I am coming in a moment." Max withdrew from there to change in her own clothes with a throbbing heart.

She stepped slowly towards changing room still lost in those moments of her imagination.
"Damn Woman! You should control your wild thoughts." She chide herself in mind and entered the changing room.

"Yes I have to control it. What ever it is, this feel." She looks into the eyes of her own reflection, " the way I felt his breath, his heart  beat, his touch. It was never like this." She smiled to think about her imagination.

"Damn! I have to stop thinking it. It was in my mind only. My imagination only." She shook her head as if jerking off his thoughts.
"He is hardly moving on. How can I ? No. No. I am not going to think about him. Am just going to do what intended. Today, once He moves ahead, I will withdraw from his life just as I had thought." She told herself and changed quickly into her own clothes.

He was lost in some thoughts when She came back with the packed dress.

"Shall we go for something else too?" She inquired to find him lost staring the wall in front of himself.

"No I think We should have something it's all most evening now." He said half heartedly as He had realized that The Day was almost over.

"No You should go to the café. Be there before She reaches." She replied handing him the wrapped dress, and unlocking those earrings from her ear.

"Don't remove it. It's looking good on you." He looked stunned at her action. While her eyes raised in baffled at his words. She paused at once.

He continued stepping closer, "And what do you mean by I should go? We are Going together. OK!" He said holding her hand.

"But it's for Her." She insisted withdrawing her hand from his hold to pull off the earrings.

He just looked at her with indifferent looks and wore his shades, held her hand and stepped out of the mall, to their vehicle. He was quiet, so was She. But this silence scarcely had any bit of calm.

There was an impending storm in their heart and soul. She was trying her best to not think about anything and control her breaths. On other hand, her words and the moment she pulled off those earrings was still haunting him.

"It's for Her." Yes She was right. He came there with Her but to get a gift for someone else. At least he thought to do so but his main purpose since morning was only to spend the day with Her! To live his first love! He had convinced himself to move on but he never thought that it would be so tough.

Fact was, he never thought of that other girl for even a moment. While shopping, choosing those gifts he never imagined That girl.

'How would I give her these stuff when it looks so perfect on you as if it's made for you only.'

He said to himself looking at her while she was driving. His eyes were fixed on her from behind those shades and his mind was going numb while his heart was sinking in darkness.

He continued to himself,

'God what am I doing? What should I do? Should I go and find someone else so that I can get her some space. Or should I keep waiting for Max. Max! Max! If I ... No... I shouldn't think of repeating it. If I confessed my love for her She will be mad at me. May be She will break our friendship too.'

"There you are." She said while pulling breaks.

"What?" He just woke up from his thoughts.

"Mike! Dude Where were you? Are you still nervous?" She asked this time bit seriously.

"Ahm ... I don't know. May be." He replied looking away from her.

"Hey look at me," She shifted to face him in her seat, "You don't need to be nervous at all. She can't say No. And as much I get to know her She is waiting for a single sign of yours . If you asked to hold her finger , She is going to hug you tight." She said with a smirk to cheer him up.

"Very funny." He opened the door and stepped down of it. She was still sitting in her seat. As he stepped across the vehicle her eyes followed him, at the same moment her cell rang and it's screen flashed 'Uncle Jeff'. She picked up the call and at once called Mike from behind.

"Mike! Wait wait..." She jumped out of vehicle and came to him running. "Uncle Jeff called and he said, She is already there!" She added holding his shoulder.

"What! But why? It's not the time. I suppose to have atleast half an hour. I suppose to arrange the table, place these gifts, get some flowers etc. And She is there before time!" He complained raising his hands in air.

"Stop crying and listen! I have arranged everything just go and get her." He looked shocked at her disclosure.

"All the best. Aunt will give you the bouquet of roses as you will enter. And yes! send zebbu out, am waiting for him here only ok! She don't likes animals much." She told him while setting his tie and blazer properly.

"What! She don't like animals! And you telling me this now! Look I think we should think about this again if she said yes then what about Zebbu?" He said .

"Are you insane go ahead. She don't like that doesn't mean She will not accept Zebbu and if she can't, Zebbu's Mommy is there for him." She replied him holding his palms in Her's.

"Ahm... ok let me talk to her. Ahm can I get a hug?" He suddenly asked and hugged her without waiting for her reply. For a moment his heart felt relieved, her arms went around his neck and hugged him firmly as her reply was 'Yes' only.

She felt as if this was it for what she was starving so long. She closed her eyes tight and held him as firm as she could and absorb his presence to her soul. For first time he felt as if She was hugging him as more then a friend. He felt as if her heart was beating in perfect sink with his heart. For few minutes they stood there like that only.

Then She inhaled his essence for the last time as deep as she could and moved away, patted his arm, "Go fast."

And she moved fast to her car and sat in it.

She was looking at him only but she too needed to wear her shades this time when she saw him stepping in café, Aunt gave him a bouquet and He disappeared inside somewhere.

She couldn't see anything more then it as Her tears had flooded her beautiful eyes. She started to cry bitterly hiding her face in her palms when Zebbu came running and stood on her window.

She only get to know of his presence when He licked her hand which was covering her face.

"Hey Beautiful, you are here. Come, lets move from here. It's our time to give him space. How long I will make him wait and suffer." She opened the door for Zebbu but he refused to climb in and started to jump continuously. As if he wanted her to stay and come out of the car.

She had to step down and go to Zebbu, " Zebbu, no... this is good for him. He deserves much better human than me. So what if He has changed me, my perspective toward life, toward Love?"

She kneel infront of Zebbu to hold his face, "So what if He compelled me to fall for him in all these years," She wiped her eyes as her love for him and pain of loosing him in that moment was pouring out of her eyes.

She continued, "I have problems. I can't trust people. Except Him but He should not suffer for me. He has given me life, he pulled me out from that depression after loosing Mom. Isn't enough for me that I will always have a right on him to call him My... My Best Friend." Her words stumbled a bit calling him just a best friend only. She patted Zebbu while trying to convince him and herself too.

Zebbu was listening to her quietly then all sudden he started to bark looking behind her. She looked back at café and for her surprise She saw that girl leaving the place in haste.

She stood there puzzled for a while then  moved quickly towards the café and entered there with Zebbu to find Him sitting in his chair with all gifts and roses on table. She looked around Uncle and Aunt Jeff were sitting behind counter at their place . He picked his coffee mug and sipped from it. As if nothing happened.

"What happened?" She inquired in shock.

"She rejected me." He replied making a sorry face.

"What! How dare She!" She groaned in anger, clutching fist tight. "Let me see how she looks after this with those red and blue marks on her face. Which I am going to gift her in return of hurting you." She added and turned to follow the girl.

"Wait, Wait... relax Max! She have right to accept of reject me. Don't she have?" he held her hand from behind and pacified her by looking straight in her eyes.

"But ... She hurted you." She said with tearful eyes.

"No one can hurt me. As long as my Max is with me." He assured her by cupping her face in his palm and hugged her warmly. "am just wondering what to do with these gifts. Can you please accept it all." He added with a suppressed smile.

"Ahm ... I.. but how could I?" She hesitated.

"As it all belongs to you only." He whispered and She nodded in acceptance.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt were looking them from their place with a smile. As they have seen what had actually happened.