Shweta quickly paced behind her son trying to get some sense into him but he was in no mood to listen to her . She kept pleading him to stop and rethink but it seemed like he had made up his mind. Before Shweta could catch up to him, he stepped inside his car . Shweta helplessly looked back at Neela , who looked equally clueless at sudden turn of events. Left without much option Shweta got into the car with Neil , thinking she would atleast be able to make Neil listen to reason if she was with him. As soon as Shweta got inside Neil drove off leaving behind a fuming Avni and worried Neela.

After driving a mile or two , Shweta finally mustered enough courage to speak to her stubborn son " Neil, just listen to me once. Don't act so stubborn , there is no place for ego in relationship."

As soon as the words had left Shweta's lips Neil's car screeched to a sudden hault. He looked at Shweta but the anger and stubbornness that had occupied his face moments ago had disappeared and instead his face was all lit up with mischief glistening in his eyes.

"Mom can you please trust your son for once ? Can you for once believe in your son that he is capable of finding love on his own terms ?"

Shweta's confusion was still unresolved " what are you planning to do ?" she asked.

" Something" he smiled " just do as I say. Call up Neela Maa . We need to buy some time."

Reluctant and still pretty much in the fog, Shweta dialed Neela's number.

......................................................................................................................................

Avni was still boiling with anger as she sat alone inside her car. Neela Maa had received a call from some client who was in town and wanted to meet her and instead of staying with her angry daughter and pacifying her she had considered it important to attend the meeting , leaving Avni to be with her own inSufferable self in the car.

" I cannot believe Neil would do that to me . Its like he hasn't known me at all" she muttered angrily to herself . " On one hand he behaves as if he cannot live without me but on the other hand he is ready to let me go forever just because he won't say it first !!! Arrogant ! Spoilt ! Just because girls have always thrown themselves at him , doesn't mean he cannot say those simple words even once in his life .If I had been that important to him as he says ,he wouldn't have let me go ."

" How could he let me go so easily ? Why did I do it ? I am an idiot . What was the point of getting so angry even ? What if he never comes back ?"as her angry subsided she slowly started seeing her folly . Only she knew how much she had longed to see him and how much she missed him that very moment itself. Even if everything between them had been unsaid words , still in their hearts they could clearly hear everything the other hadn't said . Gosh she missed him but bowing out now didn't seem easier either.

A tap on the window and she could she her mother was back from her meeting. She had been so engrossed and lost in her own thoughts that she didn't know how much time had flown by. Neela got back in the car and asked the driver to start. Avni was in half mind to stop the car but after throwing tantrums at her mother for long she half heartedly let the car take her away .

Even though the car was speeding away her heart was still back at the restaurant with him . Her mind tried to come up with saner reasons to prevent them from going away but every reason seemed to be illogical just as her heart was ,as was her mind. After rejecting a thousand illogical ones , when she finally landed up a reason that made some remote sense . Before she could tell Neela , she heard her telling the driver to stop the car.

" Maa , why did you tell him to stop in the middle of this deserted road ?" she looked around and saw the whole road was empty except a few small roadside shops .

" I need water" replied Neela shadily.

" You could have got it earlier no Mom?"

" I forgot with all your whining Avni. I am thirsty , I am going to get water and something to eat as well. I am taking driver with me ." Neela left the car alongwith the driver, leaving Avni alone to be her miserable self .She begrudgingly slumped back into her seat and looked at her phone screen hoping to see a message or call.

A soft knock on her glass drew her attention. Rolling the glass down she saw a small girl standing outside with a flower in one hand and a book in the other. As soon as she opened the door , the girl smiled and handed her both the book and the white daisy that she had been holding. Before Avni could ask anything, the girl ran away. Avni slowly opened the fairytale book to find the word " WILL" written on it . Turning the first page a small note fell out of it.

'I have never met a more crazier person than you but I would rather be driven crazy everyday of my life than live it without you in it' the note read.

Avni looked around for him , but all she could see was another kid walking towards her with another white daisy and a book. This time the fairytale book had the word " YOU" and the note inside read ' I have never seen a more stubborn person in my life , but its this stubbornness that makes me fall for you a little more everytime I see you'

The third book had the word " BE" and the note inside read ' I never fought with anyone as much as I have done with you, but if you promise every one of our fight will be as interesting as the previous ones, I don't mind a lifetime of fights.'

The fourth book which was also a fairytale had the word "MINE?" . The note in it read 'I have never seen a more beautiful person than you , more so on the inside than the outside . I would be lucky if i would get a chance to spend my life with this beauty by my side.'

The fifth and last book was also handed over to Avni by a kid with the sender still nowhere in sight . This book just had a question mark on it "?" on it and a small note that read 'I have never loved anyone more than I have loved you Avni. If you would allow me I would love to spend my life falling in love with you over and over again."

Avni looked up from the book with smile on her face and shine in her eyes . There he was standing in front of her waiting for her to look up. It was as if he had just transpired out of thin air. Neil clapped his hands once and suddenly the dimly lit road got lit up with a thousand starry lights just like a scene out of movie. And with a gush of air hundreds of heart shaped balloons floated their way towards Avni.

Neil walked towards a astound Avni and stopped when he was close enough for her to hear him . " I don't know which of these fairytales you wanted to be in Avni but I promise I would do my best to make it come true.''

Avni tried to speak up but words failed her and emotions overwhelmed her. Before she could bring herself to say anything , Neil had gotten down on his knees infront of her . " How could I have said it there , when I know how your happy ending looks like. I know this probably isn't your version of a perfect proposal but I am willing to work on my romantic side ..........just for you........and with you. I promise I will do better next time ."

" Next time ?" eyes glistening with happiness Avni spoke " There is going to be a next time ?"

" I will do it thousand times over , if that is what it takes to win you over." Neil took out the tiny velvet box he had been hiding in his pocket before he spoke again " Avni, I know I am not the most perfect person you have met or will meet.."

" That's not.." she tried to intervene.

" But ......noone can ever love you the way I do . You are the best thing that has ever happened to me......ever. " He took a small pause before speaking again.

" I had been avoiding commitment because the very thought of it felt constricting but with you......this......you and me......whatever this is........ I wouldn't mind a lifetime of this . If this what being in love feels like ...then I love being in love with you."

" I love you Avni......I really do. There I said it. I love you like I have never loved anyone before . I don't have the words to tell you how much you mean to me .....just that .....every moment without you in it feels incomplete." Neil pops out the ring " Avni, will you be mine ? for now and forever ?"

" Ofcourse I love you too you idiot." Avni cupped his face putting aside the flowers and the books. " But are you sure you want to propose me for marriage ?"

" I know I don't want anyone else other than you......ever. Its you. Its always been you."

" Yes , yes ....a thousand times yes . I love you so much Mr Neil Khanna" she threw herself at the kneeling Neil and closed him tight in her embrace. The emotions that had been suppressed inside for so long, flowed through their eyes as they held on tightly to each other.

Getting up together , Neil slid the ring into Avni's finger and hugged her tight once more.

" This feels like a dream" she exclaimed throwing her arms in the air.

" You better start believing in it." he said cupping her face gently . Her inadvertently closed themselves as he came closer to her . Still holding her face in his hands he gently placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She lazily opened her eyes to see his deep somber eyes looking directly into hers with such intensity that she could feel it send a tingling sensation straight down her . He wasn't looking away , not that she wanted him to but he wasn't moving forward either.

" Will you kiss me already ?" she couldn't prevent the words from spilling out.

His intense eyes mellowed down a bit and he moved his eyes from her face ,sideways to the far off the road shop. " You do realise that both of our mothers are watching us right now, don't you ?"

" Well you better get acquainted to this because this my friend is how our entire life is going to be now onwards. Now will you kiss me or not ?" she looked at him as her throat dried up just at the mere thought of it.

" Do you have to say everything out so loud ?"

" I don't know why you have to act so coy now when you have never been this way before."

" Just shut up !" Before she could speak another word he had sealed her lips with his own. Just like that she could feel the world swooning out of picture. His heart beat faster as he slowly pulled her towards himself, with his hands rested on her cheek.

As his lips met her soft ones, she felt her whole body go limp. Her lips brushed his slowly, delicately , just long enough that he could inhale her breath and feel the warmth of her skin. A tingling sensation spread through her as he softly grazed against her lips making them part. He held her in place with his hands now on her back as she felt dizzy with love.

And he pulled away before he completely lost himself in her , leaving her longing for more.

Avni slowly opened her eyes again as if she had just woken up from a dream , to see her dream standing infront of her.

" Ahem ahem , Kids these days I tell you , no shame at all. You knew your mom watching Tillu.....still" Shweta walked in followed by Neela.

" No one forced you to watch Mom" he said quickly wiping of her lipstick marks from his lips.

" Come on , Shweta , cut them some slack, they are in love" Neela was quick to their aid " let them be. God I am so happy ; My avni has finally found love !!! I couldn't have pictured a better end to all of this." Neela excitedly hugged her daughter who was still blushing all over.

" Now shall we head back home?" asked Shweta to which everyone agreed.

Neela and Shweta walked infront with Neil and Avni close behind them. They walked hand in hand with Avni wrapped around Neil's strong arm.

" You never told me whom were you waiting for at that place today !"

" A girl" he replied " mom made me" he added.

"Haww you agreed to meet up with a girl behind my back ."

" What about you getting proposed by your boss infront of my eyes" he counteracted.

" That not the same ."

" Ofcourse its not. Yours is worse."

They kept arguing and bickering the rest of the way home but not for once their hands left each other. Entangled in one other , they made their way home .

***********THE END**************

A/N : So we have finally reached the long awaited ending of this story. I know many of you have patiently waited for long and have been with this story through all its up and down. You guys have shown this story so much love and appreciation that I was forced to complete it despite so many hurdles . A heartfelt THANK YOU to each and everyone of you. Thank you for being with me in this ride. 

And as a small token of love from my side you guys will get a sweet epilogue soon.

Lots of love

Pebbles