A hate-love arranged marriage. ✅️

30. Sweet Medicine.

" You said you have quit smoking?" Avni says to Neil who is sitting restlessly on the bed, and he is about to light the cigarette which is pressed between his lips with his lighter but at that very moment Avni enters the room and is shocked to see him like this and asks him this question.

It really saddens her heart to see the cigarette in his hand again, today itself he had completed 3 weeks as per his promise but she did not know that behind her back he still smokes cigarettes, he lied to her that he gave up smoking for her, he did not choose her over his cigarettes.

Meanwhile, Neil hears her voice and is shocked to see her at the door, and the lighter falls from his hand, His breathing and heart rate increase when he sees the disappointment on her face

But there, Avni thinks something and composes herself and comes inside the room from the door and Neil takes out his cigarette from his mouth and stands up from the bed being ashamed.

Looking at her, he understands what she must be thinking at this moment; she must be feeling that he lied to her which is true somewhere.
He is also feeling ashamed of himself that he could not give up this habit for her.

Avni comes close to him and sees the cigarette in his hand which is not lit today, but yes, if she had been a little late in coming, it would have been lit.

Avni looks at him as he stands in front of her in shame, his eyes trying to tell her something that his words are unable to say but still seeing her standing silently in front of him, Neil opens his mouth to explain himself but before he can say anything, he hears Avni's words.

" Don't give any explanation and yes I don't feel bad at all that you chose your cigarette over me." He sees her saying these words to him with a slight smile.

" Well, I had expected too much from you, but it's ok, now I will never ask you to do something that you can't do, If you find comfort in this, then you can continue this habit." She says these words with a smile, on which he looks at her silently.

" hmm, I will freshen up now. I know you might not have had lunch... so after freshening up I will prepare our lunch, Till then you smoke your cigarette." She says this and without giving him a chance to say anything further, she goes straight to the washroom and Neil sits back on the bed in disappointment.

He is disappointed with himself because he let her down, he knows her smile is fake, She really feels bad about his actions but what can he do now, he is unable to get rid of this habit, he has tried everything possible but nothing happened.

After some time, Avni comes out of the washroom, drying her face with a towel and sees him sitting against the headboard of the bed and that cigarette in his hand still remains as it is, unlit.

Sighing, she steps towards him and sits down on the bed in front of him, whereupon he looks at her.

" Why didn't you smoke this cigarette ? I really don't have any problem with it now." She says to which he looks at her

" I'm sorry, but believe me, I really haven't touched cigarettes for a few days but today....today..... Before he can complete it, she interrupts him.

" Today I was not here that's why you did this...no?" She says

" Maybe yes, I feel at peace when you are near me, but in your absence nothing can give me peace except this cigarette." He says to which she looks at him and thinks something

" Why? What happened in my absence that made you restless? That you needed this cigarette?" She asks and Neil looks at her

So what happened was, after Avni left, Neil first did some of his work and then rested but after that without her he was sitting bored and scrolling his phone but suddenly, while scrolling the phone, a news of domestic violence comes on his screen in which a woman is crying and telling about the atrocities done by her husband and just seeing this, Neil starts remembering his past, his mother's past which he saw at a very tender age and after this, the bitter memories of his childhood start playing in his mind again and again which gives him a headache, he starts feeling restless, gets angry, tries to scream to ease his pain but is unable to do so and to calm his behavior he doesn't think of anything but he takes out his cigarette packet from his cupboard, the same cigarette which has always given him solace...but taking those cigarettes in his hand he thinks of Avni, he had indeed not smoked for three weeks as he had promised her, but today he could no longer bear this restless and he wanted to be normal before she came, wanted to calm himself down and that's why he is about to light a cigarette but before he can do anything, Avni enters the room and stops him from doing so.