"All love for Zebbu, nothing for me?" He said in complaining manner controlling his thoughts.

"You really want me to give you, what you deserves for making me wait so long?" She groaned without turning to him and preparing herself to face him without breaking down.

She opened the door of range rover, to avoid him a bit longer as She was feeling a strong urge to see him, to hug him, hug him as tight as she had never did before and break down in his arms only. As She opened the door Zebbu jumped at back seat from the driving seat while she took her driving seat.

"Excuse me! Don't you think, it's my turn !" He said leaning at her window with a crooked smile.

"Excuse me too Mr. But would you trust your driving skills for such occasion? At least I won't! " finally She looked up at him with stern face, settling her dark shades to confirm that He won't be able to look into the darkness of her soul through her eyes.

"Oh come on Max. You can't steal my turn like this with such lame excuse." He exclaimed in disbelief throwing his hands back in air.

"Well I Can! Or I should say I just did it. Now someone is setting in or we are going. Aren't We Beautiful?" She looked at Zebbu , who had almost spread at back seat by now.

In reply Zebbu woofed in excitement and licked her cheek from his seat only.
"Great buddy, you almost wiped off my foundation." She sighed while looking at Zebbu, who was looking with sorry face at her. "Ok , ok now don't make face like him. It's fine." She consoled Zebbu.

"Great work Dude!" He giggled while settling on seat next to her.

She glared at him from behind those shades.

"What? Now drive I don't want to be late for my Date. Driver!!" He stretched the last word to tease her.

"I.. I Sir Mike!" She groaned at him with frustration.

He faked a laughter while looking at her, "By the way Dude, don't you think someone is looking different today, make up and all and those dark shades are too much." He taunted her while stretching his hand to pull her shades off but she dodged him and hit back at his hand with left of her palm.

"Uhh... don't use him, talk directly to me." She growled.

"Ok then what's the matter. Do you want me to think twice about my choice?" He raised an eyebrow at her with a mischievous smile.

Her heart felt like drowning out somewhere from it's place but she tried her best and
just gave him a look with blank face.

"Ok if you want so then Why you ditched me six years back?" He made a puppy face and said with bit seriousness in his voice and There! She lost her control over her pain, over that pang, over the drowning of her impulsive heart.

She pulled the breaks at once, "Will you stop talking about it Mike? Because it has been Six Years! SIX LONG YEARS! And let me remind you it was third day of our first encounter when you proposed me. I mean who do it? And that too to your new neighbor?" She made a face while hitting a punch on his shoulder and razed out of the car leaving him still chuckling back in his seat for a few minutes.

She tried her best to take deep breaths while walking away from him but her feet were denying to carry her body away from him, but at the same time her mind wanted some relief from such tension. Their past was flashing infront of her eyes, her world was collapsing in bits. She started to pant for breath and sat on the bonnet of vehicle.

Still his chuckles were audible to her while his misty eyes were away from her sight. He was living in almost same hell, same torment was making his heart cry. Only difference was that he knew, why his eyes were fixed on her.

When she was walking away from him. When She sat on the bonnet showing him her back. She had always done the same with him. Willingly or unwillingly she pushed him away every time he tried to break that friend zone.

"I wish , I had courage to do it again. But now, You are just too important for my existence Max that even the status of being your best friend is enough for me and I can't dare to put it on stalk to get my first love. To get you in my life as my beloved."

He whispered to himself while gazing at her from his face only.

He rubbed his eyes to wipe out the sadness too with few droplets of salty water and stepped out.

He took a few steps, slowly, perfectly balanced to calm his emotions and smooth his expressions. As he sat next to her on bonnet his expressions were calm just like her's.

Zebbu crawled at his seat then jumped out behind him.

"Ok , I will not tease you with that old silly joke. But why you stopped here in midway?" He said taking her palm in his.

"Dumbo am not that angry on your old silly joke, look around, Where we are?" She said while withdrawing her hand from his. He turned to his left to find a cafe and his face brighten up.

"Oh Wow! It's Uncle Jeff's cafe! But don't you think We are quite early here?" He exclaimed first with joy as it was the place for there hangout for all these years of college on the way back to home. Then certainly with wonder as He suppose to meet his Date there , same day but by the evening.

"Uhh... Attimes I really use to wonder You know! How my smart Beauty Zebbu bears to live with such a dumb like you." She made a face at him and jumped off from bonnet to head towards the cafe.

He followed her with a smile yet complaint "Hey! Stop calling him that." But She had entered the cafe by then, " I will because He is a Beauty. And finally you accepts that You are Dumb." She laughed at him as he had more objection on the word 'Beauty' for Zebbu instead of ' Dumb' which She regularly used for him.

" LOL! Very funny!" He actually got pissed off this time as he realised his mistake in preference of words to object for.

"Good Morning Kids!" Uncle Jeff greeted them with a bright smile as Zebbu almost climbed on him.

"Good Morning Uncle, where is Aunt Jane?"

They both asked at the same time.

"Ha ha.. Where She can be? In kitchen instructing helpers and preparing for.." He was about to say something when Max interrupted him in mid, "Oh yeah She must be preparing Banana shake and Choco Pancakes for this idiot." She said while raising an eye brow at him.

"What? But how would She know that We are coming? And stop calling me with all these names of yours ok. My would be girlfriend will not like it." He said with an attitude.

"Yeah yeah... Would Be! Not yet ok!" She ruffled his hair as this time he pissed her off by showing concern over His probable Girlfriend's like and dislike.

"Awww My Love Birds." Mrs. Jeff entered with a helper behind her, carrying his breakfast.

"Gosh! Aunt Jane You will cause his breakup before He even proposes." Max laughed aloud at her "Love Birds" comment.

Ok dear I will not say it but It won't change the fact anyhow. Isn't it? Zebbu the Dude." She looked at Zebbu who ran and sat on chair next to the table. "Here you go Zebbu, Your treats are here too." And offered a bowl to Zebbu as well.

"Oh Aunt Jane You can say anything I don't mind as this breakfast is just too awesome." He said while giving a warm hug to Mrs. Jeff from behind.

"But I am really not able to understand why are you going to do this?" Mrs. Jeff said almost in whisper.

He avoided her questioning eyes by looking away from her and broke the hug.
He fetched a chair for himself.

Mrs. Jeff continued in same whispering tone, "I think you should talk to her once before trying to suppress your true feelings for her." He just looked up at Max who was standing at counter with Mr. Jeff. There was pain, hope, despair, love, disappointment and a sense of belonging,

"I really can't afford to loose her Aunt. I just can't, It's better to have her in my life even if just as a best friend than to loose her. I know She can't love me but I will always." His pain was visible in his eyes at the moment. The way he looked at Her was devastating.

"You think she don't loves you? Then how I get to know about you both coming early today?" Mrs. Jeff said with a smile patting his arm.

" But it's still a mystery for me How you got to know that We are coming? " He said aloud while gulping the first bite to clarify Mrs. Jeff's words.

"Your Angle informed me." Mrs. Jeff whispered in his ear with a smile.

"Obvious Max texted me that She had your breakfast again so You will have it here." Mr. Jeff replied from his counter as Max was still standing there with him.

"Told you." Mrs. Jeff said a bit louder this time.

"Oh ok!" He exclaimed a bit this time and continued while looking at Max, "May I know Why are you so generous toward me today?"

Max was sitting on a wayfair facing away from Mike and busy in some talks with Mr. Jeff.

"Are you sure kid? You will be fine after this?" Mr. Jeff inquired Max while faking a smile at Mike as he was the one who was facing in his direction.

"Trust me Uncle, this is the best I can do for him." Max replied avoiding Mike's voice from coming behind.

"I asked about you dear." Mr. Jeff cleared his question. This time with a serious tone and gesture as well.

"Hello... Is anyone listening to me?" Mike exclaimed aloud while standing up at his place.

"I will be more then happy to see him actually happy with someone who deserves him. Who can give him the same love and care. With who he won't need to do all this idiotic things to make her smile." Max replied while wiping out the silent tear from the corner of her eye.

"Helloooo!" Mike stood on his chair and shouted aloud this time.

"Can't You have it calmly Mike? We are in some serious talks." She replied back without looking back at him.

"This is not fair! Am sure you gonna kill me after this that's Why You haven't kicked me since morning ! God You didn't even shouted on me.!" He mocked while sitting back in his cgair as if he got really scared of her.

It really brought a smile on her face and She banged her head on Uncle Jeff's counter, " Oh God! That poor girl. How will She bear this over thinker, overreacting, bad Actor."

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Hope you getting their relation, their Hearts. 💜Ashen Hearts💜