After 6 years-
MUMBAI
Neil, KK and Ali were sitting in a small bar, a cozy ambiance, serene lighting- drinking away their sorrows as the main lead started:
Tum mere ho iss pal mere ho
Kal shayad yeh aalam na rahe
Kuch aisa ho tum tum na raho
Kuch aisa ho hum, hum na rahein...
Yeh raaste alag ho jaaye
Chalte chalte hum kho jaayein...
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga... (x4)
Neil laughed out loud listening to him, everyone else looked towards him, however the singer continued-
Iss chahat mein marr jaaunga
Main phir bhi tumko chahunga
Meri jaan mein har khamoshi le
Tere pyaar ke naghme gaaunga
mmm...
Aise zaroori ho mujhko tum
Jaise hawayein saanson ko
Aise talashun main tumko
"Talaash hi toh raha hoon main saalon se" Neil said to himself, chuckling
Jaise ki per zameeno ko
Hansna ya rona ho mujhe
Paagal sa dhoondu main tumhe
Kal mujhse mohabbat ho na ho
Kal mujhko ijazat ho na ho
Toote dil ke tukde lekar
Tere darr pe hi reh jaaunga
mmm...
He laughed out loud again, all eyes were on him. People thought him to be crazy under the influence of alcohol, but no one knew his inner turmoil
Mere din raat salone se
Sab hai tere hi hone se
Yeh saath hamesha hoga nahin
Tum aur kahin main aur kahin
Lekin jab yaad karoge tum
Main banke hawaa aa jaaunga
O...
"Bhai, are you sure ye gaana tere liye toh nahin ga raha?" Ali asked Neil as he was gulping another glass. Neil laughed out loud, smashing the glass on the table. He stood up and walked towards the singer, he signaled him to stop and leave, the singer followed. There was pin-drop silence at the bar. Neil's eyes were red with unshed tears, he let out a humorless, dry chuckle as he sang in his slurred speech-
Main phir bhi....... tumko ch.....ahunga
Main phir bhi tum.....ko chahunga....
Iss chahat mein marrrr..r jaunga.....
Main phirrr... bhi tumko chahunga
A few drops made their way to his cheeks. "Why? why don't you leave me alone? Why?"He muttered under his breath while tightly holding another glass in his hand.
"Neil! are you okay?" KK asked his best friend. Neil, KK and Ali had been best friends ever since they passed out of school. Neil and KK were closer as Neil still thought that Ali was in contact with HER, after all, she was his cousin. Ali tried his level best to make Neil trust him, but he knew he would not. Ali never wanted them to separate. Though he disliked Avni now, he still couldn't force himself to hate her, she was his best friend after all.
"I want to forget her, it's been 6 years KK, 6 years! she left me. You know guys? Today is our 6th anniversary! It was supposed to be mere infatuation, but now, I'm broken, she left me, alone!" Neil said and let out a dry chuckle.
"Stop this Neil! She is gone, she was never worth it! Stop!" KK yelled at Neil.
"I want to be alone" Neil said
"But.." Ali started
"ALONE" Neil yelled at them, they quietly started to leave. Meanwhile a girl, who looked like the dancer at the bar, came towards him.
"Hey Handsome!" she said, trying to seduce him
"What do you want?" Neil snapped at her
"May be a night with you?" She said and winked at him.Neil understood her intentions. He smirked wickedly and said, "Gladly!"
Saying this, he followed her to the room inside, not coming out for the rest of the night. This was his routine. Once in a month, he would come out to a bar to forget HER and would end up having a one night stand. The great Neil Khanna, who was now successfully being trained under his father to handle his huge empire, was broken, he lost all the trust he had on his love. He wanted to hate her, forget her, but was never able to do so. At the end it was always "main phir bhi tumko chahoonga" for him.
************
LONDON
A tranquil atmosphere, the blinds on the windows being hit by the cold wind outside. Moonlight rushing into the room through the slits. She was here. Avni. Lost in HIS thoughts- for the past six years.
"I miss you Neil, I always did. I don't know if you remember me. May be you moved on. Of course you would, it's been a long time. Six years! six long years without you, but it is supposed to be that way. I don't deserve you or anybody for that matter. I don't want you to suffer. I know you must have forgotten me, but you will always remain in my heart, always!" Avni said to herself as a few drops rolled down her cheeks. She sniffed and then washed her face, getting ready to go downstairs and have her 'mother-daughter' time with Neela maa.
Over the past years, Neela has been her constant support system. She took care of all her needs- physical as well as emotional. Avni has grown to love her more than a mother- she confides in her, Neela is her dad, her mom, her sister and her best friend. Avni thought about Neela, about her first meet and then the present day- the way their relationship had evolved. Now, whenever she heard 'maa', the first person in her mind was Neela. Avni accepted her as her mother. Ayesha's place was special, but Neela had a bigger and more special place in her heart. Avni often thought that probably, she could never love her own mother in the way she loved Neela. Thinking about this and smiling to herself, she climbed down the stairs.
"Maa!" Avni called out as she saw Neela sitting on the couch with two cups of coffee.
"Baccha! come sit, I've to talk to you about something" Neela said in a serious tone. Avni knew what was coming her way. She had been avoiding it for months, but now nothing seemed to work.
"Maa, I know what you're going to say, but I'm not ready yet" Avni tried to convince her. Neela sighed.
"Avni, baccha! it's not a big deal. I'e been training you for almost eight months now, you shouldn't be afraid, I'm with you. This is your company baccha and I want you to take over. It has to happen one day or the other, don't run from it." Neela tried to reason
"Maa, it's a big responsibility" Avni thought deeply
"Baccha, you deserve it and you're capable of doing it. I know you're just 23, but you have to trust me, you're trained for this. You can handle this. And Avni, you can't just run away from your responsibilities, you have to face them and win over the challenges, this is life Avni, you can't just play safe, you have to take the risks" Neela said
"Maa, I understand, but I need some time" Avni said
"How much time do you need Avni?" Neela asked, frustrated
"Give me six months maa, I'll do whatever you want" Avni said. Neela looked at her, unsure of what Avni meant by this. However, she was glad that she agreed atleast.
"Okay Avni, but you need to let me know what's going on in that little head of yours" Neela said, happily.
"Maa, I want some professional training, I'm not saying that I didn't get from you, but I just want to have a true work experience under someone I'm answerable to, someone who doesn't know me and doesn't think twice before yelling at me even for the smallest mistakes. You have to understand maa, it's hard to take you as a teacher seriously." Avni said
"I agree, I'll arrange for your internship in one of the big companies so you can have the best possible experience and then you'll handle the fashion line. Promise?"
"Promise! You're the best maa" Avni squealed in delight and kissed her cheeks.
"Now go sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow." Neela said and they both went off to their respective rooms after wishing each other a good night.
**********
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Naseeb- Naamkarann
FanfictionAvni and Neil's life as they meet as teenagers, hate each other and move on in lives only to be together in the future.
