AVNEIL

Chapter 5 - A moment shared

      Another day was done, stores were closed, and the streets were filled with people going back to home, to where they rest their tired bodies. Avni was no exception, her tiredness made her limp hang like wet laundry on a cold still day. She felt like every of her muscle was giving into gravity. What she want at that moment was a shower, a nice warm bed and a solid night of dreams. Her phone buzzed in her bag. She pulled out the phone, flip it open and it was text from the only person she dreaded for, the only person capable of ruining such a nice evening.

    Avni marched into the Khanna mansion, stood in his living room and her sights took in Neil, lying down on the couch.

    "What do you want Neil? Been here two times today, I got you coffee and even took your car to the wash. So tell me. What do you want this time?"

    "I'm hungry."

    "You are hungry?" she let out an exhausting sigh. This was definitely game to him. Neil had more than 10 maids in his house but still chose to make her life hard by giving her such task. She dropped her head like a withered flower and sauntered towards the kitchen with Neil right behind her. He took a seat by the kitchen counter, stroked his bottom lip as he watched her like missing a detail could mean the end of his life.

     She seemed so beautiful, so simple, and so different from everyone, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he when she undid her ponytail, shook out her hair,and tied it back up again. Why no one else's heart went wild when she cast her intense gaze. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, everyone was an indication of her character.

     "You know we haven't really talk..." Neil prompted to start a conversation. "So how was your day? Were there lots of customers?" he waited for her response and when there was none, he said. "I'm trying to be friendly to you, reaching out but no you...you are so guarded."

    "Why do you tell me to cook when you say I'm terrible?"

    He rubbed his chin. "You are a good cook."

    She looked at him from the corner of her eyes but said nothing.

    "Tell me why do you like cooking? Have you always want to be a cook, do you want to own a restaurant? Did your mother teach you how to cook?" He dropped into topics he knew she was passionate about but she didn't comment.

    Avni never met her mother but all she knew about her was that she was a professional chef and that was enough to spark her interest in cooking. She was not close enough to him to share that with him.

    She slide the plate across the counter and over to him, picked up her bag to leave. "Enjoy your meal."

    "You can't leave not until I finish."

    Avni threw her head back, pulled out a stool and sat in front of Neil. Her hand popped against her jaw and looked straight at him, he flashed a smile at her, and then she silently looked away.

    "When did you and Ali meet?" he took in the first bite. 

    "Did you know we were friends?"

    Avni lowered her gaze to her fingers that drummed against the table.He swallowed. "So you knew....I'm not surprised."

    It wasn't the way he said it but the tone he use that led her to ask. "What are you getting at?"

    "You obviously wanted to get close to me and used Ali. You don't have to keep playing hard to get, it doesn't suit you."

    She threw her head back and laughed. Neil looked at her for a few seconds, his spoon stopped in mid-air, that wasn't the response he hoped for.