"Move it a bit left.." Avni asked Neil. "Now?" "No, a bit right now." She said again. "There you go." Neil said. "Gaah, its too much on right now!" Avni groaned. "You do it then." Neil dropped the flair where "Evie Neil Khanna" was written in gold and baby pink colour. He was trying to hang it on the nursery wall, but Avni wasnt satisfied at all with its position. She sat on the armchair in the nursery, feeding their little Evie. Neil lied down on the floor rug, sighing out loudly. Avni made a face at him. "Haha whaat?" Neil asked. Avni did not reply. She got up from the seat and gently tucked Evie in her crib. She then picked up the flair and started to hang it on the wall. "A bit left... no right. No noo left now." Neil kept on saying, to irritate Avni. And did not stop even after the flair was hung properly. Avni tried to show a mad face but she broke into fits of laughs and sat next to him, punching on his chest playfully. Neil laughed along with her and draped his arms around Avni's waist. His fingers playfully ran on the skin of her tummy, which was still stretched out because of pregnancy. His fingers moved to the back of her, lowering her towards him. Avni giggled and broke the moment. "I am hungry, Khanna!" She got up to her feet. "I have a different kind of hunger." He winked at her. Avni laughed and pulled him up. "That hunger wont be satisfied anytime soon. If you want the other hunger to be satisfied, come eat with me." She pinched on his nose and left. Neil scratched his back, a smirk playing over his lips. He turned on the baby monitor and followed Avni downstairs.
The Mehta's and Khanna's sat around the table for lunch. Zara had prepared a variety of food, cleaned the whole house and even did laundry of Avni. Sometimes Avni wonder whether she has some kind of superpower, doing so many chores, while mothering a twin.
The doorbell rang and Avni hurried to open it. A pair of strong arms suddenly took her into a bone crushing hug! "Ansh!" Avni screamed with happiness and hugged him back. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here on time." He apologized, kissing on the side of Avni's face. "Nah, you're here now. Thats more than enough." Avni replied, hugging him more. The rest in the dining room was witnessing the best sibling bond. Shweta really wished that she had a daughter so that Neil could do the same. Neil was smiling ear to ear, and his eyes then spotted Ayesha. Her eyes were welling up, and she had pursed her lips, trying her best not to cry out. Neil silently got out of his seat and hugged her from behind. "Why are you crying, Mama.. its your upbringing and love thats keeping them in such a strong bond." Ayesha smiled within her tears, and kissed on Neil's forehead. Shweta grinned wide. She was so glad Neil has the best in-laws.
"Where's my Evie?" Ansh asked Neil, hugging him tightly. "Haha she's asleep. So glad you're here." Neil said, breaking away. Miya and Keira came running down the stairs. Avni quickly hugged Ansh. "Uh-uh. This is my Daddy." She pretended. This brought a stop to Miya and Keira. They just stood there and stared at Avni and Ansh. Didn't take long for them to burst into tears. All the others in the room giggled. Neil laughed and pinched Avni playfully, while Ansh quickly lowered himself and hugged the twins. The rest of the lunch went on with different conversations. Neil kept on checking the baby monitor, whether Evie was up.
Neil squeezed his eyes and opened them. And quickly shaded them with his hand, as direct sunshine fell onto his face. He sighed and ran his fingers on his face. The beep sound from the side table made him pick up his phone and check on it. Mitali had sent him a congrats message. Neil smiled and sent a reply, its been a month already since Evie came. His eyes then searched the room. Avni was nowhere to be seen. A cry from the nursery made him stride down quickly. Evie was up and crying her heart out. Neil saw Avni, asleep on the armchair in an uneasy position. He quickly picked up Evie into his arms, and lulled her gently. With one hand, he then draped a blanket on Avni, but his mere touch woke her up from sleep. "Neil... Evie's up already?" She tried to get up, but Neil held onto her shoulder. "I'm here to take care of her. You get some sleep." But Avni chuckled and got up. "No time to sleep. I still have so much to pack." Avni replied, pointing out the fact that they have to leave to airport in a few hours. Neil knew she was right, so didnt force her anymore. Once Avni nursed Evie, shweta came and gave her a bath while Neil and Avni packed the rest of the stuff. As they were done, Avni took a shower and headed downstairs to see her family.
The farewell was an emotional one. Ayesha cried her heart out, cuddling Evie to her chest. But before Avni lost control over her emotion, Ayesha quickly moved out of the trance. The Mehtas and the Khannas exchanged hugs.
Avni was so silent throughout the entire journey. Neil knew she was missing her home, and it was completely justifiable. He really wanted to give her the option to choose, but right now, his family also needs him. And keeping Avni and Evie in London and him staying at Mumbai, he cannot just afford that.
As they reached the Khanna house, whole press was outside. Avni widened her eyes in shock. She knew Neil had a crazy girl crowd around him, including the media. But didn't think this would happen. "I'm not coming out!" She gasped, clutching onto Neil's arm. "Avni.. I think we have foreseen that this would happen. With the news of our baby, it attracted more attention. lets just wave a hi and move in quickly, alright?" he caressed on Avni's cheek lovingly and took Evie from her arms. She was wrapped in a white blanket, with a knitted band on her soft baby hair. Neil carefully got out of the car, balancing little one in his arms, and he offered a hand to Avni, helping her out. Flashes of the cameras showered on, which really irritated Avni. But Neil was right beside her. They walked to the front of the portico, and paused for a few pictures, along with Bebe and others too. Neil showed a glimpse of Evie for a while and hurried back inside. They had a quick lunch and went back to their rooms to rest after a long journey.
Neil came out of the shower and saw Avni sitting on the couch, nursing Evie. She just stared at the air, still very silent. Neil walked over and sat next to her. He took her spare hand into his. "Missing home?" Avni looked into his eyes, but did not respond. And Neil knew what exactly that meant. "Avni, I'm sorry—." "Neil, you dont have to be." Avni cut him in, squeezing his hands tightly. "I totally understand, and honestly even I dont want to move to London. This... just happens I guess." Neil smiled and was about to kiss on her forehead, when his phone buzzed. It was a call from the police station, asking him to come to the field immediately! Neil got ready in a jiffy, Avni helping alongside. And quickly headed away.
The following days were tough on Avni. Evie was very cranky, due to the change of place. She was having a hard time, adjusting to the new home. She'll be up the majority of the night, and took only a few naps in the day time. Shweta and Bebe could not help much, because Evie only stayed calm in Avni's lap. Neil had no time at all, as he was trapped in their biggest investigation. He came home at night for barely 3-4 hours of sleep and would head to the station the earliest in the morning. Avni did not complain. She attended all their personal chores, like cleaning and laundry, the few hours Evid gets down for a nap. She didnt wanted to trouble Shweta or Bebe, but she slowly was losing it, without her realization.
Avni paced up and down the nursery with Evie in her arms, who was crying her heart out. She had been trying to calm her down for the past hour, but no victory. No one was at home at the time to her bad luck. Avni searched down a few tips on google and started to try them on Evie.
Neil ended his phone call and let out a huge sigh. He have finally got sometime off, and it was almost 10pm in the night. Neil headed to the stairs taking in the silence of the house which assured him only Avni was at home. She wasnt in their room when Neil entered. He decided to check on her after taking a shower. He had made a mental note in the afternoon, to trim his beard a bit, before it upsets Evie. Neil quickly took off his shirt and walked into the Bathroom. He was just about to turn the trimmer on, when Avni barged into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet seat. She ran her hands through her hair and then buried her face in her hands, breaking down slowly. Neil was shocked with the sudden movement. He doesnt think Avni knew he was in the bathroom. Neil looked at her carefully. She was wearing a grey tank top and a pair of shorts. Her hair was a mess and carelessly put on to a bun. Her face was pale and Neil did notice the black bangs under her eyes. Stretch marks appeared from her abdomen to the legs, while a blood spotting (post-delivery effect) could be seen on her shorts. The chest of her tank top was damp, because of all the feedings. Neil's heart slowly broke, with each sob that escaped from Avni's mouth..
