“Thanks for today too!” I said to him before getting off from his car after our hang out today. He grabbed my wrist. I turned to look at him curiously.

“You forget something.” He said then pulled me closer to him then kissed.

Yes, kissing has become like a habit every time after we hang out and all the time I return him back.

“See you tomorrow!” he said to me like usual. I smiled with a nod, showing a sign that I agreed then he left.

That night, my mother caught me coming home with him. When I entered the house, she called me.

“Noora, are you dating now? Why don’t you tell me? You should invite him home one day.” She said.

“Mom, it’s not dating and he’s not my boyfriend. We just hang out sometimes together.” I told her with fear.

“What? Not boyfriend? Then why were you kissing with him?” she volume up her voice.

I became worried that she caught me kissing. I lost my word to reply to her.

“Don’t be fooled by a man! If he isn’t asking you to be his girlfriend, why should you hang out with him and kiss like this? Stop going out with him and come home after you close your shop!” she strongly warned me then left to her room.

I felt so stressed but my mother said it right. We’re not dating nor lovers. Why should I hang out and kiss him like this?..... I must have lost my mind.

After thinking about my mother’s words and going out with him without having any relationship with him, I decided to stop hanging out with him.

-----

NEXT DAY

He came to take me hang out with him like every day. But when he entered, I told him I have urgent work to do then left him before he could say anything. I successfully escaped from him one day.

Next day, I did the same. I found excuse to escape him again and again.

It has been like a week already that we don’t hang out.

One day he came to wait for me as usual. As I can’t use the same excuse by running to leave him all of a sudden like every time, I lied to him that I have many work to finish at shop.

“I’m sorry for today again too. I’ve not finished work at shop yet. It’s gonna take so long.” I was stuttering to lie him.

“Fine! I’ll wait until you finish. Just do it!” he didn’t leave. He went to sit on a chair, having some tea.

I tried to find thing to do like preparing this and that, cleaning this and that.

After a while; “Have you acted enough already?” he suddenly spoke up. “I’m not that stupid not to know you try to escape from me.” He added.

I faced down and started sobbing.

“What is the problem? Tell me!” he asked.

I collected my bravery to reply to him. “Aron-shi, I don’t want to hang out with