Love Bites

To Be With You (3)

"Sahi woh bhi lage mujhko, galat tujhme agar kuch hai!"

Next Day, Evening

Avni had just stepped out of her flat in order to go to the market to get herself some snacks when she heard a loud noise from Neil's apartment. Startled, she walked towards his flat to check upon him. The door was unlocked, so Avni pushed it slightly & stepped inside the flat.

She frowned when she didn't see anyone around & was about to call for Neil when she heard sounds of someone weeping. Bewildered, she slowly kept walking inside the flat till she reached his drawing room & it was then that she figured what the loud noise was about. Broken pieces of glass were scattered on the floor, she took small steps as she walked into the living room making sure that she didn't step on the broken glass.

Her heart wrenched at the moment her gaze fell on Neil & she could feel her pulse picking up speed. He was sitting on the floor near the coffee table while he hugged his knees close to chest as more & more tears kept pouring out of his eyes.

In a moment, Avni reached next to Neil & sat besides him. As if her insides weren't already hurting, they wrenched more when she saw blood dripping from his palm. A huge piece of glasses was still stuck in the centre of his palm but he seemed to pay no heed to it.

A - Neil! What's wrong? What-what happened? - she mumbled as she tried to take hold of his hand.

Neil didn't say anything, he had probably not even acknowledged her presence as his body was visibly trembling & eyes were draining tears of pain & agony.

Avni took in a deep breathe as she took his hand in hers and immediately covered her own mouth with her other hand when a sob threatened to escape her mouth on seeing how deep the glass had cut him. Even so, Neil was numb. He didn't realise Avni was working on his hand & his body was still shivering as he mumbled something under his breathe.

Neil only felt the pain when Avni had finally succeeded in taking the glass out of his skin. He flinched as sharp pain shot through his hand & yanked his hand back as he looked at Avni with red bloodshot eyes.

A - Neil, please don't cry. What's wrong, huh? - she spoke softly as she held his face in her hands. She could feel him stiffening at her touch & then again his body started trembling as a sob escaped his mouth.

Avni felt as if something turned in her gut when she heard him sob. She didn't know the reason, but she definitely knew that she couldn't see him cry like that in so much pain. Determined, she kneeled on the carpet as she tried to pull Neil in her arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck & her hands massaged the back of his scalp as she mumbled sweet nothings in his ears.

A - You've got this, Neil! You're gonna be alright! - she kept repeating in his ears with the gentlest of voice.

She could feel that he had relaxed a bit in her arms & wasn't trembling as severely as before but a dull shiver was still there & his tears were still at a free fall. Her fingers kept massaging his scalp as her mind worked upon ideas to take his mind off whatever had led him into this panic attack.

A - Neil, why don't you sing, hm? Will you please sing me a song? - she said as she sat on the back of her legs & held his face in her palms.

He didn't look at her, & was just staring at the floor beneath. Avni took in a deep determined breathe & shook his face to grab his attention & make him look at her. After a few attempts, Neil did blink & looked up at her, but averted his eyes in a second.

A - Neil, don't be a brinjalhead right now & look at me, okay? Please sing something. - her voice felt like a caress to Neil & he finally turned his head up to look her in the eye.