It's been a week since Kareem had attacked. Ashish and DD had almost stopped coming home in the nights. They came very late, slept for two hours and then left again. Ashish had made sure that he doesn't meet Avni, even accidentally, these days.

Ali had postponed his engagement with Mithali as two of his best friends were still on hospital beds, sort of, and his fiancé to be had loads of work to do. With Neil resting and on a leave, all the cases were handled by Mithali and others, while Ashish and DD were exclusively hunting down Kareem.

For a better cause, Bebe had announced something that made Neil and Avni quite happy. An auditorium sort of room was filled with lots of single beds and from the last three days, all the youngsters including Vidyut slept there, along with Bebe. Bebe had planned this as Neil was strictly asked to rest atleast for a month. The doctor had literally begged him to take complete bed rest. Neil was feeling quite lonely and bored in his room, and he had shared this with Bebe who instantly came up with this idea.

In the morning, at almost 10, while the others were busy with their daily routine, Neil and Avni were sleeping, on their beds. Nobody had the heart to wake them up. Last night was quite fun. They had sang songs and danced, sort of partying all night and it had really got Avni and Neil exhausted. They were sleeping late, because of that.

Thanks to Vidyut's guard, Avni's right hand was fractured and her right shoulder was bandaged heavily while Neil had his right shoulder completely bandaged. They never talked about that night and Avni didn't insist on meeting Ashish all these days. She was sure that there was something serious happening out there which was keeping him occupied and the attack that day confirmed it.

Avni woke up with a loud yawn, but her hand was in a sling which made it difficult for her to cover her mouth. Neil was still sleeping, on his stomach,his duvet was long back thrown away. Avni woke up and carefully sat on the bed. Other days, Kareena or Bebe would always be there, but all was up earlier today, and she faced difficulty in doing her chores. She went to the washroom and came back after 30 minutes, but Neil was still sleeping. Avni left the room and went downstairs and had her breakfast, Neela fed her as her hand was fractured.

A bit later, Ashish came rushing inside the house with an envelope in his hands shouting Neil's name. All were shocked to see him as it has been a week since he came home in the mornings. But Neil was sleeping and Neela asked him not to shout.

Neela,yeh bahut hi important baat hai and sirf Neil hi mujhe sab bata sakte ho, use utna hi hoga ab.

Lekin Ashish kal raat der se so gayi thi vo, ab utha kyu rahi ho?

Baad me bata dunga, aur Avni tum bhi chalo mere saath.

Haan Papa. Avni nodded, confused.

Ashish, Avni and DD made their way into the room where Neil was sleeping. He was awake now, but was struggling to get up, as other days someone would help him get up. DD went to his aid and soon he was made to sit on the bed, propped on a lot of pillows.

Ashish came directly to the point. Taking out a photo from the envelope in his hands, he showed it to Neil and asked if he recognized him.

Neil's face got a fearful expression first, but later he nodded.

He had kidnapped me once, and tortured. He was captured back then.

You know something more about him?

He's very good at torturing and blackmailing nothing else.

Can you help me further? Ashish prodded.

Maybe Dad can help you. He was some sort of business rival of my Dadu.

Thank you Neil. He is back once again and this time you and Avni are his targets. He would do anything to get you both. So sambhalke rehna. Don't go out for atleast a month.

Papa, yaha kya ho raha hain? Abni whined. She was included in a conversation about which she knew nothing.

Neil, I think you can explain the situation to her. And Neil I'm sorry.

Yes sir. I will explain. And why're you sorry?

Meri wajah se tumhe phir se dard sehna pada.

It's OK sir.

Ab main chalta hun. You speak to her.

Bye Princess. Ashish kissed Avni's forehead once and left the room and DD followed him.

Care to explain Mr.Neil Khanna?

Haaa. Avni can you pass me some water. Neil said panicking a bit.

Haa. Neil are you fine? Avni asked passing him a glass of water.

With shaking hands, Neil emptied the glass and looked at her. Avni looked at him and kept jer hand on his forehead and checked his temperature.

Neil tum teekh ho?

Avni mujhe tumse kuch share karna hai? Promise you won't judge.

Neil, dekho tumhara tabiyat teekh nahi lagraha. Let me get you something to eat.

No Avni. Abh nahi. If I share it with you, maybe I will feel alright. Please meri baat suno.

Neil tum pehle kuch khao aur baad main tum mujhe batana.

Nahi Avni. I won't be able to eat. Shayad tumhe batane ka waqt aa gaya honga. I don't want to prolong it. Tum door lock karo aur idhar aao amd iss baar tum meri baat sunogi.

Avni left without speaking anything. Neil felt disappointed and angry as she was not listening to him, but he controlled himself. But he soon became happy as she closed and locked the door and came back and sat beside him.

Neil's Point Of View:

Avni was sitting beside me. After a long time, I'm finally opening up. It's just an ugly part of my childhood, she has suffered much more, but she overcame it. But mere liye woh nahi hoga, cause I'm so scared about it that and it still haunts me. A small thought of it and I won't be abe to sleep for a week. It's very difficult for me. But sharing might help and now here I'm sharing it with her. To say it to Ashish sir, I felt embarassed, but I believe that she is the right person to share. After a long self talk I finally started speaking, when she squeezed my hand.

I was in 5th, I guess. Dadu was a great businessman back then and Khanna industies were at the top. I was coming back home from school, when a guy stopped me. He said that he was Dadu's PA and Dadu had ordered him to take me home that day. I really didn't know anything  about his business back then, so I immediately got into the car.

The next thing I remember is waking up in a room full of snakes. There were many of them. I was tied to a chair and they crawled on my legs and hands. They did not bite me, maybe they did, but it didn't poison me. I was small and scared and was crying in fear of the snakes, but nobody heard my wails. The snakes were hissing and crawling all over me, but I was tied up and not even able to move. Dadu came and rescued me after almost a day and I was unconscious the. That incident scared me a lot.

That man was Kareem, I got to know today. He was a manager in the company and Dadu had fired him for being disloyal, as he leaked some files. He was very angry because of that and had tried to get back by hurting me.

And it all started that day. I did not sleep for a week and all attempts of Dadu failed, as he tried in vain to cheer me up. I was like petrified and I did not go to school too, for a month. Mom and Dad were never informed about this, only Bebe and Dadu knew about it. Then he took me abroad and we went to almost all the amusement parks we could fimd there and then I became normal. But still it haunts me and still I'm scared of snakes.

Neil finished his story and looked at Avni. She was looking dazed and after a while, she smiled.

Neil was shocked, he was being so seriously talking all these while and was recounting  a scary incident of his past, which still haunts him, and all she had to do was smile? He was hurt. He had expected her to mumble sweet words to him, comfort him, but nothing like smile at him.

You're smiling?  He asked in a tone of disbelief.

She smiled more and replied.
You sharing such a thing with Me means a lot and it says that how much you trust me. I'n just happy about that. She said.

He too was not able to stop the twitch on the corners of his mouth at her words. She was a rare find and he was lucky that he was his, Neil Khanna's.

I love you Neil. She said and was about to get up from beside him, but with his free hands,  he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back and then placed a swift kiss on her forehead.

I love you more, Neilu ki Avi. He said and with the hint of a crimson on her face, she left the room.

He know felt that a burden was removed from his shoulders, literally speaking that was happening since the entry of a certain girl with a mole above her lips, in his life. He hd thought that, he would never fall in love, but she proved him wrong. He had thought that maybe he could never grt rid of the burden of Juhi but he had blurted out everything to  Avni on the first chance that he got. She was truly an angel.

She was not a damsel in distress, who could not fight her war, but she was that warrior who stood with him and fought against the evil, with her knight in shining armour. It was dark times now, and light would soon come over, and when that happens he would make sure that darkness never surrounds them completely from then on.