AVANTHI
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I cringed the moment the milk spoiled. Literally one litre of milk was wasted. My fridge didn't have any extra packets so I quickly put on my tshirt and pajamas and went downstairs to the supermarket to purchase milk. Along with it I picked a few vegetables when I noticed a group of women staring at me and gossiping amongst themselves.

I didn't pay them a heed. Last time I heard their conversation it was all about their droolworthy penthouse neigh-...oh wait a minute...the penthouse neighbour is Neil. Shit!!! They were all drooling over him? My jaw clenched and I shot them a look when they suddenly got busy picking things up. Ignoring their creepy stares I walked back onto my floor when I noticed all the four lifts of my apartment had stopped on my floor.

What on earth? Is there a function on my floor?

After a good busy ten minutes, lift managed to come to the ground floor and I boarded it. The moment I stepped out of the elevator I noticed a crowd of women discussing something while standing at the duct area. What is happening? And then I notice everyone staring towards my home.

I slowly walked past them and my eyes widened in shock when I saw Neil standing there with a thali (plate) full of flowers, Aarti and vermillion. What is he doing here? But that's when I heard something that made my eyebrows rise.

'Damnnnn he's so hot!!! Look at that sweaty sexy back... delicious!!!" And that's when I realised Neil was standing there in just a white veshti(dhoti), a cross thread, hair tied in a man bun with a cross thread. He flexed his back muscle and I could notice a heart shape made as he flexed himself. I heard a gasp from every lady around me and suddenly I felt a wave of anger within me.

I carelessly walked towards my house door and stood in front of my house asking 'What are you doing here?' to which he smiled and took the warmth of the Aarthi thali with his right palm and pressed it onto my eyes when my jaw almost dropped. I could notice a dozen other jaws hanging low behind him as a reaction to his action. Before I could say something he put a piece of small crystal sugar in my mouth and without wasting a second he filled my hair partition with vermilion. I froze.

'You weren't at home, so was waiting outside for you. Anyways open the door, I want to do Pooja in your house also!!!' he said when I opened the lock of my house not wanting more entertainment for the crowd as I dragged him inside the house and closed the door with a loud thud.

'What the hell do you think you are doing  Mr Neil Nayak?' and he pouted and lifted the thali in his hand saying 'Pooja' and started walking inside my house. I closed and opened my mouth but nothing really left my mouth. The nerve this guy has!!! Ughhh!!!

'There is no point of searching the entire house. You won't find your god here!!! He's banned from being near me' I said and he chuckled asking

'And what makes you think so?'

'Because he knows that I don't believe in him anymore. He has never been there for me and now I don't need him!!! We kinda keep fighting with each other. He stays kms away from my radius' I said popping on my couch freely when I see him placing the thali on a side table and then mumbling to himself something he said

'Do you know something Avanthi...your kind are god's favorites!!!' and I raised an eyebrow asking 'How so?'

'Well because you think and remember him more than we believers do. Everytime you fail in anything you curse God and say that he was never there for you although he must be planning something bigger and better but you'll never realise it. When something good happens you praise yourself saying look you achieved it without god's grace but reality...either ways you remember him first unlike we believers. The reason why Lord Krishna's uncle Kans was not a sinner although he did so many wrongs in his life because every single second he spent thinking about lord Krishna. Although thinking how to destroy him but Krishna was always on his mind. That fellow is a bigger redeemer. Lucky fellow got killed by Lord himself...' and I rolled my eyes saying

'So you are saying that your god will protect me?' I laughed sarcastically when he smiled saying

'He already is...' and moved aside when I saw he placed a small idol of Lord Shiva- Parvathi on the table and a flower placed at his feet. I was shocked.

'What the hell? Didn't I tell you I'm an atheist. I can't take care of all this. Take it away from here' I screamed when he said

'Relax Avanthi. It's not like I brought a snake in here. You don't believe them right then fine don't. I do... they are ShivShakti. They mean nature in every form. You don't believe in the power of God don't, I do...I know it's the power that has brought you back to me and I'm forever thankful to my lord' he said when I dryly chuckled saying

'If you think I'm back to you then let me tell you, this is a terrible assumption that you have. I'm here only for a few months Mr Nayak post which I will go back to London. And I will slap a divorce notice on your face and you... you will sign it!!!' I said when he smiled saying

'I know we were married in a hurry burry but I'm a firm believer in the institution of marriage. And it's for seven lifetimes for me. Bring your papers whenever you want, I will sign them for you but this marriage won't end for me. Our relationship isn't just a piece of paper for me Avanthi. You were my wife ages ago for me. You are my soulmate!!!' he said now I was irked. I stood on my feet and told him

'Get out of my place!!!' and he smiled saying

'Dont worry I will...I know you can't handle seeing me just in my dhoti. It's fine I'm used to it' he said with a wink and I was annoyed. He lightened a Diya infront of the idol and folded his hands infront of it when I rolled my eyes.

Just when he was about to leave he said 'You had a lot of blood loss Avanthi, you were given four bottles of blood, it was only god's miracle that you survived that day'

'God's miracle? I don't know if you remember but I lost my child that day. Ohhh oh wait why will you care? Remember you wanted to take it away from me and place it in your girlfriend Camellia's lap? I fought through my pregnancy, kept running away from you and your malicious gang who kept following me everywhere...I didn't have anyone to confess this onto...it was him...your god...to whom I complained to but guess what just like you were deaf and dumb he also didn't care. And now you want me to be your wife and he wants me to be his believer? Huhhh??? Both are not happening.' I said when suddenly he stepped closer to me and grabbed my hands in his saying

'Avanthi please...I...I didn't...I didn't want to...I....I....' it looked like he wanted to say something. Those eyes had tears and helplessness in them. But then suddenly he looked elsewhere saying

'I.....I have to....go...But Avanthi I...'

'Leave...Mr Neil Nayak!!! You and I...we both know that you don't have anything to explain here...Just ... leave!!!' I said and he nodded and left silently. The minute door opened we saw all the women near the duct gossiping suddenly going silent. Neil started walking towards the lift and those women shamelessly kept glaring at him. I don't know why I didn't like their preying eyes on his body. Such creeps. What if a group of men did this with a woman, that would be harrasment and when it's with the opposite gender it becomes admiration. What a hypocritical society we live in.

He was near the lift when I called him out 'Neil...' and he stopped on his tracks. I walked towards him surpassing all those cheap women and covered his upper body with my pashmina shawl. The entire crowd there was shocked. Some even gasped. Neil's eyes didn't leave my face.

'Next time when you leave your home, I want you to cover yourself with a shirt or a shawl. This isn't a ramp where you keep putting your body on display. You are not a fucking peace of meat for vultures to eye on!!!' I said making the ladies behind me gasp again. Little did I care. There was a silly smile on Neil's face and I was irritated with that too. I was irritated with everything.

After that incident Neil did not try to talk to me. I was expecting Neil to come home to worship the idol but instead of him a priest regularly visited my home to perform the Pooja. It had been more than 5 days since I had seen him. I knew he was staying in his penthouse but was avoiding coming downstairs. Is he fine? Sometimes I would see Karthik going to his house but he didn't leave his apartment. Wonder if he is alright?

After a week I lost my patience and I decided to visit him.

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A young girl in her early twenties in a pink salwar kameez opened the door and her eyes widened in shock. I narrowed my eyebrows. Who was she?

'Who is it Banu?' I heard Karthik's voice when she simply kept staring at me with mouth wide open. I cleared my throat but she still kept looking at me like I was a ghost. Then I heard Karthik coming out of a room asking

'Who is it Ba-' and his voice was stuck in his throat. He slowly came and stood next to the young girl when the girl said

'Karthik Anna...The photo girl!!!' and I raised an eyebrow wondering what she meant. Karthik gasped interrupting 'Ummm Ba...Banu... she's... she's our Sir's wife!!!' and the girl's jaw was almost ready to hit the floor 'Sir got married to the photo girl??? Oh my god ..when???' and I was not understanding anything when Karthik said 'Banu...go and make some coffee for Mam...go!!!'

But the girl still kept looking at me but when Karthik raised his voice saying 'Banuu' she quickly jumped and ran from there like a little deer. Crazy and cute both.

'Ummm Avanthi...you....here??'

'I....wanted to talk to Neil. Actually... where is he?' and Karthik started panicking.

'What happened??? Where is he? I know he's home because he's not left his house for more than a week now!!!' I said when Karthik tried to say something but I was loosing my patience and I asked

'Is he alright?' to which Karthik wasn't able to respond properly so I walked inside without even waiting for his response when he came running behind me saying 'Avanthi wait... listen to me' I opened the door of the first bedroom but it had no one. I kept looking here and there and finally my eyes fell on the door that was slightly ajar. It was the last bedroom on the corridor.

In one go I opened the door and I was shocked at the sight that was put on display infront of my eyes. My lips opened and closed multiple times but nothing really left my mouth. Shock was an understatement for what I was going through right now.

Suddenly I heard the knob twist of the door on my left and I heard footsteps. I looked at my left seeing a tired Neil coming out of his bathroom groaning in pain. But seeing him brought tears in my eyes.

Why didn't he tell me?