Reconciliation

Chapter 3 : House

"Who accompanied you?" Avni asked calmly but glaring hard at the thief who was seated, his hands cuffed. "No one did." A plain reply was what Avni was greeted with.

"You entered the bank's branch at 4:13pm, left at 4:24pm; there's a footage of you being in close proximity to the vault in question, which, is not at all yours, yet when you left, you're empty handed." Avni spoke in a lazy manner. "That proves something?" The thief asked.

"I don't need to tell you that you were clumsy as fuck while committing the robbery, do I? You dropped an earring from which your fingerprint was recovered. You emptied the vault and got out like nothing happened all in 11 minutes and managed to hide the loot? You were solo in this? This?" Avni asked incredulously.

"You're a novice. You're working for someone who's not gonna save your ass, do you get that?" Avni then leant in towards the thief's ear and almost hissed, "It won't take long to inspect the AC vents in the bathroom, you know? Just enough time to inspect and then go to Mary Goodwill School, greet your daughter on her way back and let her know what you've been upto." She finished.

"The vents?" The thief almost paled. "I've been to the bank. I'd say, been there. Done that." Avni replied, checking her wristwatch. 10 minutes more and she'd lose her cool. "You don't understand! He'll torture my family - I had to repay his debt." The man cried helplessly. "You could help us save you. And your family. We'll get to them faster than he would." Avni gambled.

"He's got this gang alright? It's not as easy as you think-"
"I need names."
"Tanmay...Tanmay Gaikwad."
"The loot?"
"I don't know. I had to leave it in the vents, that's all."

Avni read the man's expressions for a few more minutes. Convinced that she could not get any more information, she left the room, straight to Neil's cabin.

"It's some Tanmay Gaikwad." Avni informed and told whatever she was able to fetch. "Well done. Really. I'm...so proud of you." Neil called his team immediately and they left at once to secure the family and then to catch the actual criminals.

"Here. Take this." Neil said, handing Avni her medicine. "This is my reward?" She asked sarcastically. "We could grab lunch later, if you want." Neil suggested, shrugging his shoulders. The only reason why Avni took the med was because she did feel exhausted after her little session with a criminal. A few minutes later, she felt better.

"How does it feel? Your first case?" Neil asked, happy from inside. This was a start. "Great. It feels like I just fulfilled a calling of mine. All that threat-" Avni began cheerfully but stopped when Neil's phone rang.

"Send the ballistics to Rawat. Make sure it's accurate." He commanded to the person on the other side. He then turned towards Avni, raising his eyebrows and asking her to continue. "Did you check my ballistics report that way too? Two step verification and all?" She asked, hurt evident in her voice.

Neil gulped hard. This damned call! They were finally talking like normal humans and back to square one. "I had a reason Av-" He began. "To hell with your reason!" She almost shrieked and took her seat. Neil stared at her helplessly, even more when she got up and went out on the pretext of getting trained more from DD. It felt like his life was walking away from him and he didn't know how to tell her.

How to tell her that their rival had the most inappropriate of thoughts regarding her, how he had nothing but lust for her? The mere thought caused him to grab the hilt of his gun and think of shooting Vidyut who was locked a few cellars away. He couldn't. He just couldn't.

Lunch time came by soon and Neil spotted Avni going out of the station. Just as he was about to run upto her, he spotted Rawat, his newly joined junior beat him to it. Avni looked hesitant to have some company but agreed anyway.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Welcome home sweet-pie!" Neela exclaimed, letting the trio in. "How was your day?" She asked while her daughter replied with a simple fine. "Fine? She's a pro! She should be a detective!" DD exclaimed over joyously. "That's like my baby girl." Neela complimented her daughter and kissed her forehead.

Avni smiled at Neela and then looked towards the hall where Prakash, Shweta and Bebe were standing with tears in their eyes. Avni was immediately overcome with emotion and she ran upto her father-in-law and hugged him as much as her working arm would have allowed.

"Dad...I missed you! I missed you all!" She cried hysterically when her mother-in-law and grandmother hugged her too. "We're there for you bacha. We are..." Shweta whispered sweet nothings in her ear and kissed her hair.

"Okay okay. Enough emotions. Sit down y'all!" Neela commanded and dragged a hesitant Neil to the living room too. "It's not needed, really-" Neil protested weakly but it was all in vain. "Neil would like to say something." Neela prompted on Neil's behalf.

"I am aware why he had to arrest Avni and seeing all the unhealthy tension, I think it's time the others know it too." She continued and looked at Neil. "Aapki kal ki utri nahi na Ma?" Avni asked, getting up. "Avni, language!"

"You knew! You knew and you let this happen?" Avni shrieked. "I couldn't find a safer option for you. Just let Neil speak." Neela said sternly and glared so hard at Avni that the latter recoiled a bit. "Why are you making this sound as if I'm the bad guy over here?" Avni asked timidly and in disbelief.

"I'm not. Your husband is not the bad guy either." Neela replied calmly and gestured Neil to go ahead and say it. Neil looked down at his shoes and began shakily. "I knew Avni hadn't killed Juhi...I was returning from the crime spot when Vidyut blocked my way with his men." He added and looked at Avni briefly.

"He gave me two options to choose one from..." Neil took a pause and a deep breath and decided to say it. He had to tell them one day or the other, if that day was today then be it. "I could either trade you to him for your freedom or send you to prison." He finished.

"What do you mean?" Shweta asked, possibly talking to Neil directly for the first time in months. "He was obsessed. With her. With my wife. He, somehow managed to tamper with the report right under my direct supervision. I had no choice..." Neil almost choked, looking at Avni in a way that he was almost begging her to trust him, that this was all and he had lost his mind when this incident occurred.

There was silence for a few minutes which Neela decided to break by asking, "Well?" Prakash, Shweta and Bebe looked at Avni. "You can talk to him. It's not fair on my part to not let you do so. Just don't expect me to do the same so soon." She spoke, getting up.

"Would you come and live with us? You and Neela both?" Bebe asked expectantly. The Khanna Mansion was nothing less than a dull sample living accommodation for the past few months; all of them could do with a change now.

"We're not forcing you to talk to Neil. None of us will. Take your time, take whatever time you want...Just please be with us." Bebe insisted. Avni looked at her mother who gestured her to oblige. "Okay." Avni agreed and went into her room.

The house help aided Avni in packing her bags and other stuff that she would need. When Avni came out of her room, she saw the three Khanna family members hugging Neil, who was still slumped on the couch. He was sobbing audibly.

Neil had absolutely been living like a corpse; no one to talk to except Neela Ma and DD. He missed Avni to the point he would sit with her picture in his hand on the bed instead of sleeping, and even talk with the picture. It felt ethereal now, that he was getting his family back... His parents, his grandmother were talking to him...and his wife, Avni was coming home too.

Even if she didn't want to talk to him, they'd be under the same roof for 24 hours now. He had a new resolution now, he would win her back. He would.

They all left for Khanna Mansion. Neil was about to enter too after parking one of the cars when he received a call from Rawat.

"You went for lunch today, didn't you?" Neil asked. He looked a lot better now that he had everyone's support. "Yes. Umm, is that an issue?" The officer asked.

"The issue is who you went out with." Neil replied, looking at Avni's retreating figure as she entered her house's hall.
"That's my wife you asked out, genius. Mind it the next time." Neil concluded and hung up.