Chapter 4

*Mihira Pov*

"I am missing my college days even though I am standing just near the entrance." He said looking around while my friend looks excited to meet my boyfriend.

He suddenly called me when I finished my class and kind of slipped it near her that he is my boyfriend and she became adamant to meet him.

"You finished your studies from this college too?" she asked before I could react to his statement and I am glad that she did because I am still not used to say something without thinking a lot about it.

"Yes! Shall we go?" he asked glancing at me.

"I was just teasing her that you need to treat me but I will be going with my boyfriend." She smiled when I asked her to join me which made his smile slip for a second.

"He is here!" she added looking over her shoulder and I followed her sight only to find the whole gang near the parking lot on their vehicles.

"Hi!" Teja said waving at his cousin who waved back showing a shocked expression which made him laugh.

"It seems I really shocked him today. Maybe I should have given him a treat immediately for helping me like this." He added before glancing at me.

"Shall we ask them to join us?" I asked challenging him which he immediately turned down and his smile slipped again.

We left the college by taking a cab and reached the movie theatre sooner than the movie schedule which made us sit near the café to wait for some time.

"Are you still uncomfortable about that incident?" he asked calmly while staring at me and I sighed hearing that question.

"Are you?" I asked back remembering how against he is to the idea of his cousin joining us and that just made me feel the guilt I thought I wouldn't feel at all.

"I never tried to hide anything from you. You decided to ignore all that and just move forward." I added frowning and he sighed back this time.

"I know! I am not accusing you of something here. I thought I am mature enough to handle everything openly but I forgot that we are still young. And you are showing more maturity than me even though I am like three years older than you." He mumbled looking down.

"I know we are just using these tags boyfriend and girlfriend just for the sake of it but we are still trying to know each other more." He added and I remember hearing the same kind of words from Rakesh and Kavitha.

Am I being a Rakesh in this relationship? What right do I have to be angry for Kavitha when I am doing the same?

"I don't know what to say. That's why I told you everything about your cousin as I didn't want to deceive you. I really hope to not hurt you." I mumbled and he smiled hearing those words.

"I don't think you will hurt me. There is a chance for a slight disturbance but not at the measure of hurt. And you already told me all the reasons you have to give this one a chance." He assured me but it doesn't feel like any assurance at the same time.

"I got my visa yesterday." He suddenly added and I don't have anything else to say to him after that.

This is what we promised each other and all I need to do is be honest and try to give everything out without deceiving each other.

"Hi! I am here to meet my cousin but the house is locked and no one is answering my calls. Do you have any idea?" I found Abhi's cousin asking me that question when I was just trying to not feel depressed with the thought that I got rejected by the college where I wanted to join while sitting in the front garden.

"They went for Uncle's old colleague's son's marriage." I explained as I heard the same when Aunty told my Mom when they were leaving.

"Oh! Thank you! Are you okay?" he suddenly asked in a concerned tone and that's when I realize he is the one Abhi was talking about but here I am talking to him casually like always.

I cleared my throat before giving him a nod to which he frowned for a second before saying, "Did he talk to you?"

I gave him an awkward smile before explaining everything that happened. He didn't look shocked at all and in turn, asked whether I am interested in getting to know him.

"I confessed to your cousin recently." I pointed out but he waved it off.

"I am asking whether you can think about me. You already told me everything and I am still as attracted to you as before. So, do you need some time? It's fine with me." Saying that he just left and didn't contact me for one whole week.

When he returned it was already the time when Abhi had to go for college as their term started earlier while my Dad decided I should go to the same one.

"I don't like you in that way at all. I never thought of you as anything else other than his cousin before I got to know about your feelings. I... I respect them but somehow I don't want to ignore them. I can't promise anything but I will be honest with my feelings and will never try to disrespect your feelings." That's all I said and he immediately accepted which made me try for one last time so that he can reject me.

"And dating you would make it completely forbidden to even think about him other than as a friend. You are his cousin after all. Still fine with this?" I added the last part seeing his expression.

"I really hope we can still be kind of friends even if all this doesn't work." He suddenly expressed shocking me and I nodded accepting that completely with a smile.

****

"What do you mean by that?" Kavitha asked frowning when I once again slipped another matter which I shouldn't have.

"I just met him two weeks back and I thought of not be nosy as you both were still at the beginning stage. How can this happen?" she continued while I tried to calm her down.

"How can you be so casual about it?" I sighed hearing that question realizing she will not let it go.

"It just happened and I am not trying to be nosy too as your relationship started just a month back." I pointed out but she shook her head not letting me go.

"Yours started just one month before our college started which doesn't make it a long term too." She pointed back and I stood up before rushing out of the classroom remembering she has a date after this last class.

I need to hide until she leaves with her boyfriend and then I will be safe from her questions. No matter what it still feels awkward to talk about this knowing well how she always tells everything to them.

"What are you doing here?" I got startled hearing that voice when I entered the basketball court.

"What are you doing here?" I asked back finding him standing beside the doors kind of like hiding and no one is there except him.

"I am hiding!" he replied while gesturing me to keep quiet.

"I am trying to hide." I replied to his question before moving to the wall on the other side of the door so that the doors separate the distance between us and we can hide easily no matter who comes.

"Abhilash!" I widened my eyes when I heard someone shouting his name and turned to see him groaning but he switched off the lights by walking to my side.

"You could have asked me to switch them off instead of coming here. We can't hide like this." I pointed out.

"We will just help each other." He whispered while frowning at the person who is still shouting his name.

"Girlfriend?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"No! Ex-girlfriend! It's been a month since break up and all this time she showed how hurt she is but now she turned to be in an angry mode." He explained shaking his head.

"The third? The one you were dating when I..." I trailed off realizing I shouldn't step into that topic.

"Yes! After the trip we all went to, I expressed that I am not feeling any attraction towards her anymore and she dumped me." He explained and I stared at him in shock.

"You dumped her with those words. Why are you talking as if she did? Wait! Is this how you have been dumped all the time?" I asked raising my voice but he covered my mouth immediately.

"Why are you angry? Why was I wrong to be honest about my feelings? It was their decision in the end to dump me." He pointed out and I still can't believe he is saying this.

He is right but wrong at the same time. Being honest is the right thing but how can he say that to her face. I tapped his hand and he immediately removed it.

"Why is she angry now?" I asked him frowning.

"Well, my second Ex turned out to have a mutual friend with her and found out I said the same to her. All this time she was fine thinking I was great, to be honest, but as the reason was the same she thinks I just played with their feelings." He explained sighing.

"But you didn't, right? Why don't you tell her that?" I asked him not understanding this weird situation at all.

"How do you know that I didn't play with their feelings?" he asked staring at me with a confused look.

"Will you believe if someone says I played with their feelings?" I asked back and he shook his head in negative which made me roll my eyes.

"Anyway, I accept the fact that I had hurt her and I am fine if she wants to be angry at me for some time so that she can feel fine. If I explain to her then she would get a chance to think about our relation again and that would hurt her again." He explained sliding down before pressing his legs with his hands.

"My legs are paining with all this standing just after finishing the match. Sit down!" he patted on the floor and I slid down to sit beside him while still processing his words.

"Why did you run away?" he asked changing the topic.

"I can go back right now. I was just trying to wait until Kavitha leaves with her boyfriend." I replied not giving out the reason.

"Why? Is she pestering about your boyfriend?" he suddenly asked and I glanced at him feeling shocked.

I didn't expect him to bring out that topic at all. I cleared my throat not wishing to actually tell him the reason but he will know soon anyway.

"I thought you would be at the airport yesterday to send him off. He will not return for at least six months and it must be hard for you." He commented and this is surprising me even more.

"You really want to talk to me about this?" I asked in a serious tone to which he just shrugged.

"I told you everything without hiding, right? I didn't even tell my friends and that's why they think I got dumped." He pointed out and I just shook my head.

"He even gave me a treat saying I helped you guys." He added raising his eyebrow.

"Did I really helped you both?" he asked this time curiously.

"That's what he is saying. He said if I hadn't acted weirdly unlike before times as I just used to ignore him completely and just be polite, he wouldn't have gathered the courage to confess." I explained leaning back while he fell into silence.

I closed my eyes to decide whether to tell him or not but what if he will think of it in another sense which would make us lose this rapport again.

"We broke up mutually and that's why Kavitha is behind me asking for details which I don't want to tell right now." I finally confessed before opening my eyes only to find his shocked look staring right back at me.

"Why?" he asked after a few seconds.

"He is going out there to explore and maybe even think of a future occupation. I am not at all favorable for long-distance and to top of that I don't want to be like a burden to his decisions." I explained and I suddenly felt his hand rubbing my head before pulling me for a side hug just like before all this happened.

"I never thought you can this maturely. I always thought you were just a little kid who is always lost in her thoughts." He mumbled smiling.

"There is only one year difference. You are talking as if we were always together. Didn't you ignore me for three years? You thought I will be the same like three years back?" I asked leaning my head on his shoulder feeling a sense of familiarness.

"I am sorry about that." He apologized and I smiled hearing that.

"I can understand that. I was not even your classmate and it must have been comfortable to be with your friends who were classmates." I mumbled closing my eyes.

"Don't shock me like this, Mihi. I am really not used to this talk at all." He teased but I kept quiet not liking the fact that I am this comfortable again with him but liking it at the same time.