Next day-

AvNeil smiled on seeing eachother in campus
They were moving towards the class when avni noticed something

A-neil ye tumhare haath ko kya hua?
Ye cut& burn ka scar? (holding his bandaged& slightly burnt hand)

N-arre nothing much
Kitchen men fruit cut karra tha toh knife se lag gyi
Paas men hi hot pan tha toh haath thoda sa jal gya
Dont worry
Im fine

Avni wasnt satisfied with his reply but neil changed the topic, hence diverting her attention

A-take care of yourself

Neil assured her, although he knew something like this might happen again& he will again have to cook up some excuse

*****

Lunch time-

Avni requested neil to join her in canteen but he refused by saying that he had to issue some books from the library
Avni agreed& told him that she will see him in next class
They walked to their respective direction of the campus

*****

Neil was sitting in a secluded area of the campus, mentally thanking god that he was successful in lying to avni
With a dull face, he recollected what the actual reason was-

Flashback-

Yesterday, after the injury, neil wasnt able to cook properly bcz of pain
He somehow prepared the dinner, though again injuring himself in the process by burning his injured palm

Preparing dinner was a must so he somehow did it
But cleaning the house& preparing breakfast for himself this morning was next to impossible for him due to the pain his hand was undergoing so he just did the remaining dishes, picked his bag& left for college, without any lunch too

Flashback over

N(to himself)- bhook toh bohot lagri h
Par agar canteen men kuch bhi khaya toh 3weeks travelling ke liye pese sufficient nahi bachenge
Ese hi chala jata hu next class ke liye

Suddenly he received a message from chuchail chachi aka hetal

Me& ketan are going to attend wedding functions of one of your cousins &wont be back before 3 weeks
Idk how much grocery is left but whatever it is, manage with it- it will be sufficient for you i guess& if not, then i cant help it

N-ok

(Thanks alot @RiyaSharma_nk for the awesome name suggestion😂😂😂)

Neil sighed after replying

N-chalo
At least ab 3hafte ke liye zyada cleaning nahi bhi karunga toh bhi chalega
Utensils bhi bohot kam dhone padenge

Bas kisi tarah grocery sufficient ho varna phirse bhookha hi rehna padega pura din- sirf dinner hi prepare ho payega
Iss baar toh driver uncle bhi nahi honge jo thode pese ya khana dede

He sighed& chuckled sadly at his fate

It was time for next class so he went
Although he didnt show it, but the fact was that he was feeling dizzy due to not eating anything since morning

*****

The college hrs came to an end
AvNeil had reached the parking when suddenly neil's bag slipped off his shoulder, making all his books& registers slip out of his bag bcz he was again feeling dizzy& nearly fell unconscious, making avni scream in fear

A-neil!
She held him& prevented him from falling

A-tum theek ho?

N-haa
Im fine

A-toh ye chakkar kese aagya?

N-kal der raat tak padh raha tha toh shayad neend puri nahi hui isiliye

(He lied)

Avni sighed &bent down to pick his books
Neil was gonna help her but she gave him a glaring look& he understood that he should stand quietly

A(while winding up neil's stuff)- neil tumhara lunch box kaha h?

N- wo...umm...actually...haa disposable tha toh khana khake dustbin men fek dia

Avni stood up

A-ok fine
Par aaj men tumhe ghar drop karungi& no excuses will be entertained
Par usse pehle kuch kha lete h- tum iss situation men bhi nahi lagre ke muje pakad ke baith paoge bike pe

N-arre avni im fine
Iski koi zarurat nahi h

(He was trying to brush it off bcz he didnt have money)

But avni was also stubborn

A-haa
Dikh rha h ke how fine you are
Chalo ab

Neil sat behind avni, put on his helmet& held their bags

A-hold me as well
Tumhe iss waqt support ki zarurat h

Neil held her shoulders which actually sent shivers down his spine
Apart from his late mother, he had never sat so close to any female in his entire life

The last time he sat on her bike, he took support of the bike's body but today it was different
Soon avni started driving

*****

Random cafe-

Avni stopped her bike outside the cafe& both got off

N-avni men bol raha hu- theres no need of all this

A-chup chaap chalo andar

AvNeil entered& took a corner table
The waiter came to take order
While avni had ordered burger& juice, neil ordered coffee- that was the only thing on the menu he could afford- he had to save money for home expenses too

A-arre?
Ye kya??
You need proper food
Aap 1ki jagah 2burger le ayiye with 1 coffee& 1 juice

Waiter nodded& left
Avni decided to break the silence

A-vese neil tum roz bus se kyu travel karte ho?
Tumhara ghar mere raaste men aata h toh i can pick& drop you

N-thanks a ton for the offer avni par bina pese diye men pool nahi karunga& i dont have money to give you on monthly basis
I mean my aunt& uncle wont allow

A-friends se pese kon leta h bhala?
Its decided ke college reopen hone ke baad tum roz mere sath aaoge
Aur iss bahane muje bhi company mil jayegi

N-ok fine
I will travel with you
But ghar se thoda door drop karna

A-tum toh ese dar rahe ho jab ladkiya darti h ke kahi uski family ladke ke sath na dekh le 😂😂😂

N(whispered)-mera haal toh usse bhi bura h

A-kuch kaha kya?

N-nahi toh

Soon their food arrived
While avni started munching on her food, neil was still hesitant to start- all bcz of the bill
Avni broke his chain of thoughts

A-neil tumne toh start bhi nahi kia?
Kahi aur chale kya??

N-arre no no no
Im having it

They had their food& then came neil's biggest fear- the bill
A huge lump went down through neil's throat which didnt go unnoticed by avni
She silently followed his gaze-he was starring at the piece of paper& understood what he was thinking

Rs550

A-neil i hope tumhe ye toh nahi lagra na ke tumhe bill akele dena hoga
Men un lidkiyo ki tarah bilkul nahi hu jo apne bf ya male friends ko bills pay karne ko bole
We are going to share it

Neil smiled
He secretly checked his wallet& saw that he was falling short of Rs150

A-kya hua?
Any problem??

N-wo...um...actually...hum dono ko 275 dene h

A-haa toh?

N-im falling short of 150
(feeling embarrassed on not having sufficient money)

Avni facepalmed herself

A-bas itni si baat?
Men dedeti hu

N-par avni...

A-i know ke tum kya kahoge
Toh men pehle hi bol deti hu- next time jab hum ayenge toh tum de dena 150meri taraf se
Happy?

neil smiled
They paid the bill& came out

N-avni iss sab ke liye thank you
Aage men ghar chala jaunga

A-no way
Until i dont drop you inside your house, i wont leave

Neil gave up in font of her stubbornness

*****

Khanna mansion-

They entered &saw nobody in the entire mansion except for the part time servant
The driver was also not their bcz he had gone with hetal& ketan

The empty mansion left avni confused &neil was extremely worried about what will she say next

A-neil ghar men koi kyu nahi h?
I mean tumhari chachi bhi nahi dikh rahi
Kahi baahar gaye h kya?

Neil knew that if he lied, she will ask 15more questions-just like a CBI officer& he didnt want to loose such a genuine friend just bcz of a stupid reason so he took a deep breath &spoke the truth, thinking that he will face the after effects, whatever they might be

N-actually chacha chachi have gone for wedding functions of a relative& would return home after 3weeks

A(shocked)-3weeks!
Tumhe saath le jate na

N-mene hi refuse kia tha
3weeks ki chutti maarta toh attendance bohot low hojati

(He lied bcz in reality, even if he was home, they would not take him along)

A-then how will you manage alone for 3long weeks?

N-i will see to it
You dont worry

A-no way neil
Aaj class men lockdown ki news nahi suni?
Agar tumhare chachi chacha 3weeks baad wapas na aa paye &unhe bhi uss guesthouse ya hotel men hi rukna padh gya toh?

Kese manage karoge akele??
You arent well& nobody is there to take care of you

N(whispers)-vese bhi kosa bada khayaal rakha jata h mera iss ghar men

A-kuch kaha kya?

N-nahi toh

Avni suddenly received a call- it was neela maa
She excused herself for a minute

Neela maa had called up avni to ask her whereabouts bcz she didnt return home on her regular time
Avni discussed the situation with neela maa who agreed for neil staying with them for 3weeks or until his uncle& aunt dont return
She smiled& cut the call, saying that they will arrive soon

A-neil mene maa se baat karli h
So now pack your clothes& personal stuff
Jab tak tum theek nahi hojate& tumhare chacha chachi nahi aa jate, you will stay at my place with me& maa& no excuses

N-par avni ese kese

A-arre jab muje& maa ko koi problem nahi h toh tum kyu tension lere ho
Aur college lockdown men band h toh padhai ke liye sirf registers pack karna-we can share the books

Neil gave up in front of her requests& went up to his room& started packing his stuff while avni decided to help him but he told her to wait outside the room itself
Avni agreed, although she was confused why he went inside such a small room, despite having such a big house but then brushed it off
Soon he came out &they left for pareikh house

*****

AvNeil enter Pareikh house& maid served them water
Neela welcomed them& smiled on seeing neil- he was just like avni had described
They talked for sometime after while avneil went to freshen up& take some rest
Avni showed him guest room

A-kuch bhi chahiye ho toh bata dena- mera room is next

Neil noded

*****

Dinner-

A-maa phirse bhindi?
Abhi 3din pehle hi toh bani thi
Ewww
I wont have it

N-but i love it aunty
Avni khalo na- its very tasty

Avni again frowned

N-you are very lucky to have neela aunty
Sabki kismat men nahi hota parents ka pyaar

Avni& neela maa felt bad
Neela caressed his hair lovingly in an attempt to console him while avni smiled

Ne(angrily)-muje aunty mat bulana

Neil became worried- he didnt want to hurt anyone's feelings when suddenly neela smiled

Ne-kyuki aaj se men avni ki nahi balki tumhari bhi maa hu

Neil smiled widely& avneil hug neela maa together

*****

After dinner, all went to sleep in rooms
It was after ages that neil lay on a soft mattress& hence he slept within 5minutes itself
Otherwise he had to manage on the rough chatayi at khanna house

Late night-

Neil was sleeping when suddenly he had a nightmare about an old incident

Flashback-

Neil was cooking dinner in the kitchen when suddenly hetal screemed his name, on the top of her lungs
He understood that shes hell angry- but was wondering what mistake did he do?
He went to her& ketan's room which was very much lavish-

👉The antique furniture
👉King side bed
👉64 inches flat screen tv
👉A huge balcony with swimming pool
👉Bathroom with bathtub &jacuzzi

And the list went on- all these high class facilities were bcz of his father's hard earned money which they had wasted on all these materialistic stuff

He knocked& chudail chachi told him to come in

CC(angrily)- wth is this neil?
You burnt one of my most beautiful & expensive saree (showing him a huge hole in saree)

N(fumbling)-im...sorry...pta nahi kese...

CC- what sorry huh?
Tumhara sorry isse theek kar dega kya?

N-muje kitchen men bhi check karna tha ke khana na jal jaaaye

CC- khane ka toh pta nahi par tumne meri saree zarur jala di h

Aur ab tumhe iski saza milegi (evil smirk)
Tonight, you will sleep outside the house

N-par bahar toh tez barish.....
Men bemaar padh jaunga

CC-i dont care
Dinner banao, apna khao& then go out to sleep
Now, get out of my sight!

Neil flinched &then did as said
As expected, he caught high fever by next morning so they gave him medicine bcz if neil caught any serious disorder, then they wont get the money prakash had left for neil

Flashback over

Neil wakes up with a jolt- he was sweating terribly
He went to wash his sweaty face& soon came out

N-pta nahi ye past ke incidents kab tak nightmares banke muje torture karenge
Jab wapas uss nark men jaane ka waqt aayega toh men inn moments ko bohot miss karunga

He chuckled sadly& then again slept, after some tossing

*****

Next day-

Avni freshened up& came to wake neil up
She found the door open so she went inside& smiled on seeing neil sleeping-
He was looking uber cute while sleeping
She went a little closer& heard his mild snores
She smiled &understood that he was in deep sleep so didnt wake him up& went downstairs

Ne-neil kaha h?

A-maa hes still sleeping &was snoring slightly so i didnt want to break his sleep
Usse dekh ke esa laga jese barso baad chain ki neend naseeb hui ho- ek dam gehri

N-lagta h wo kuch zyada hi thaka hua h
Then let him sleep
You come& have breakfast

Avni& neela maa had bf

*****

It was 11:30 when neil finally woke up
He felt happy on having an undisturbed sleep but then felt hell embarrassed on being late
But neela& avni were happy that he slept well
They spent time playing board& card games
Neil defeated avni multiple times& as a result, she sat on corner of the room with an angry pout on her face

Later, the duo tickled her& blackmailed her to forgive them
Due to constant tickling &laughing for so long, avni finally gave up

**Time lapse***

Neil gelled up with avni& neela maa pretty soon
He was delighted by staying at avni's house bcz he experienced mom's love& care after ages
He noticed many things about avni too, which he might have not noticed in normal course, if they were just classmat6

On the other hand, avni's words came out to be true bcz chudail chachi& her drunkard husband couldnt return from the guesthouse

They messaged neil about the same& said that he will have to manage on his own& smirked on thinking that neil would be starving of hunger& thirst
Little did they know that he was enjoying this quarantine bcz of avni& neela maa 😎😎😎
He knew that since theres no servant in the house, nobody would be able to inform them about his actual whereabouts

*****

AvNeil attended classes online& neela maa handled her NGO work from home itself
Thanks to neil, avni had also started focusing on her studies more than she actually did
While she used to fuss about eating few dishes, neil ate everything happily bcz he had forgotten how mom's cooked food tastes
While neil knew cooking, avni knew only eating😂😂😂

*****

Random day-

Nm-neil tumhe itni acchi cooking kisne sikhayi?

N-bachpan men maa ko khana banate hue dekta tha toh thodi help kar deta tha
Dheere dheere interest build hogya toh seekhna bhi shuru kar dia

Ne-phir toh tumhara hotel management karna banta hi h- everyone should follow their dreams

(Sorry i forgot to mention that they are doing hotel management
Neil got admission by scholarship& is paying his fees by loan which he will repay after getting job
Whereas avni has taken it bcz she wanted to try something slightly different in life
Though she isnt too good at cooking, shes great when it comes to manage finance& takes care of neela's NGO financial stuff too)

Neil smiled

*****

Same night-

It was way past midnight
Neil was sitting near the closed balcony of his room- silently starring at the moon& tiny stars in the sky, which included his parents too

It was after ages that he didnt have the tension of waking up early to prepare meals or cleaning the house& dishes
Avni had come as the sunshine in his life &he didnt want to loose her friendship at any cost

Neil caressed the photo he was holding- yes, his family photo
Hhe saw his reflection in the photo-
His eyes became blurry

N-agar aaj aap dono hote toh muje ese na jeena padta
Aap dono muje chodke kyu chale gaye?
Plz wapas aa jao
Meri kismat toh itni kharaab h ke aapke paas bhi nahi aa sakta- chacha chachi wont let it happen

Iss torture ki toh muje aadat si hogyi h
Par darr lagta h- kahi avni ko ye sach pta chal gya& usne ye dosti tod di toh?
Men phirse akela hojaunga- jesa bachpan men tha

Aap dono ke baad wo pehli esi ladki h jise mere looks, shy nature ya nerdy behaivor se koi problem nahi h- she has accepted my friendship the way i am

Aaj meri life ka itna special day h- its my birthday& aap log hi mere sath nahi ho
Although ab toh ye din bhi ordinary hi hogya h- kab ata h& kab chala jata h- pta hi nahi chalta

Neil again rested his head on the balcony door& didnt realize when he slept in that position

shubhangi1600 thanks alot for the rain wala idea
Yogi baba ka ashirwaad humesha tumhare sath rahe😂😂😂
(Video dekhna mat bhoolna)