Running her fingers through Hunny bunny's silky fur, Ira looked in space, lying on her bed. A soft smile playing on her lips as her mind wandered around the memories of a few minutes earlier. Ehan, his outburst, confession and the proximity they shared brought a huge smile on her face. She felt her cheeks heat up and she buried her face in her toy.

"I feel the same when I see you with a guy; be it Hamlet or Honey, or someone else. You know why?" Ehan asked in a whisper, which forced her to look up into his eyes.

"Why?" She whispered back.

She stared deep into his eyes, which were longingly looking back at her. A few seconds passed but he didn't said anything. She stood patiently waiting for his answer.

He sucked a sharp breathe and said, "As much as I want to let you know right away, I'm gonna wait. I want you to figure it out yourself", gently hitting his head over hers.

She don't know what she's supposed to figure out and it rarely bothered her. She and him was together and that's all which mattered. Her heart was at peace and mind at rest.

---

Falling back on the bed, Ehan heaved a huge sigh of relief. Speaking his heart out and hearing Ira's was such an ease for him. He couldn't help the broad smile on his face. He expected her outburst and it exactly what he wanted since the time he started making her jealous.

He flipped on bed, resting his chin at the back of his hand as he closed his eyes and reminisced their memories together since the beginning. They bumping into eachother, she blaming him for her mistake, him helping with the assignment, she chasing him for thanking, he trying to run away from her, then suddenly her asking for his help with studies and he deciding to do it keeping aside his policy of staying away from people.

Suddenly his smile faded and he opened his eyes, thinking about the lies he feed her unintentionally. She thinks he's an orphan, a middle class guy living in that cottage. His throat dried up at the thought and he sat up straight.

Stepping down from the bed, he started pacing to and fro, scratching the back of his neck in anticipation.

Why did I lie in the first place? He hissed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

How will she react when I'll confess everything?

Will she feel betrayed? Ofcourse!

Will she leave me? No, no, no. This shouldn't happen.

Harder he was thinking about his lies, tougher it was becoming for him to think of a solution.

---

The next day, things were quite awkward for both Ira and Ehan but thanks to Ira's talkative nature, it didn't last longer. They were back to normal by lunch time.

Amber was trying her best to be polite and doesn't react whenever she sees Ira and Ehan together. On the other hand, Hamlet tried to talk to Ira, wanting to gather some information about Ehan's parents never happened death. But she politely refused to tell him anything and escaped as fast as could. He made out that Ehan has lied her and he decided to know the reason behind it. He followed them in the evening and spotted them entering Ehan's cottage instead of his mansion. His doubts increased and he asked Gabby to gather all the information about Ehan's lies to Ira and if possible, try figuring out the reason behind it.

Ira jumped off the last stair and took a step ahead. She heard her name being called from behind so she turned back to find Amber descending the stairs. Ira stood patiently waiting for her, placing her hand onto the railing.

"Hi, Ira" Amber faked a smile, earning a similar one from Ira, "Hi"

"Somebody looks too happy since the Nathan's birthday" she commented, standing aside to leave some space for the passers-by.

"Yup!" Ira casually replied, biting her lower lip to contain the wide smile from spreading. Her heart started dancing at the mere memory of Ehan's confession that night.

"It won't last long" Amber said, breaking Ira's trance. She looked at her, frowning.

"You might think that you won just because Ehan came behind you leaving me alone but let me tell you, it's just because you're probably his only friend. He's scared of hurting or losing you"

Ira gasped dramatically, keeping both her hand over cheeks with her mouth agape, "Please tell me it's a lie, please" she said, reminiscing the words of a dramatic movie they watched a couple days ago, in which the guy says that he don't love the girl anymore and the girl overdramatically reacts to it. Ira held Amber's hand and shook her, "Please, tell me that you're lying"

Ira huffed at the end and said, "I know that. Tell me something I don't know".

Amber let out a bitter chuckle as Ira let go of her hands and rolled her eyes.

"You know what Ira? It might not seem serious to you right now but with time, you'll get it when Ehan will understand what's he's losing. He'll leave you with a simple sorry"

"He'll never do such a thing" Ira spoke confidently but the way she grit her teeth, Amber got the hint that her temper was rising, which exactly what she wanted.

"He will. Why wouldn't he? He's intelligent, tall, smart, handsome and extremely hot. He deserve someone like me, who gives him equal competition" Amber's words stung her like a bee. There was no doubt that Amber was beautiful. Ira herself has admired her beauty until she showed her her true colours.

"You probably don't even know the meaning of the words I said. I'm not saying that you look ugly. You're cute, childishly cute with this height and chubby cheeks of yours. But boys prefer hotness over cuteness" Amber pinched Ira's both the cheeks, irritating her to no limits. She jerked her hands away, taking a step back.

"Forget about yourself. Have you ever noticed, how hot and sexy Ehan is. The way his eyebrows rises whenever he thinks of something and the way his Adam's apple pops up and down, up and down every now and then. My God! He's so damn..."

"Just shut up, Amber. I might end up killing you with my bare hands. Don't look at him that way" Ira whisper yelled, bringing her hands close to Amber's neck to choke her to death.

"Aww! Little baby is getting jealous. May I know why do you feel so?" Amber asked in a overly concerned tone, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Ira sighed, letting her hands fall on her sides and stepped back, looking elsewhere.

"Come on sweetheart, tell me why do you feel so? Do you think you own Ehan? Do you feel like only you have the right to think of him? In that case, you'll find many girls in this campus who drools over his looks and intelligence. Why don't you go and shut them up?" Amber ended up laughing at her last sentence and held Ira by her shoulders, "You're too little, kiddo. And quite dumb too. You don't even know what to name your feelings. By the time you'll understand this, it'll be too late. Get this here, clearly" she gently tapped at Ira's temple with her index finger, increasing her annoyance. She jerked her hands away, glaring at her. Amber just gave her a fake smile and shrugged, before walking away.

---

The way his eyebrows rises whenever he thinks of something and the way his Adam's apple pops up and down, up and down every now and then.

Ira's looked at Ehan from her periphery, who was writing his assignment, asking her complete hers. Now and then, he was referring the books he has kept open infront of him or his mobile to surf the internet, rising his perfect eyebrows at particular points. He even nods to himself, mentally simplifying the content given in the book. Her eyes lowered and she noticed his Adam's apple popping up and down. It indeed looked very attractive, which made her eyes glued to it, until Ehan uncomfortably cleared his throat, growing uneasy under her intense gaze.

Ira was quick to lower her eyes anya pretended to be busy, mentally cursing Amber for landing her into such an embarassing situation.

Ehan smiled at the way she was moving her books here and there to lessen her embarrassment but her pink cheeks refused to co-operate. She didn't meet his eyes until she was satisfied that he no longer remembers that.

---

"I have some special classes today. I might get late for lunch" Ehan informed Ira, as they both made their way into the campus.

"Do text me if that happens" Ira said, walking by his side.

"Sure. But you better don't wait for me. Have lunch on time and go to Ms Bella" he said firmly, standing infront of her to face her.

A car stopped behind Ehan and Amber stepped out, reminding Ira of what she said yesterday. She quickly looked at Ehan's Adam's apple, which popped. Ira suppressed a gasp and stood on her tip toes. Ehan narrowed his eyes which went wide in a split second as she pulled the knot his tie up, trying cover his throat.

"What are you doing, Ira" he choked, gasping for air.

"It should stay this way" she commanded, holding his tie.

"Why?" He asked, trying to loose it a bit. She pulled it up again and neared her angry face to his scared one and said, "Because I say so. Got it?" She asked in her possibly best intimidating voice and he nodded, not getting a thing she's trying to do.

She stood on her feet and glanced behind him. There stood Amber with her hands folded across her chest. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at Ira. Making a face, Ira looked back at Ehan and dragged him away by holding his arm.

---

Hanging her legs, Ira sat on one of the benches on the ground, waiting for Ehan. Her working hours were over and Ehan wasn't back yet. She pulled out her phone and noticed a text from him, informing her about the delay. She patiently sat, looking around. The campus was nearly empty. Just a few workers could be seen, cleaning the area.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Hamlet's voice made her turn and look at him. He neared her, jogging.

"Waiting for Ehan?" He guessed, flashing her a smile. She nodded, smiling back. He sat beside without asking and checked the time, "Why isn't he's back yet. Classes are over already"

Ira frowned a little and shifted, making some space between them. It made him glance at her disappointedly. More to his dismay, She didn't questioned him anything on his comment.

"What's taking him so long?" He mumbled, hoping she'd react to it. But no, she still sat patiently, paying no heed to his comments.

"Whatever. Here, have some" he forwarded her favourite pack of potato chips. Her eyes lit up in a second but she was quick to compose herself.

"No, thanks" she said, looking elsewhere to resist herself.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"No" she shook her head, glancing at the mouthwatering pack of chips.

"Don't lie. I know it's your favourite. Have it"

"No, please. It's not healthy" she forced herself to say that and groaned inwardly. It was getting difficult to resist that spicy delicacy.

"Come on, having it once in a while won't effect your health. Besides, Ehan is nowhere around. So you don't need to worry" he forced. It's been very long since she had those delicious chips, which made her crave for it.

Hesitantly taking it from his hands, she tore it open in a corner and shoved her hand. Taking a slice, she slipped it in her mouth.

"This is tasty. Thank you" she smiled, glancing at Hamlet who was digging in another pack of chips. He smiled back, keep looking at her with some thoughts running in his mind.

"Don't do this" his subconscious told him but he chose to ignore it again.

"Amber and Ehan look stunning together and you're being a third wheel" he commented, which made Ira's hand stop mid air. Her eyes snapped at him. If looks would kill, he would have been dead within a second.

"My classmates says so. Their words not mine" he quickly added.

Ira stood up, glaring at him. Before she could say anything, she spotted Ehan walking their way. Amber was a couple of steps behind them. He looked at the chips pack in her hand, which made her hide it behind herself.

Hamlet was expecting her to get hurt or atleast become angry. Finding her quietly staring behind him, he turned to spot Ehan right infront of him. He opened his mouth to say something, probably fake being nice to him but Ehan ignored and walked passed him. Holding Ira by her wrist, he silently dragged Ira away. Hamlet didn't failed to notice how Ehan snatched the chips pack from her and dumped it on the way.

"Sorry" Ira said in a whisper, to which Ehan smiled and mumbled a "It's okay"

Cursing under his breath, Hamlet left not before glancing at Ira Ehan's retreating back.

"What took you so long?" Ira asked, looking up at him, not bothering to free her hand from his hold.

"Ms Stacey wanted a few students to help her arrange the chemicals and labwares after experiments. I had to stay back" he replied, holding her hand in his firm hold.

"How many days would you be having these special classes?"

"Not regularly. We'll be informed whenever they schedule one"

---

A day later, Ehan again had special class and Ira sat on her usual spot, waiting for him. Like the other day, Hamlet appeared out of nowhere.

"I hope you don't mind whatever I told you that day" he said, starting the conversation.

She raised her eyebrows, pretending not to remember what he's referring to. But in reality, she clearly remember her being labelled as third wheel. Whoever's words they might be, it affected her. She tried to brush it off but it kept echoing in her ears.

"That third wheel thing" Hamlet reminded, a bit hesitantly. She made perfect O with her lips and shrugged as if it didn't affected her a bit.

"Actually, our classmates are growing very fond of them. Amber being an extrovert and Ehan total opposite of her. They were calling them a perfect example of opposite attracts" Ira clenched her fist and tired to keep her cool. All she wanted to do was punch his face and change its shape. But she sat still, not reacting at all.

"One of my friends is completely heart broken. He had a huge crush on Amber. Her beautiful green eyes were the most eye-catching feature of her face...."

Hamlet went on speaking how beautiful Amber looks. From her eyes to her lips to her height and class, he didn't miss a chance to praise her. At some point, Ira just wanted to ask why don't he himself go and purpose her but he didn't let her speak anything at all. He went on talking. More he would praise Amber, more she was growing concious about herself. He made sure to make her insecure about her looks and question herself if she deserve Ehan at all.

He left before Ehan approached them. That day, Ira for the first time Ira stood infront of mirror, checking herself out. Her hair was long but they were usual black in colour unlike Amber's rare type of red beautiful locks. Her eyes, they were dull as she stared at herself like she was looking at herself for the first time. Her orbs were black, unlike Amber's mesmerising green ones. She was fair but wasn't as glowing as Amber. Her lips... Little by little Ira started comparing her looks with Amber. More she would look at herself, more she found herself boring, with nothing eye-catching or praise worthy.

Hamlet's words left a huge impact in her heart, which decreased the confidence she had on herself and she started feeling insecure of everything in her.

---

Ehan looked at Ira, who was silently writing her homework sitting across him. Her eyes remained in her notebook and face held a blank look. She was being quite since a couple of days and it was bothering him.

He thought they were growing closer and the only thing which stood between them was the lies he feed her. He was desperate to find a way and disclose everything but still, he stopped himself scared of her reaction.

What if she'll leave me?

Was the question scaring him.

"Ira" he called, keeping his hand over hers.

"Hmm?" She looked up with her dull eyes, which used to be bright usually.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned. She smiled which didn't reached her eyes and nodded in affirmation. He wasn't satisfied, still he smiled back and nodded as well.

---

On their way to her apartment after dinner, Ehan decided to finally ask her directly. He waited for her to open up but she was quiet. He know something was bothering and she wasn't ready to share that with him.

He held her hand to stop her from walking ahead. She turned to him, rising her eyebrows in question.

"What's bothering you, Ira?" He asked softly, looking in her eyes. She lowered her gaze, debating with herself whether to tell him or not.

"You know you can tell me anything" he said, assuring her indirectly that she can share anything with him.

"I... I'm actually..." She struggled to find an excuse. As much as she wanted to share her insecurities with Ehan, she couldn't. She just didn't felt like doing it.

He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she almost forgot what they were talking about. Gulping, she looked elsewhere.

"You, what Ira?" He asked, holding her right hand in his.

"I... I'll tell you later" she managed to utter and he nodded in understating.

"As you wish" he gently hit his head on her, which brought a genuine smile on her face. She forgot about her insecurities. The things which were disturbing her ran out of her mind. She felt content again. Holding his hand tightly, she started walking with him, both smiling ear to ear.

She spotted a little guy buying two balloons from the vendor.

"Pink one is me and the red one is Ehan" Ira thought, looking at the two balloons. That guy bought another balloon, a black one, "That's Amber" thought Ira, making an angry face.

That guy started walking ahead of them and Ira kept looking at the balloons. Suddenly, the thread of pink balloon escaped from the guy's gently hold and flew away. Ira gasped at that, earning Ehan's attention.

"What's wrong?" He gave her a puzzled look.

Shaking her head in negative, she mumbled "nothing"

Now there were two balloons left, a red one and a black one; Ehan and Amber.

"Why did this kiddo let go of the pink balloon?" She groaned.

"Am I actually a third wheel?" She thought after a minute, mentally screaming.

---

In the next few days, whenever Ehan had extra classes, Hamlet would either excuse himself earlier than the bell or he would simply bunk the class to mess with Ira's brain in Ehan's absence. He know it was immensely affecting her, but he didn't stop. All he wanted was to make her feel that Amber or anyone like Amber was a perfect partner for Ehan which would make her insecure and she'd try to keep her feelings to herself instead of sharing it with Ehan.

He would sit with her and tell her all about Amber. Sometimes about how good she's in studies and the competition she gives Ehan and sometimes about how perfect Ehan and Amber looks together. Sometimes about her background and sometimes about her height matching Ehan's.

Every single thing he says, leaves a mark in her heart.

I'm not so good in studies.

I'm nowhere near Ehan when it comes to intelligence.

I'm not a perfect choice for him.

I'm very short compared to his height.

I'm not beautiful.

'I'm not this, I'm not that' was all that's filled in her mind. To say she was insecure would an understatement. She was extremely disturbed, which made her grow awfully quiet.

Resting her cheek over the cold bench, she closed her eyes hearing the bell. One by one, her classmates left but she sat on her place. She didn't felt like going anywhere. She just wanted to hide somewhere until her heart finds some peace and her mind stops nagging about the things she lacks.

"Are you okay?" She opened her eyes to find Shruti, looking at her with somewhat concerned eyes. Ira hummed, blinking at her. She sighed and sat beside her.

"What's with you these days? Why are you being awfully quiet?" She asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine" Ira replied to dismiss the topic.

"Listen Ira, though your previous behaviour used to irritate me, I prefer you to be that way. Because that's you. The real you. I'm not sure what's wrong with you these days but I can guess that it's about Ehan and that new girl; Amber" Ira lifted her head and looked at Shruti, wondering how she knows everything.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not difficult to figure it out" she shrugged. Ira looked down, her sad eyes making Shruti sigh. She held her hand in hers and said, "listen my words carefully, Ira. We're here for studies and we should concentrate on that. If not, we'll end up losing our scholarship like Honey"

"Honey lost his scholarship?" Ira gasped.

"Yes. You'd have known if you paid attention to anything but Ehan" Shruti shook her head and added, "Girls like us are not lucky enough to get what we dream of. We should limit it to the dream itself, instead of trying to chase it. Even if we end up living it, it doesn't last longer. We must know what's gonna stay with us and what we're going to lose with time. In short, forget Ehan. One day or the other, he'll prefer someone like Amber and you'll end up breaking your heart. Concentrate on your studies, which is the only thing you're here for" Shruti advised, genuinely feeling concerned for Ira. Tears occupied Ira's eyes but she blinked them back and nodded, understanding every word Shruti said.

---

Ehan twisted and turned from right to left and vice versa on his bed, not being able to sleep. Ira was growing quieter these days he knows something was bothering her. He tried to ask but every time she either denied or didn't answered at all. Another problem which was bothering him was the fact that he has lied about his status, parents etc. The mere thought of her reaction scared him.

He sometimes thought of maintaing the lie and tell her about his feelings but it'll be nothing less than betraying her. She'll be more hurt when she'll get to know. She'll feel like he fooled her.

On the other side, Ira sat on her bed holding her head with both her hands. Whatever Shruti said was right according to her but what about her heart, which isn't ready to let go of the emotions and feelings she has developed for Ehan. She just wanted to dump everything and be back to her original self. But it wasn't possible. Every cell of her body was screaming in suffocation and she had no idea what she probably should do.

A lone tear escaped her eye, followed by another. She pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. She wanted to let go of the tears, holding them within was much more painful. This pain cleared one thing to her; Ehan was not just her friend as she thought. He's something more, much more. Her heart belongs to him, her mind is always occupied by his thoughts, her eyes searches for his face in the crowd and her ears could hear his voice even in his absence.

Her mobile vibrated with Ehan's call. She blankly stared at screen as Ehan's face flashed. He was smiling widely, holding the cup he won in quiz competition.

She was about to touch to his face, when he disappeared from the screen. She winced and closed her eyes. She so wanted to call him back and hear his voice but she sat still, staring at nothing with tear filled eyes. She slowly closed her eyes, bringing Ehan into her imaginations.

When her heart yearns for something and she couldn't afford it, her imagination was only thing which gives her a fake satisfaction. Imagining things has always given her happiness, which makes her giggle when she opens her eyes but this time, a lone tear rolled down her cheek, letting her know how far Ehan is. He's out of her reach, so far that she couldn't get him, not even in her imaginations.

She choked a sob, crying over her ill fate. Hamlet, Amber and Shruti's words affected her deeply and she somehow accepted that they were right.

She's gonna end up breaking her heart and losing her scholarship if she continued chasing what she couldn't afford.

---

Thinking of suppressing her emotions within her was easy but brining it into practice was not. With every passing second, it become difficult for Ira to breathe. Her heavy heart was making it even more tough. It's been four days since she realised her feelings for Ehan and those four days were nothing less than hell. She couldn't even describe what she was going through. Every time Ehan would come infront of her, her heart begins to tremble. Every time smiles at her, her heart skips a beat. His talks, light chuckles, even his anger seems doing things to her. Sometimes, the thought of Ehan knowing her feelings for him, scares her and sometimes, it gives her hope that he somewhere feels the same for her.

"Don't give yourself false hopes. It'll hurt more than you could imagine" she recalls Mary's words at such times.

Sometimes, Ira just wanted to hug Ehan tight and disclose every little secret of her heart, tell him about her insecurities, lessen the burden of her newly found feelings for him. More she was trying to suppress it within, more it was bubbling with every passing second.

"I can't take this anymore" she thought, looking at Ehan who stood infront of her repeating the same question; 'what's wrong?'

Without speaking a words, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him closer. After a second of surprise he hugged her back, his one hand wrapped around her shoulder and another gently holding a fistful of her hair. He shut his eyes, feeling her heart beat erratically against his. She closed her eyes, cherishing the moment. She might not get it after the step she was planning on taking.

Ehan's heart and mind was screaming to confess his feelings to her but the only obstacle was the lies he told her earlier. He didn't had the slightest idea that those unintentional lies will become such a huge obstacle on his way.

She broke the hug and looked in his eyes, standing closer.

"Ehan..." She gulped, preparing for what she's gonna confess now and what will be his reaction after hearing her.

"Hmm?" He encouraged her to speak, unknown to what's running in her mind.

"I..." She inhaled a sharp breathe and said, "I love you, Ehan"

---

Assalamualaikum everyone,

How was the chapter?

Please don't complain that it was a cliffhanger too. I joined two chapters together to bring it to this point.

What do you think will be Ehan's reaction?

Should he go on with his lies?

Or he should put an end to it without thinking of the consequences?