"Aww! Poor kid" Lily commented and Ira curled her lower lip to show how sad she is, resting her head in cafeteria's counter, where Lily was wiping the plates dry, before the students start to arrive for lunch. The last period was free for Ira since Mr James was absent. As Ehan was busy with his classes, Ira thought of spending the time talking to Lily and tell her how cruelly Ehan has banned her lovely chips.

"That day, he made me have chocolate milkshake and he himself had those deliciously amazing chips, without even sharing a single slice" she complained further, maintaining her sad face.

Lily laughed at it, making Ira puff her face.

"He really cares for you, dear. I'm so happy about it" Ira raised her eyebrows at Lily's words, thinking what's there to be so happy about.

As if reading her mind, Lily explained, "He was always busy ignoring others and shutting himself from the world. It's been ages since I saw him smile wholeheartedly. It's a great thing that he is opening up to you"

Ira smiled, resting her chin at the back her hand, which remind over the glass counter.

"Tell me one thing, Ira, do you... like him?" Lily carefully questioned, curiously looking at Ira.

"Ofcourse, I do. He is the best" she replied energetically, smiling widely.

"As in?"

"In every aspect. He is smart, he is intelligent, he is helpful, he is caring...." She started listing out Ehan's qualities by counting through her fingers.

"He is lovable?" Lily suggested, thinking she forgot to mention the most important thing.

"Ofcourse" Ira agreed, keeping her hands back on the counter.

"And... He is handsome, isn't he?" Lily hesitantly asked, wanting to know what actually is in Ira's heart.

"He is very cute. I always pinch his cheeks" she pinched the imaginary cheeks of Ehan, replying Lily.

Lily made a twisted face and asked, "Don't you find him handsome, hot and sexy? Like every girl do?"

"I seriously don't understand this concept of finding someone hot" she air quoted the word 'hot'and continued, "I mean, do they by chance see smoke coming out of someone's body that they are considered hot?" Ira made a puzzled face, talking about the concept clearly not in her ability to understand.

Lily laughed again and explained, "No, dear. It's not that. It's just.... How to explain you...? Have you ever checked someone out?"

"You mean, looking at a person?"

"Yes, looking at a person in a slightly different way"

"Like this?" Ira stood on her tiptoes and brought her face very close to Lily, looking at her with wide eyes.

Lily chuckled, shaking her head. "Definitely not"

"Then?" Ira stood back comfortably and enquired.

"Like... Looking at a person with interest, from head to toe, not missing even a single feature of them. Their hairstyle, their eyes, their nose, jawline, cheekbones... etc,. In a way you could perfectly describe their features to someone" Lily felt as if she was back in her teen years, having such a conversation with Ira.

"Ooh! The way people describe the facial features of a criminal to make their sketch?"

Lily's smile dropped at Ira's question. "Aaa... Seems like it'll take you sometime to understand this. Let it be for now. You'll get it once you develop feeli... I mean, how's Hunny bunny?" Lily let out a sigh, clearly not understanding what to say to cut this conversation as Ehan neared them.

"He is as cute as ever" Ira replied, forgetting their earlier conversation.

"Who?" Asked Ehan with a straight face from behind.

"Hunny bunny" Ira replied, turning to smile at him.

He made a 'oh' face and nodded.

Lily pulled Ira's hand, making her turn back and whispered in Ira's ear, "what we talked earlier should be between us. Don't tell Ehan about it"

"Why?" Was Ira's question. Ehan frowned and stepped forward to stand beside Ira.

"It's just ladies talks. Should only be between me and you" Ira nodded and showed her thumbs, agreeing.

Ehan looked between both the ladies, one busied herself in taking orders from the students and the other was staring the menu like she was looking at it for the first time.

---

"Chemicals equations done, mathematical formulas done, historical events done, handwriting improved to an extent...." Ehan listed out the necessary things Ira should be well-versed in before exams and looked at her, who was leaning on the coffee table, blowing bubbles through the straw in her banana milkshake, keeping her eyes fixed at his face.

"Do you think you have missed something?" He questioned, pulling the straw from her mouth.

"No. I think I'm done with everything" she replied, and again started blowing air through the straw, still looking at him.

"Great! Now let's make a schedule and revise everything before exams. It'll help you remember things better" he glanced at her at the end of this statement and caught her still looking at him in the same way, blowing air into the straw, which was making an annoying sound.

"Ira, stop it" He tried to pull the straw from her mouth but she held it between her teeth, not letting it go.

Her eyes narrowed all of the sudden and let go of the straw. Keeping the glass on the table, she neared her face to his, carefully looking at his... Lips? He slightly pulled himself, feeling concious.

"Are your lips naturally pink? Or you have applied something?" He didn't really understood what she was asking. By the time he processed her words, she gently touched his lower lip with her soft and slender index finger, making him stand up as if a jolt of electricity passed through his body.

"What are you doing, Ira? What's wrong with you?" He yelled, his eyes as wide as saucers. He wiped his lips with the back of his shaky hands, feeling as if someone tried to molest him.

"I'm checking you out" she seriously replied, as if talking about finding aliens in Mars.

"You what?" He yelled, pulling his collar a little higher.

"Checking you out" she stood up, walked to him and replied looking closely at him.

He took a step back, looking here and there. He was feeling extremely concious, shaky and his heart, let's not talk about its pace.

"Who told you this nonsense?" He asked after composing his posture and wiping his face.

"Lily" she answered, casually looking at him.

He mumbled something under his breathe, which she didn't hear. But she could make out him saying something like Lily has lost her mind.

"What else did she said?" He enquired, wanting to know everything.

"She said you like m...? She stopped mid sentence, remembering what Lily told her and spoke the rest of the words with a fake angry gave. "Why should I tell you? It should be only between me and her?" 

She walked back to her place like nothing happened and started sipping on her milkshake.

Ehan let out a shaky breathe, rubbing his dry throat.

Next day, the very first thing Ehan did was confronting Lily when she came to check upon him before breakfast.

"What did you told her, Lily?" Ehan repeated his question, transferring the pancakes into a plate.

"What did I say? Nothing" Lily shrugged like she don't know anything, continuing to check what's in the fridge and what are all the things to be bought for the week.

"You know what exactly what I'm talking about, Lily. But lemme tell you, Ira is naive, very naive. Let her be the way she is. Don't spoil her innocence" he said, facing Lily for a brief second.

She sighed and nodded, knowing he is right. As much as she was eager to get Ira like Ehan, she know she have to wait until Ira becomes mature enough to understand the emotion.

---

"Don't come to pick me up in the evening. I'm going somewhere" Ira informed excitedly, making Ehan look at her with a startled look.

"Where?" He questioned out of curiosity.

"Errr... Somewhere"

"Very informative. Would you mind telling me where exactly is this somewhere of yours?" He questioned more precisely.

"I can't tell you" she shook her turning to leave to Miss Bella's cabin. She stopped at a couple of steps and looked back at him, who was blankly staring at her.

"Ok, fine. I... I need to buy myself a few things" she informed after thinking for few seconds.

"I'll come along" he stated like a stubborn kid.

"No, you can't" she said immediately.

"Why?"

"You just can't"

"Fine. I'll wait outside of whatever place you are going visit"

"You still can't. I'm.. I'm going with someone"

"Who someone? Honey?" He walked ahead and asked in an urgent tone.

"Huh? No. I'm going with Lily"

How he wish to argue and ask her to let him accompany. He sighed and nodded, looking elsewhere.

"Have dinner and sleep on time" she waved at him, making him caught her hand.

"What does that mean? When will you be back?" He impatiently asked, holding her hand to not let her jump like a kangaroo.

"Mid night or may be lil earlier" she informed with a giggle and released her hand from his hold.

"Where exactly are you going, Ira?" She ran away ignoring his question.

He went to Lily directly and asked, "where are you taking her in the evening?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you" was Lily's cool reply.

"Lily, please..." Ehan groaned, keeping both his hands on the glass counter.

"Oh my lover boy, don't worry. I'm with her and don't be scared, I won't teach her any nonsense" she patted his cheeks, making him roll his eyes.

He turned to leave when Lily said, "Be at the cottage for tonight, if you don't wanna know her where you live" Ehan's bored face turned all serious and he tensed up. Just the thought of her reaction on knowing the truth scared him.

---

Ehan stood up to leave, tired of waiting for Ira to show up but sat down again, remembering Lily's warning.

He checked the watch again, which showed 10.45 pm. Sighing, he muched on the burger he grabbed a while ago. He was tired of playing games in his mobile.

He looked around and realised how quiet the place looks without Ira's constant blabbering. He was used to be in silence at his huge mansion and it didn't affect him anymore but the same silence at his tiny cottage felt haunting.

"Where are you Ira?" He whispered, watching the video of her playing basketball.

After a while, he called Ira, only to get it ignored. He then dialled Lily's number, who asked him to be at the cottage for few more minutes.

He played some more games, until his eyes begin to burn and head started hurting.

The door bell rang, making him snap his head towards the door. Without wasting a second, he walked to the door and twisted the knob open. "Where were yo...?"

He was cut off by Ira's ear piercing screech, "Happy birthday, Ehan"

It took him sometime to took in everything, staring at Ira, who stood excitedly grinning at him, holding a medium sized box in her hand.

---

Assalamualaikum everyone,

How was the chapter?

It's Ehan's birthday. Would Ira be able to make it memorable?

Will this day bring them closer?

Suggest a gift for Ehan, Ira should give him.