avni Kya soch rahi ho bacha?" Neela came and sat besides her only child , around whom her whole world revolved.

"Kuch nai Maa"

" Phir aise suddenly ghar kaise aa gayi?Na koi call na message"

" Ab apne ghar aane ke liye bhi mujhe reason chahiye ?"

" Nai bacha.Thats not what I meant"

" Kahin phirse kisine propose toh nai kar diya ?" Neela teased.

"Maa !!!! " she exclaimed with a hint of irritation.

" Kitni baar kaha hai , if anyone proposes just decline it politely, you don't have to run back home everytime" Neela chuckled.

" Maa nobody proposed " she replied sternly

"Ok ok.Main toh bas tera mood thik karne ki koshish kar rahi thi."

Avni rested her head in her mother's lap, where all her worries seemed to disappear momentarily.Neela affectionately caressed her daughter's hairs.She never required words to understand her kid's emotions.Though Avni never let it out,Neela knew her princess still remembered everything.Even after all these years everything was still fresh in her mind and the pain still raw in those eyes.She remembered it all...the fights,the arguments,the shouting ,the accusations; the cries , the tears ;the banging doors , the breaking of glasses, the shattered hearts and unfulfilled promises.She knew the reason Avni always ran away from love and commitment.She knew her daughter was still the scared little girl in some corner of her heart.Behind the brave face was the timid heartbroken child.Children always bore the burden of a failed marriage.

"Maa the phone's ringing"

" Huh??" Neela was disoriented

"Phone Maa"

" Yes I'll get it"

"Don't call me unless its important.These hospital people have been nagging me in the name of change in management.4 din ki chutti ke liye kaha tha.Now they are asking me to come back after a day.I hate this new administrative head"

"Chal thik hai.I won't call you unless its important"

Neela hurried her way back inside the house as the land phone kept ringing.

" Hello.Neela Pareikh here"

"Ma'am.Can l talk to Avni? Her phone has been switched off since yesterday"

"Wo toh so rahi hai.Can I take a message? Who should I say called?"

" I'm her friend.I'll call back later after she wakes up.Need to talk to her"

Neela gave it a second thought.

"Suno.Waise toh my daughter doesn't have many friends who call here.And I know the ones who do by their names.You sound genuine and terrible at the same time.Call it a mother's instinct.Tumhari baaton se lagta hai ki tum dono ka baat karna jaruri hai.So I'm taking this risk.Wait."

" Risk? I didn't get you"

"Avni ke gusse ka risk."

Neela shouted back at Avni " Avni tera call hai.Urgent"

Then she returned to the caller and whispered a ' good luck'

Avni took the receiver from Neela.

" Hello.Who is it?"

" Avni "

The voice took her by surprise...a not so pleasant one.

" Neil !!!!! How did you ? How did you get my no.?"

"Can we meet?"

" No.No we can't"

"Please mil lo.Ek baar.Main Ajmer mein hi hoon"

"Tum yahan ho!!!!! Why? How? " She tried to tone down the pitch of her voice to hide her shock from reaching her mother's ears.

" Wo sab baad mein.Please meet me once.Just this once"

" No.Never.I can't"

" Fine then.I'll come to you "

" Are you insane? And how will you even find me? You are bluffing "

"When I can get your no., come to your place ,then how difficult can it be to locate your house?"

" Don't come here.Please don't.I'll come.I'm  texting you a address .Meet me there in an hour"

" I'll be there"

                                ****~****

An hour later :

Neil sat on the short wall by the side of the river.It was shadowed by a big oak tree with fanned out branches.The pleasant breeze rustled the leaves and created ripples on the surface of the water flowing behind.He had decided to bare his heart in front of her today.Tell her everything .Clear every doubt she had about them.Tell her how he felt about her .Confess to her what he had just confessed to himself...that he was in...

   Avni's footsteps became unstable as she walked towards Neil.He sprang up on his feet as soon as he spotted her .She came and sat down next to his spot.

" Avni...Main...tumse kehna chahta tha ki ...wo...Jo bhi us din ..  I mean ... I just..".He had never fumbled like this.Words failed him for the first time ever.

" I don't want to talk about it " 

" But .It's important.You need to hear me out "

" No you need to hear me out.Neil ...just listen, don't say anything in between or I won't be able to say it . Please can you do that? "her voice was feeble.

" Ok"

" Believe me when I say it is taking all my inner strength to say this out aloud infront of you"

" My parents had a love marriage.My father's mother  ...my grandmother was against this alliance.She had already fixed my father's marriage to another girl of her own choice.But my parents went against her wishes and got married.Since that day till today, my grandmother has never looked back at us.She broke all ties with my father.She never accepted my mother as her daughter in-law or me as her granddaughter."

The dam holding the streams of salted water threatened to break apart.Words became inaudible.She tried hard to continue...but words didn't make out of her choked throat.

All he wanted in that moment to somehow magically take all her pain away .He wanted to hold all the precious pearls that came tumbling out of the depths of those ocean; her eyes.Oh how he wished to hold her tight till she stopped shaking like a leaf in the wind.He lifted his hands but then held them back .

Avni wiped her tears and continued in a broken voice.

" Gradually over the years my father started blaming my mother for breaking his family.He accused her of snatching away his mom from him.The fights started small and escalated slowly , from once a month to once a day.I have heard my mother crying ,sitting behind the closed doors of my room.This continued till he lived.He passed away in an accident when I was 10. I have never used my father's surname after that.Pareikh is my mom's surname.She is my life and my strength.She still says she loves him.But I don't believe in love or marriages.All promises break.People just hurt each other in the name of love " her smile was more of a sarcastic smirk.

" Neil ,you have a beautiful family.Bebe, mom and dad ,all of them are wonderful people.Bebe is so loving.Your dad is so affectionate and caring.Your mom loves you a lot.And they are all so happy and excited about your marriage.I don't want to be the reason of their sorrow.I can't be the reason behind another broken family.I can't."

"I have felt the pain when relationships break.Richa has been a great friend to me.She has always been there for me.And what I have done is unforgivable.I have broken her trust.I can't break her heart ever...not knowingly atleast.I can't be responsible for a broken relationship."

" Avni...main.." he couldn't complete it.

The tears that she had been holding back ,came rushing out.The streams of water smeared her kajal on their way to her chin.

One drop of tear was followed by the next , without giving her eyes a break.Every drop that escaped from those eyes, felt like a dagger pushing into his heart.

" The only thing that I have never let get tarnished is my image.I don't want to be the third person, who has to hide behind closed doors.No, that's not me."

She wiped the tears sticking to her face with the back of her hand.Seeing her this way broke his heart.He had all the answers with him,right then and right there.But there were things that needed to be taken care of before he could tell her anything.Three important jobs to be done before he confessed his feelings to her.

" Ok I heard you.Now can I say just one little thing.A request ."

Avni nodded her head.

"Please Avni come back.Dont leave your job and friends because of our issues.You love your job , don't quit it.Please think of this as a sincere request"

Avni thought for sometime and then replied.

"On one condition.We won't be meeting again.We can't be friends "

" If that is what you want.We won't be friends.Done.So fly back with me tomorrow.I have booked the tickets"

" Am I that predictable? "

" No.I just have confidence in my skills " he let out a forced laugh.

A brief flash of smile struck her gloomy face.

" You go.I'll return in a day "

" Will wait for it " he said to himself.

                            ****~****

Avni returned home to a worried Neela who had been scared to death with her sudden disappearance.

" Kahan gayi thi bacha ? Bata ke jana chahiye tha na "

" Maa I'm fine.Relax.Ek friend se milne gayi thi "

" Friend? Kaun ? Ali ke alawa tera yahan koi friend nai hai"

 It didn't take her long to conclude that the guy on the phone earlier was her ' friend'.

" Matlab koi Delhi se tere piche yahan tak aa gaya. Ab yeh toh koi special hi hoga. He must care a great deal about you "

" Aap bhi na.Aisa kuch nai tha.Work related tha"

" Thik hai.Maan liya. Par kuch toh thik nai hai.Kya hua hai bacha? Mujhe nai bataogi? Ali bhi kuch nai bata raha.Subah se kitni baar call kar chuka hai, par tu baat hi nai kar rahi "

" Maa aapne Ali se pucha!!! Kuch nai hua hai .Chodiye , let's have dinner.I'm really hungry"

Neela knew Avni was just avoiding the topic.Her restlessness was not going to subside unless and until she found the cause of her daughter distraught state.But seeing her tear soaked eyes she stopped probing and let it go.