He pulled off his shades entering the washroom, started the tab to splash water on his face. After splashing many times finally he stopped and looked up into the mirror.

His eyes were pink out of pain. Pain he was feeling right now, Pain he had felt when She refused him, Pain what he still feels whenever he find tears in her eyes. He was silent but the storm was on it's verge in his heart.

"Am I doing right? Is it the right thing or only thing to get rid of this pain?" he murmured to himself.

" Should I think to move on with someone else instead of waiting for her acceptance?

Acceptance! What am I thinking ? I'm just a friend for her. She doesn't love me, She never felt even like that. If I kept lingering around her any guy would not approach her. Just because I failed to make her believe in Love doesn't mean no one can do that. I should accept the fact that Am not the one for her. She would never fall for me. Yes, I should move away from her way." His eyes got flooded and more and more reasons for letting her go started to pop up in his mind.

"Specially when I have heard what her so called college friends were talking about us. They were linking Her with me. I think everyone thinks that we are dating and according to them we may move into a live in relationship in few days. I can't let these rumors ruin our relation." He moved quickly between the door and wash basin murmuring between lips.

"So what if it's just a friendship for her. I will protect the esteem of my love. My love can't be so selfish. Yes am kind of cheating her by this camouflage of friendship but I have to. I can't loose her. She had suffered a lot in past because of Love. I was not there to wipe her tears when her eldest sister commited suicide because of her husband though it was a love marriage." He took a pause realizing the reason She don't have faith in the word Love.

"I was not there when her mother died out of that depression and She had to leave her nation and shift here with her elder brother. But right from that moment I am there and I will make sure that I will be! So what if I have to subpress my feelings for her.!" He closed his eyes for a moment and relived all those lovely moments with her, which compelled him to fall for her more and more.

Though She had all reasons to be shattered but She was standing straight that too with full confidence. And a very helping nature towards needy. Her strength and courage makes him respect her more and more but at the same time her child like heart which cries over a smallest problem of down trodden and helpless compelles him to fall for her, to go at any extent to protect her.

The moments flashed in front of his eyes when They met Mr. And Mrs. Jeff for the first time who were struggling to sattel their small café to earn their livelihood.

How She used to come up everyday with a new idea to help them to improvise their menu, the ambiance of cafè.

When Mrs. Jeff rescued little pup Zebbu but their room above the café was not sufficient for such creature and they didn't had enough money for it's vaccination as well.

She stepped ahead and adopted Zebbu. Though She couldn't keep zebbu with herself as they get it to know that her sister in law was allergic to any furry animal.

And that moment how She convinced him to give Zebbu shelter in his home. As he himself had great fear of Dogs. He couldn't help but laughed at this memory.

As once he used to scream at the word Dog and today he love a giant dog and shares his bed too with it. He got a bright smile to realize How Zebbu had bound them in an strange relation. 'Momma Dadda of Zebbu'.
Yeah! their neighbours, family and friends call them that only.

He agreed to keep Zebbu that too with a condition that Zebbu will spend atleast 1 night in her home as he knew She wanted to keep it but couldn't. Her sister in law agreed to it.

It's a different thing that She too fell in love with Zebbu later on and still have anti allergic tablets just to bear it.

Finally He opened his eyes with a kind of determination and looked up in mirror. Gazing in his own eyes, "Let's live it Dude. She is going to spend whole day with you. So what if She don't love you but I Do! And Am going to live it. I know am cheating on her with this 'Just Friends' mask. But if this is the only way to live. Then why not? We will see, what to do when the night will fall." he told himself and winked as if He had decided to cheat on himself too.

《 At the same time, in ladies washroom 》

As She turned away from Mike, Max felt her hands tumbling. She felt unable to reach even the ladies washroom just few steps away from her with those shaking legs of her's.

Some how she managed to reach inside there. Though her vision was blurring with tears and fear. She had started to shake too but what she did first was to check if she was alone in there or not.

For her comfort she found soon that there was no one else to see her breaking down in tears.
She had this habit of crying alone since her mother died. No one saw her crying since then. She had guarded her emotions very well not just love or hatred but fear and anxiety too.

But today She was failing at it. Today something was steering inside her. Something was brewing up which she had suppressed so long, so long that she never even knew it.

She sat against the door only. Wrapping her arms around herself only to control her shivering body. Tears were flowing from her eyes. She was unable to get, how to control it?

All she could think was to cry! Cry ! Cry and hope it all flows away in those tears.
"Mom!" She closed her eyes tight and started to visualise her mother. Infront of whom she cried last time when her sister died.

Who taught her never to fall weak in hands of foolish emotions. Never to think about such foolish act like her sister. "We All Love You. We need You Max." Were words of her mother, which she said last time they had a mother daughter talk.

"We Love You Max."

A voice echoed in her head. She opened her eyes with a jerk.

"Mike! Is it you there?" She knew it. It was his voice, but how He can be there in Ladies washroom?

Still she rose up from her place, wiped her eyes and checked it once again.

Mike was certainly not there. Then how she heard him? She looked up in mirror. And noticed. Her hands were not shaking. She was standing on her feet without any support. She had stopped shivering as well. Tears were there in her eyes but the heaviness had gone.

"Is it Because of him? Is it Because Mike said it once? That He loves me? Mean He too loves me! Of course everyone loves me!" She wiped her tears and started the tab to wash away the gloominess from her face.

"Love! That is the bloody damn problem!" She cursed under breath and opened her hair to tie them again more neatly.

Splashed a few more times and then wiped her face with the small soft handkerchief from her purse.

"I knew You thought you Loved me Mike. But it can't be Love. Because You certainly deserves someone who can give you the same amount of love. Am Happy that you decided to propose her. And am damn sure She is going to be flat on You today. After All, who wouldn't fall for you?" She looked into her own eyes in mirror as if trying to change the visible urge to see Him, to be with Him, to hold Him and never let him go.

"But for now Am playing His Girl! So let me be the Lucky one." She winked at herself while applying the soft pink lip balm. "Yeah! I don't need to be some one else. My Mike loves his girl the way she is!" She beamed at the thought of what he said and winked at her own reflection in mirror.

○●●●○

He opened the door to step out and found her stepping out of the door just opposite to him.

For a moment he stood their mesmerized as She was their in her true colour, without any makeup, just a light stroke of pink lip balm, her whetish skin had a different kind of glow which any foundation can never offer.

Her hairs were tide in bun yet few wet strands were lingering on her cheeks.

"Beautiful!" he couldn't help but said it aloud.

"What! You are insane if you find me beautiful like this in this tee and jacket that too with this messy bun ." She laughed stepping toward him.

"No am not insane but I have to praise my girlfriend doesn't matter how weired She is looking." He said with a smirk to tease her.

"How mean!" She exclaimed with surprise and punched on his chest. "Hey! Aren't your eyes bit pinkish too?" She inquired looking in his eyes. As his eyes were clearly bit red.

"Oh, may be it's your pain, reflecting in my eyes." He said in husky tone, holding her hand on his heart while looking straight deep into her eyes.

"Now that's really very cheesy!" She pushed him away while she enjoyed his 'trying to be seductive' attempt and they both laughed.

"lets move and get your gifts." She held his hand first this time which He grasped back firmly and they moved to a jewellery store first.