The Birlas' - BHAVANA

Chapter - 22: Aradhna and Neil (Part - B)

The response has come down. I hope it's a one-off thing. have a happy read.

The next few chapters will have a lot of Neil and Aradhna! I hope you all are up for it.

Aradhna couldn't remember when else was she away from Mumbai for so long and didn't feel the urge to go back as soon as possible.

Neil can be an important reason behind her actions, but she didn't do them consciously. All these signs were things that were actually making her realize how close she got herself to Neil and how she started seeing or doing things, slightly differently these days.

All these days were just so easy and happy with him around that she never sat back to analyze anything. She went with the flow without much of a bother. That has been so far the easiest and most uncomplicated bond in her life. The most stress-free she has been in the recent times, on a personal front. 

Aradhna didn't know till then that relationships or friendships need not be heavy or demanding always to be successful. The relaxed nature of their bond had her heart. Even now, she didn't know why she was making a big deal out of the entire scenario when her intentions were never wrong. 

She isn't someone who minced words but for a change, she didn't know how to broach the topic. 

She didn't know what she was dreading, and it wasn't like she was scared of losing Neil's friendship. She knew that her wasn't that fragile. Aradhna trusted her and Neil's friendship. A friendship which was like the ones she had during college. Easy, comfortable, homely and committed. 

No big talks, no pressure, no mutual benefits and definitely no ghosting in the guise of work. 

This was the first friendship she forged after ages where she was really present in the equation, had invested time and heart to nurture it and got connected emotionally to that extent. All in all, Aradhna trusted Neil to trust her intentions and her honesty, but she was finding it difficult to test that belief.

While her mind was running at God knows how many miles per second, all Neil and Aradhna shared was silence. A comfortable one. Neither of them realized how special the bond they had was. Somethings happen when they are meant to happen and then, all the worldly logics and prerequisites stop mattering. 

Neil didn't mind the silence because it allowed him to come to terms with everything that transpired. He wanted Aradhna to speak up, but he was willing to let her take her own time. He was a bit concerned for Manjari, but Aradhna got a call from the driver informing her about dropping Manjari safely. 

The location tracker said the same and even his mother texted him to not worry about her. She texted him that she will hand over the outfits to Roohi and also mentioned that she will be sharing everything with Abhimanyu at the earliest best. That helped him clear his mind and focus on Aradhna who sat there with a blank expression.

The waves have soothed her frown away and the pain on her face wasn't as prominent as before. Neil knew that she would start speaking any moment now and just then she turned to look him in the eye. Neil, himself, was surprised by his understanding about her feelings and reactions.