h u r r i c a n e ( A x N ) ✔

3. Handcuffed

Avni looked at herself in the mirror for the hundredth time. She still could not chuck out the fact that Neil had hugged her earlier during the day out of her mind. She could not deny that feeling him so close to her stirred up some feelings but she shrugged. She had myriad emotions welled up inside of her and maybe because of that, she failed to interpret her feelings. She ran her hands through her wavy hair and took in her reflection. She was clad in a black off-shoulder blouse and a pair of jeans. She felt anxiousness settle in as she dabbed on some lip gloss and lined her eyes with kohl. Why was she preoccupied about her appearance, especially when she was going to meet Neil? At his place. Perhaps, it was because she doubted that he had unearthed her doings. She prayed that Neil does not attempt anything to double-cross her.

_____________

Neil grinned like a cheshire cat as he emptied a small sachet containing a substance into a glass. He tidied his apartment and tapped onto a hidden microphone to ensure that it worked. He switched on his laptop to verify whether the camera was functioning. Once those were checked, he went to the mirror and stared at him and thought,' Tonight, Avni's game will be over'.

______________

Avni's heart raced as she knocked the door to Neil's apartment. The few seconds that Neil took to open the door seemed like forever. Her breaths halted when Neil opened the door, wearing a black shirt. Neil gulped as he saw her. 'Focus, Neil', he reprimanded himself and invited her inside.

"Ananya, have a seat," he said, leading her to a sofa. She flashed him a smile. He could not stop admiring the way her eyes twinkled while she smiled. Neil kicked himself mentally and excused himself to the kitchen.  He had previously hugged her without thinking of anything, shocking himself at his inability of self-control and he now started to fear that perhaps, this was not a good idea. He should have thought of a place more public because he did not want to think about the extremes he might resort to, especially in Avni's case. He  acknowledged that interactions with her caused some emotions to erupt but he did not want to name them.

Aware that he was taking too long, Neil placed the two glasses in the tray and carried them to the coffee table. Carefully, handing Avni the glass on the right side, Neil smirked triumphantly as she took a sip of the cold drink. Avni sensed that Neil was up to something. She could decipher that he was being over-friendly and that definitely meant that he was onto something. 

"Ananya, I wanted to tell you that you've been really important to me for the past weeks," Neil began, hoping that everything went as planned. "You know that I didn't love Rhea but still I felt that this marriage could have worked, but I guess someone's conspiracy was stronger,".

Avni coughed. So, he knew. "Neil, spill it. I know that you know." She said after downing the drink in one go. Neil bit his lips. She was onto him. This girl was smarter than he thought. He had to find a way to stall her for longer, till she fesses up.

"You lost me there Ananya, you know that i know what?" Neil knitted his eyebrows in confusion, hiding his true emotions. 

"Neil! Stop feigning innocence..i.." Avni lashed out but stopped as she felt light-headed. No way! The drink was spiked! How could she fail to know about that? She wondered if she could text Ali but the location of her phone was forgotten by her. She scruntinised the coffee table, to no avail.

Neil relaxed. She was under the effect of the drug. Avni tensed up as she saw Neil inching towards her. She felt anger seeping in as she noticed her phone in his hand. Avni nearly fell as she lunged towards Neil's hand, who caught her. Avni felt her body grow warm as his hands rested around her waist, stabilising her. Neil, for an instant, was enticed by Avni who was bathed in the moonlight seeping in through the window. 

He was brought back from his reverie as Avni drawled," Neil, I need  my phone..Ali..I need to tell him..". Neil unconsciously tightened his grip around her and she shivered, the scent of perfume made her feel more dizzy and she grew even more anxious and oblivious about what was transpiring. Neil fought his emotions and tore himself apart from her, hoping that would earn him back his focus. 

"Ananya, why do you need Ali right now?" Neil harshly whispered, hoping she would blurt out the truth.

Avni pushed Neil away as she felt her senses returning for some minutes."What are you looking at?" she mumbled as she turned her face away from him. Her glassy eyes that bore into his hazelnut eyes displayed her pain. Neil lightly shook his head. What the fuck was he doing? She was a criminal, according to his hypothesis and lead he found. He however found himself captivated by her aura. He never could convince himself to trust her because there was a cloud of mystery that she carried along with her. But today, he finally raided that blanket of question marks. Neil knew that the effect of the drug would not last for too long. He had to take charge right now, by confronting her. He wanted her confession despite possessing evidence, but this was taking longer than he thought.

"Ananya," he said so softly that she thought it was just a hallucination. Her eyes felt heavy but she could comprehend to some extent what was transpiring. She kept her back turned to him. Neil inched towards her, his shadow intertwining to hers. She sighed as his musky, manly scent engulfed her. She laced her shivering fingers together, hoping the knots of anxiety would untangle and she was successful in her little quest until he roughly spun her around and pushed her to the wall swiftly.

The action was so fast that she did not realise when her hands were bound by handcuffs. She felt that her life evaded her when his demeanor suddenly changed and a smirk adorned his face. She winced when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brought his face closer to her and whispered," Ananya Verma, or rather Avni Ayesha, you are under arrest!"

_____________________

Thank you for your love and support <3 Please keep voting and commenting, this is what keeps me going.