Best friend v/s Boyfriend

Part 6

"What are you searching?"

Riya elbowed Avni on her arm, pushing a morsel of roti in her mouth. The friends group were gathered in the canteen for their lunch. Avni jerked and faced Riya with an irritated face.

"Or should I say whom are you searching?" Riya murmured this time in Avni's ears.
Avni's eyes popped out hearing Riya. Avni glared her.
"Nothing... nothing as such."
She quickly took a bite of her salad and blinked her eyes at Vidyut who was sitting on her right.
Avni.
Why can't she keep her mouth shut. There was no need to announce everything. I am sick off this Riya! Uff.. why am I blaming her? It was my fault. I have been looking for "him" since morning. I had to constantly remind myself for not looking around for him or not thinking about him. Do I look so desperate? I hate to admit it but I think I am. My friends are bickering about anything and everything but none goes into my ears. Every movement at the canteen entrance grab my attention. I really want to meet him, talk to him but there is no sign of him. Why he is not coming? In the last two confrontation he was pursuing me. Did he lose his interest ? Or he was not serious at all? Now, I regret running away from him. I should have talked to him earlier. Avni... you are an idiot. You never showed any interest in him and now you want him to show interest? You are impossible!"
Avni taunted herself in mind.

***
Avni.
It's 5:45 pm, still no sign of him. Our lectures ended at 3:30 pm and thank God Vidyut had basket ball practice, now I have a reason to be in college for longer. I waited for Vidyut watching him playing in the court. But, actually I was waiting for the mysterious singer to show up. Now, it is confirmed: he backed off. Only thing now I can do is accusing him as a stalker and console myself that I am saved from him. But, my heart was not ready to accept it.
" Wow good shot." The scream shook Avni. She saw Vidyut just scored a basket. She quickly straightened up in her seat and showed a thumbs up to Vidyut. Vidyut looked at Avni and waved his hand.
"Thank God I came to my senses otherwise, Vidyut might have noticed it. " She huffed in solace.

***
"What was the need of taking this offer? Too far away from Mumbai. If they did not pay well, this would be a loss."
Neil said holding his guitar bag carefully on his right shoulder. Ali, DD and Neil were getting in the general compartment of the train that is going to Bangalore.

"You only accepted the offer for this concert bro. Why are you upset with us?" Ali asked with an amusing smile.

"You don't know Ali? Rockstar wanted to meet his love today. He had almost forgotten about this programme. God knows how I struggled to bring him here. "
It was DD who replied.

"Oh! If things are advancing like this dude, mark my words; you are doomed. For a random girl don't put your job at stake. No girl loves a penniless man. "
Ali told in serious tone rubbing his stubble.

"Shut up both of you." Neil angrily walked past his friends and seated in the place reserved for him. He looked outside the window. DD and Ali also sat beside him exchanging teasing glances at Neil.

Train started moving and Neil sighed. She might have reached the college now. I was so excited yesterday and couldn't sleep. Whole night I thought about her, Avni. I mentally practiced my conversation with her. Thought of wearing my brand new white T shirt which I had been saving for some special occasion. Amidst everything, the concert slipped out of my mind. When DD told me to pack the bag, I was totally confused that why should I pack my bag. I was thinking about cancelling the programme by making up some excuse. But, DD literally cried saying we may get expelled from our PG because we haven't paid the rent for last month. He was true. In a week we will have to pay the rent of this month as well. It is not easy to find PGs at fair price in Mumbai. If the landlord kicks us out of the flat we may end up in open street. I can't afford to skip concerts and part time job. Neil sighed.
"Hey, is that Avni.." Neil heard DD.
"Where? Where is she? " Neil asked eagerly.

Both DD and Ali laughed out. "This much desperate?" Ali teased. Neil punched Ali on his stomach hard and he yelled in pain.

"Dude.. she is not interested. Can't you see it? She ran away from you. You better accept it and move on." DD said.
"Certainly! Why are you behaving like she is the only girl in the world? Look around you man... there are plenty hot girls. See there...." Ali signalled to a girl in the compartment a bit far from them. "Isn't she pretty?" Ali asked Neil but Neil ignored Ali.

"I just want to talk to Avni, hear from her. If she says that she doesn't like me, Then I will do as you say. That's all." Neil raised his voice. Then he turned to the window.
***
Neil was listening to his favourite songs in his phone. He likes the feeling of travelling in train sitting in window seat with earphones plugged in. Also, he wanted to avoid unwanted discussion about his love life. It was almost night. The train was moving through countryside. Sky was purple in colour and occasionally birds flew across it to reach their nests. Neil casted a look at his friends. Ali was sleeping in sitting position with slightly opened mouth and DD was as usual busy chatting on phone. Neil rolled his eyes and again looked outside the window.
Suddenly his eyes twinkled. Neil immediately opened his social media and searched Avni.
"I wanted to talk to Avni in person first and then send the follow request. But, I will return only after 2 days. So, there is no other way than this." Neil talked to himself and sent Avni a follow request. He opened the message box and typed:
"Hi"
"I hope you remember me. My self Neil.."

He stopped right after his name. He never had a surname to tag along. He was brought up in an orphanage. It was his vulnerability, the reason behind him being insecure whenever he meet new people. He had received both sympathy and disgust from people because of his unknown lineage.

"What if she back off when she comes to know that I am an orphan? Should I hide it? No! That's cheating. I have to tell her. Is it inappropriate to message her like this? " Neil started to feel his confidence thinning. He started to clear the messages. "I should wait until she accept my follow request." Neil thought.

***
Avni was coming out of bathroom after getting fresh. She heard her phone chime. Ignoring that she went to have dinner with her parents. She was so moody and finished the dinner fast and returned her room. Avni tossed her self on bed and opened her phone to check notifications.
"A follow request? Who is it? Avni opened it and read the name: "therealneil".
"Neil? Who is this?" She curiously looked at the display picture and her eyebrows shot up in surprise! Avni briskly got up from the bed with excitement.
"Isn't it HIM? Mysterious singer!"

Avni's face bloomed in an enticing smile. She immediately pressed accept.

***
To be continued.
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llsmthaz.