In the past two days, two things had happened.

First, Avni has only let time cement her belief that there was more to her connection with Neil in the memories she had lost that what met the eye.

And second, the whole feeling of it was so overwhelming that she wasn't drowning in self-pity anymore, like she previously had when she thought her life was a curse to her, where she only lost people and had nothing to cherish.

Quite ironically, despite losing her crucial memories, Avni felt like she actually had a lot to cherish, more significantly, the moments she now got to spend with Neil, which were the newest memories she was creating.

Yes, there was a fear too.

Because she knew that happiness never came without an ulterior lining in her life, and she had always had a blow to her expectations in the past. But for a change, this time, she was just feeling like taking that leap of faith, not worrying about the outcome of it.

She hadn't seen Neil in the past two days, because he was extremely busy with a new case that had showed up, and while she was missing him, she knew that she had to be understanding, especially when it came to a fight of people seeking justice.

She sighed as she looked at her cell phone, going through their WhatsApp conversations at various intervals during the past two days and only blushed to herself.

All of this didn't go unnoticed by Neela.

She fervently prayed for her daughter to get back all the happiness that she deserved but had lost, all because of Juhi and her lies.

.

.

In the past two days, Avni didn't have any episodes of her memory flashes. And for the first time ever, she wasn't complaining either.

She was sanguine now that all her episodes could only get triggered by Neil's presence, for she had had hat confirmed repeatedly for a lot of instances now. But the last episode that had flashed before her, back at Ali's café, was still so prominent in her mind that every time she envisioned it, she felt like her connection with Neil had been deeper than she thought and it was not just a one day story.

Avni had decided that she would ask Neil this question directly, the next time they meet.

And as if on cue, her phone instantly buzzed, indicating an incoming message, which she quickly opened to see and there it was, a message from Neil Khanna.

''Dinner at 8, tonight?''

Her face automatically lit up with a smile as she stared at the message for a good one minute, and began to type,

Avni: Looks like someone finally got some free time!

.

Neil: Someone always wants to be free for you, but work always spoils the drill!

Avni: :D

Neil: Bahot hasi aa rahi hai?

Avni: Nahi.. :D

Neil: AVNI!

Avni: NEIL! :D

Neil couldn't help chuckling at their little conversation.

He knew Avni inside out, and always understood that the true Avni was a little child at heart, though that part of her almost always remained veiled due to the circumstances she had to witness, and the responsibilities that had burdened her shoulders from such a young age.

But now, in their present scenario, if not anything, he was thankful for this one bit of a consequence of her partial memory loss that it at least gave Avni to privilege to be herself, without carrying the baggage of anything.

It made him happy that he could enjoy this indefinably happy feeling of courting his own wife, something he had never thought he would get to do. And the cherry on top was, he was getting to know the real Avni more and more. The Avni who was playful, childish, an adventurer at heart, and also romantic.

Yeah, he never thought he would ever add that adjective to her personality traits, but this was quite a new discovery he made and happily so.

Neil: If you are done laughing and teasing me, do I confirm a table for two, madam?

Avni: J Okay!

Neil: :-*

Avni: :D

Neil: AVNI! -_-

Avni: What?

Neil: You know it!

Avni: Know, what?

Neil knew she was playing with him, and as much as he enjoyed it, he desperately wanted her to kiss him back.

''In emojis?''

His legit side of the brain asked!

''BOTH! In emojis and in REAL!''

He answered to himself, rolling his eyes.

Neil: You know very well!

Avni: No, I don't!

Neil: Fine! Bye!

Avni: Arey! Okay! Don't be angry! See you at 8 tonight! J

To that, Neil couldn't help but smile. He knew Avni was a fine blend of courageous and shy when it came to expressing her feelings, and that's what made their chemistry click more than ever.

For starters now, he was damn excited for their dinner date!

''Dinner date!''

As he enunciated the two words, he found it strange to his own ears.

It was quite funny that despite being married to each other for quite some time now, they had never gone on an official date.

Neil sighed at that realization and confessed that they had indeed missed out on so many things, especially ever since Juhi came into their lives.

He recalled how on the day Avni finally confessed her feelings to him, something he had been waiting for since ages, he had to break it to her that he had an illegitimate child with Juhi.

He recalled how during the celebrations of their first anniversary where Avni's dream of a white wedding was all set to be fulfilled, they had to separate and Avni had to go to Goa to save Mishti.

Every single time he recalled all of that, it ached his heart as he lamented over the precious times they had lost, when all they could have been now for real was HAPPY.

''It's never too late, Neil. You can still give Avni all the happiness she deserves! A fairy-tale life she always dreamed of!''

He told himself as he sighed and kept his phone aside to go take a shower.

He was going to look his best for his dinner date with his wifey tonight, for she deserved nothing but the best.

.

.

Avni was jittery as she stepped out of the car, keeping her hand on his waiting hand as they finally reached the restaurant after a half an hour drive.

The drive had been mostly silent, and they only exchanged a word or two, crooning the music playing on the radio simultaneously.

Avni managed to steal some glances at Neil when she was certain he had his eyes on the road, and admired how flawlessly handsome he looked in the three-piece suit he was decked in that only highlighted his chiseled features and complexion like anything. Yes, he was a good looking man, but today, he looked much, much more than that, and the feeling that he was hers, gave Avni a thousand butterflies fluttering inside her tummy.

Little did she know that Neil stole glances at her too, when he thought her focus was more on the objects outside the window, and he couldn't help feel his throat get dry every time he registered how breathtakingly beautiful she looked in that knee-length black dress, with just a pair of diamond stud earrings she wore and no other accessory other than her watch on her right wrist.

The law-abiding police officer inside him told him to concentrate on the road else they would surely bump into something or someone, but the husband in him couldn't help ogle at his wife, who looked like a beauty straight from Venus, someone whose essence could never be defined and only be felt and the registration that she was all his and only his, made him gush with both pride and gratification.

.

Avni had faced the toughest hour of her life when it came to choosing what she wanted to wear for this dinner date with her boyfriend.

As she registered the term ''boyfriend'' she had felt peculiar at first, only to smile like a teenager the next minute. This was so not her, but she wanted it to be her, maybe deep down, at some point of her life and heart. And now that this was happening, she didn't know exactly how to feel about it and what to do about it.

She had sighed thinking she won't be able to choose any perfect dress for the evening, when Neela Maa had appeared in front of her, with a box wrapped in her hands.

''Maa! What's this?''

She had asked with an expression of confusion.

To which, Neela had only said casually that it was just a gift for her that she had thought she would give her as a recovery present after her accident but since she looked like she was in an outfit ordeal today, she chose to give it to her today.

Avni had hugged Neela tight, kissing her on her cheek as she said how Neela Maa was always her savior whenever she was in some kind of problem, to which Neela had only affectionately taunted her, to not butter her mother so much and get ready already.

Neela had deliberately avoided asking Avni where she was going or teasing her, for two reasons. First, she already knew she was going on a date with Neil since her loyal and sincere son-in-law always kept her informed about his development with Avni, and second, she didn't want Avni to become conscious about any of this. The girl was always a pro at bottling up things and now that things for finally going smooth for her, albeit slowly, Neela didn't want to jinx any of it.

So, wishing her a good evening Neela made an excuse of some work and let Avni dress herself up for the evening.

..

.

As they walked hand-in-hand inside the restaurant, Avni was mesmerized by the sight of how everything looked so picture-perfect in that ambiance.

The theme was charcoal grey, paired with white all around, and the place doted on the word ''classy'' in all aspects.

Yes, she knew Neil was a man particular about everything, but this was an added information on her list to know he was quite choosy about fine-dining too.

She was only too lost in admiring the beauty all around her, especially the tall fountain in the center of the space with a spiraled base, when Neil asked her, ''Shall we?''

She flashed him a small smile before nodding her head and let him usher her to their table.

.

.

As they both browsed through the menu card, Neil couldn't help but feel this constant urge to pinch himself, wondering if all of this was happening for real.

He was at this beautiful place, with the love of his life, surrounded by only positivity, which earlier only seemed alienated to them, and if that wasn't enough already, he was staring at the most beautiful woman in the world, his wife.

.

When she suddenly looked at him, Neil was taken aback for a moment for he hadn't expected her to catch him staring at her point blank, but he found a different kind of satiety settle in his heart when her initial surprised look was soon replaced by a smile and also a hue of crimson rising up her cheeks.

He felt like kissing her cheeks endlessly at that sight but somehow controlled himself.

When the waiter came to take their order, both were stunned to notice that they had both chosen Italian cuisine.

''So, you like Italian too?''

Avni was the first one to ask that and Neil only smiled as he said, ''Yes! After Punjabi food of course!''

Avni flashed him her million-dollar smile at that and Neil couldn't help but take out his cell phone and ask her to pose for a quick selfie, which she happily did.

In his head though Neil was reminded of only one thing. How he had to remove all pictures from their past and hide them. Only he knew how painful it had been for those memories were his most valuable treasure, but alas, he was happy that now he was getting to create brand-new memories with her.

.

The music made the ambiance all the more soothing, as he watched her croon some of the lyrics to herself albeit to o softly.

''Do you like this song?''

He asked her.

She smiled as she said, ''London Grammar is one of my favorite bands. And this song is amazing!''

At that Neil just realized, despite knowing so much about each other, they actually didn't know so much about each other.

For starters, he didn't know until now what kind of music she preferred, or what was her most favorite cuisine?

''Damn Neil Khanna! You boast of being a super cop and claim to know all about your wifey! But look! There's so much you don't know!''

He mumbled to himself inside his head and his little talk was hindered as he heard Avni ask him, ''So who is your favorite singer?''

Neil was a little surprised at that question and for a tiny second he felt what if Avni could actually read his mind?

But then he made a thoughtful face and replied, ''I love the classics! Pink Floyd, the Beatles in English and Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi in Hindi!''

Avni gave him a warm smile as she sipped from her glass of soft drink and he asked her next, ''What is your favorite color?''

She gave him a look before saying, ''It looks like we are having a rapid firequestionnaire here!''

Neil smirked and replied, ''So be it!''

And then, like kids damn competitive they started their rapid fire!

Avni: Red

Neil: Favorite ice-cream?

Avni: Chocolate

Neil: Favorite car?

Avni: I like bikes more!

<Neil (in his head): Noted! Be ready for a bike ride next, wifey!>

Neil: Favorite movie?

Avni: The girl with the dragon tattoo!

<Neil (in his head): God, wifey! Movies mein bhi Ananya Verma jaise hi characters pasand aate hai tumhe!>

Neil: Favorite actor?

Avni: Shah Rukh Khan

Neil: Actress?

Avni: Madhuri Dixit

Neil: Favorite dish?

Avni: Poha!

<Neil couldn't help but smile at that! Some things never change!>

Neil: Favorite.. umm..

And Avni got competitive as ever as she quickly reverted,

Avni: Itna time lena is not allowed! My turn!

And as if Neil had a choice! He chuckled and said, ''Okay, go on!''

.

Avni: Favorite color?

Neil: Blue

Avni: Favorite ice-cream?

Neil: Chocolate and butterscotch

Avni: Favorite movie?

Neil: Titanic

Avni's eyes widened at that for a tiny second, before she remembered it was rapid-fire and quickly asked the next question.

Avni: Favorite actor?

Neil: Aamir Khan

Avni: Favorite actress?

Neil: Umm, Kajol

Avni: Favorite destination?

Neil: Want to see the Maldives

Avni: Favorite book?

Neil: Anything thriller

Avni: Favorite beverage?

Neil: Coffee!

Avni: Favorite person?

Neil: My wi- You!

.

.

Neil's heart skipped a beat as he was almost about to blurt out ''My wifey!'' and looked at Avni keenly to see if she had heard it.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her cheeks all colored due to her blushes, meaning she only got the ''You!'' part heard and that might have caught her off-guard.

Funny enough, just with that one answer of his, Avni's resolve to let the rapid-fire going had vanished into thin air, and before she could even ponder more about it, their food had already arrived.

.

.

As they devoured the last bit of the pasta and lasagna and also sipped from their respective glasses of red wine, Avni said, ''This pasta is so delicious! I should totally get the recipe!''

Hearing her say that, Neil couldn't control his fit of laughter, making Avni look up at him with a confused expression.

''What's so funny?''

She asked him, certainly annoyed at the way he was laughing uncontrollably.

Neil shook his head while his fit of giggles continued, only making Avni's annoyance accentuate, and so, she hit his shoulder albeit lightly, and asked him to spill what was going on in that head of his.

To that, Neil could only say in between his giggles, ''Really, Avni? You wantthe recipe of the pasta? You are going to cook?''

Avni rolled her eyes at that.

Fine, she knew almost everyone was aware of her (non-existent) culinary skills but that didn't mean she could never try.

So, with a straight face, she replied, ''What? I can make it, if I try, okay?''

Neil's laughter only got intensified at that, making Avni fume as she hit his shoulder yet again, this time with a lot more pressure, making his laughter subside a little as he said, ''Madam! Pasta is a far off thing! Tumhe banana hi kya aata hai? Sirf P-O-H-A!''

.

.

Neil couldn't stop laughing yet again as he said those words, but his laughter, all of it, died a sudden death the moment he saw Avni hold her head as if trying hard to stop an excruciating migraine attack.

It was right then that he understood that she might be having another episode, and that completely brought back all the seriousness in him as he got up from his seat immediately and held her hand, bringing her close to his stomach, patting her head, while she was still seated.

.

.

Police station.

A table full of dishes.

A woman in a saree, and Neil in his formal attire.

''Tumhe waise bhi banana hi kya aata hai? P-O-H-A!''

''Haan toh aata hai mujhe Poha banana, toh?''

.

The episode was tormenting her vision as Avni finally opened her eyes, and the blurriness slowly began to fade.

This had happened before, she knew it, and she was also aware of the fact that once again it was Neil and his words that had triggered yet another episode in her head.

She knew she had decided to ask Neil about this today, but when she saw his extremely petrified face, she decided to do the needful a little later.

''Avni! Are you okay? Here! Please drink this water!''

He made her drink the water slowly and Avni could feel her pacing heartbeats slowly return to normal.

Neil on the other hand was feeling as miserable as ever.

Though he knew that he didn't do anything on purpose, and the doctor had said that these episodes were harmless as long as they came slowly and one by one, it always hurt him to see Avni go through any kind of pain, even if it suggested that she was slowly getting her memories back and the flashes reverberated their own moments from the past.

The last thing he wanted was for her to have any kind of suffering, be it even a temporary headache.

He sighed as he finally saw that she looked better now, and to distract her a little from whatever he witnessed, he gave her his hand, and asked, ''May I have this dance?''

.

Avni looked at the dance floor and saw there were a few couples already dancing and thought it was a good idea to share a dance with Neil, after which she would ask him directly what had been bothering her so much of late.

And so, she nodded in affirmative as she accepted his hand, and both of them headed towards the dance floor, and Neil gestured the waiter to bring their desserts later.

.

.

As he held her tightly from the waist and she kept her hand on his shoulder, swaying their bodies against the melody that was being played, both were dwelling in different thoughts in their heads.

For Avni, she felt like this closeness to him felt like the most natural thing ever, as if her body was designed to fit in the frame that was his embrace and there was nothing new or strange about it.

For Neil, he recalled every little dance he had with her, be it in their room in Khanna Mansion or during her birthday party, or at Ayesha Maa's place, after they had rescued all the girls from Rang Mahal.

God, he had missed this so much.

He had missed her so much.

At that moment, for once he wanted to be selfish and tell her, how much he had missed her, their relationship, how much he missed acknowledging the most beautiful fact of his life that he was married to her, and they were destined to be together forever.

He felt a small ache build up in his chest just with the realization that though his Avni was right here in his arms, there was still so much that was keeping them apart. But he had hope, he had faith, that very soon even that distance would be wiped off from between them.

Very soon, he was going to get his wife back.

He was only too lost in his thoughts, when someone called out his name from behind making both him and Avni look at that direction.

.

This time, it was Avni's turn to feel a pang in her chest as she saw Arya Grewal, the girl who was Neil's date on the night she had gone out with Ved for his family member's resto-bar opening.

Neil exchanged formal greetings with Arya, given that she was a junior officer at his police station, but one look at Avni and he knew that she was fuming with jealousy.

A smirk curved up on his lips as he mentally thought to himself, ''It's so funny, wifey! That you don't remember so many things about our past, but another girl comes to me and your jealousy is simply the same as it used to be.''

A thought of mischief struck him, simply because taking full advantage of his wifey's signature jealousy was Neil Khanna's top skills on his resume, and so he said to Arya, a rather too sweetly, ''Good to see you here, Arya! You look great!''

The poor junior officer only blushed at that, after all, who wouldn't rejoice and drown in the euphoria of being complimented by ACP Neil Khanna, the most handsome hunk in Mumbai Police.

But she was oblivious to the fact that the man was actually married and his wife was right in front of her, looking at her with murderous glares, before storming out of the place without saying a word.

An alarm bell rang inside Neil's head and he bid Arya a quick bye before following Avni, who was walking at a super-sonic speed in her anger.

''Avni! Avni!''

He finally reached her as he held her hand, making her face him, and he could see the visible traces of jealousy combined with annoyance on her face.

''Damn it, Avni! You look so beautiful!''

He thought to himself before being pushed away by her, as she said, ''Leave me alone!''

Neil only smiled at that as he replied, ''But our desserts are yet to arrive, Avni! Come on inside.''

She rolled her eyes in return as she said, ''I am not interested in any dessert! Why don't you go share it with Arya Grewal?''

Hearing that, Neil's smile widened, making Avni all the more angry but before she could even say something, Neil cornered her against a pillar and said, ''You know.. jab tum gussa hoti ho na, toh tumhare gaal ekdumtamatar ke tarah gol aur laal ho jate hai!''

Avni took more than usual for his words to register in her head for the close proximity they were in right now, was already more than enough to make her breathless.

But the moment she registered those words, a quick flash surfaced right in front of her eyes, making a chill run down her spine, as she saw..

Her in yellow saree, about to hit Neil with a vase in her hand.

Him pushing her to a pillar, and saying, ''Jab tum gussa hoti ho na, tohtumhare gaal ekdum tamatar ke tarah gol aur laal ho jate hai!''

She exhaled a deep breath as that flash ended and she would have certainly collapsed had Neil not been holding her.

It looked like in a moment all her anger was gone, only to be replaced by a sudden surge of confusion, as she whispered, ''Neil!''

But to him, it was more of a call for love than a call for help, as he got further close to her, so much, that their entire bodies were now colliding against each other, against that pillar, and he said, ''I want my dessert, Avni! I am not leaving before having it!''

Avni looked into his eyes, which bore a seriousness like never before, making her feel both conscious and expectant at the same time, and she only mustered a little courage to reply, ''Then let's go inside! Your dessert must have arrived!''

Neil shook his head slightly at that, as he whispered in a voice barely audible, making his breath fan dangerously over her skin, ''I want it here! Right here!''

And before Avni could even think, Neil clutched her waist tighter and slammed his lips against hers, shocking the hell out of her, as he held on to him tightly to not lose her balance, delving into that raw passion, affection, love, and something more, a force, with which he was kissing her, second by second, and it was not just a kiss, it was a wild expression, a claim to her soul, to her entire being.

As she gasped, he used that opportunity to enter his tongue inside the sweet nectar that her mouth was, exploring every nook, every corner, while his one hand shifted from her waist slowly toward her bosom, cupping one of her breasts, making heat rise up from the pit of her stomach.

She was affected.

She was insanely affected by his ministrations as she tried to not collapse on the ground, but her feet were becoming jelly as an aftermath of the continuous pool of passion he was drowning her in, and she couldn't help but clutch him tighter, before one of her hands went towards his shoulder, followed by his hair as she began to ruffle it, pulling him as close to her as possible.

She had this urge, this strong desire to have a feel of his skin against her as her hands wandered on the fabric of his suit, just the same way, Neil felt like discarding Avni's entire dress on the floor with one pull, which he was totally capable of.

But the thought remained with him even in that urgent situation that he didn't want their first time to be at an isolated outskirt of a restaurant. His Avni deserved only the best and everything special, when it came to their love-making, and he would give her simply that.

And with that thought, he reluctantly parted his lips from hers, knowing very well that if he spared just another minute doing what he was doing he won't be able to control himself and would take her right there.

.

As he rested his forehead against hers, their labored breaths audible to both of them, he only murmured to her softly, ''That was the best dessert I ever had in my entire life!''

Avni blushed profusely at that, her eyes still closed by the after-effects of the passionate make-out session she just had with her boyfriend.

Neil slowly brushed away a few tendrils of her hair that came on her face due to the winds, with his fingers, while Avni opened her eyes to finally meet his gaze.

.

.

None of them spoke anything for a minute, and it was only the silent but vague sounds of the winds that greeted their ears apart from the sound of their own breathing, before Avni placed a soft peck on Neil's lips, taking him by surprise, and he reciprocated that with a smile.

When he saw her shiver from the cold winds, he was just about to take off his coat and wrap it around her, when her question stopped him in his tracks,

''Were we in love before?''

And his heart skipped a beat.

**