Reconciliation

Chapter 4 : The routine

Once they were all inside, Bebe retired to her room early owing to her old age and fatigue.

"Please be in whatever room you want to be in, okay honey?" Shweta told Avni politely as she and her husband retired for the day too, not before giving her daughter in law a sweet good night kiss on the forehead.

Neela was apparently a habitual resident of the home too because she knew what room she had to take, leaving Neil and Avni standing awkwardly. "Bags..." Avni said hesitantly.

Neil quickly grabbed her bags and looked at her for further orders. She began climbing the stairs, raising hopes in Neil's heart. But he had been ready for a disappointment too, which he naturally received after a couple of minutes.

Avni opened the door to a room right besides Neil's (or as she thought) and settled inside. Neil kept her bags on the bedroom couch of that room and called for Bheema. The loyal helper came in an instant, ready to do whatever was demanded of her.

"Get a water jar, a glass, some candies and a fruit." Neil ordered, while opening the cupboard of the room. "Can I help you unpack?" He asked Avni gently. Avni would have denied if not for her fractured arm.

Neil unzipped the bags and began assembling her clothes exactly as she liked. Casuals on one side and formal on the other. He felt a dull blow to his heart when he realised that his favourite clothing of her, the sarees she wore, did not have a place.

When Bheema came back with the supplies, she was asked to do another job. "In our room's bathroom's drawer, there's a new honey shower gel and a strawberry shampoo. Fetch that and also that fluffy green coloured towel. Avni's lilac bathroom slippers are in the closet's bottom most drawer. Her comb and other accessories are on the dressing table. Just get that." Neil finished and tried to recall if he missed anything.

"You keep records?" Avni asked, a slight reddish hue on her cheeks. "I'm just happy those things are about to be used again by their owner." Neil replied, smiling genuinely at her. "I'm switching on the geyser for a while, you'll have hot water in the morning immediately." He added and did as he said.

"I'll come in a minute and tuck you in, okay?" He said rhetorically and went outside, presumably to their room. Avni distinctly heard him chide Bheema. "Ye wala nahi Bheema! Ye hand wash hai! Iske side mei tha shampoo. You go keep this, I'll get it."

Moments later, he did appear and kept the shampoo along with switching off the geyser. He then sat besides Avni and put one arm on her back and the other hand supporting her head as he gently lowered her onto the soft bed. He then adjusted her pillow and the dohar.

"I'm one call away if you need anything, okay?" He told her and slowly walked out of the room, switching off the lights. Avni breathed out heavily. Screw it, she didn't even realise she was holding her breath.

She understood his care totally and she knew he didn't hurt her without no good reason. The fact that he remembered all the little details about her, that he noticed those details daily when even she didn't, made her eyes moist. He made sure he kept her belongings intact and in place...

It wasn't as if her heart wanted to forgive him but her mind stopped her, no. There was no internal conflict within Avni. Both her mind and heart were inclined towards not forgiving too easily. She was living in a trauma everyday for 6 months. It would have been a lot easier if Neil would've told her before arresting her...

A few hours later,

Neil woke up with the first ding of his alarm. He stretched his arms and got out of bed, walking to his adjacent room the first thing. Avni lay fast asleep, her right hand close to the tips of the fingers of her left hand. Neil then noticed that a pill was less from the pack of the painkillers and water in the glass gone.