The next two months went by quicker than either of them could have anticipated. Maahi turned busy in shifting as well as her normal 9-7 days at work. Parth had a lot to make up for on the hours of work he missed and even do his research on his upcoming court cases.

They would try to text each other daily. Mostly, it would turn into a back to back texting after dinner time when they'd both be at their respective places. During the day, texting would be difficult. Sometimes, they'd be lazy so they'd just call after dinner instead of texting and simply share how their day went. Over the weekend was when they'd actually be able to communicate.

Maahi looked over at the screen in her car when the Bluetooth connection stopped playing songs and instead announced a call. Smiling at the name itself, she pressed the button on the steering wheel. "Hey Parth, how are you?"

"I'm good," he answered but she could still hear the tiredness in his voice. He didn't sound his usual peppy self.

She slowly pressed the brakes to stop at a red light. "Why do you sound so down, everything okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, no. It's all okay. Just been a long day at work. You say, where are you? Your voice is echoing a bit. Am I on speaker?"

"No, Bluetooth actually. I'm driving over to meet some friends from work for drinks and dinner. They insisted on celebrating my single life."

"Ah, girls night out. Sounds fun."

She laughed, "No, not particularly. They're all heavy drinkers. There's a reason I'm DD for tonight." The light turned green and she resumed driving.

"Well, I don't think I can blame them. Some of the things you tell me about your patients? I'd want to drink too to forget about it."

"Yeah... we do have some crazy couples as patients, huh?" She commented, recalling some of the stories she'd told him. With being binded by HIPPA and confidentiality, ofcourse she wouldn't tell him names but one good exception of confidentiality for counselors in self-care was that they could share few generalities with a close friend or significant other. Else keeping everything to yourself? Yeah, that can take a toll on a person.

"Hey, atleast they aren't criminals like I deal with."

"Alright it's established, we both have crazy professions."

"Mhmm, okay then. I'll let you go. Have a safe night and text me when you are back home?"

She smiled at his concern, promising. "I will. Bye Parth."

He bid her as well and the call dropped. She continued to smile remembering their last kiss just as he had been about to go back home. She couldn't let him leave without one and so, she had called his name and walked down the driveway in a rush. Reaching him, she had kissed him slow and passionately as if to communicate to him that she was going to miss him till the next time they'd see each other.

Sometimes, she could swear she could still taste his mouth, the lingering of his warm and soft lips. Over the month, a few times, she'd even dreamed about him. His kisses then were just as efficient in arousing her deepest feelings and quicken her heartbeat.

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Kristen squealed and ran up to Maahi to take her in a tight hug. "You're here!"

Maahi smiled and while parting, asked their other friend Emma, "How much did she already drink?"

"One tequila shot and a Long Island." Emma informed while standing up for a quick hug as a greeting.

Maahi shook her head, knowing that could get anyone drunk. Taking a seat at the bar, she ordered a martini for herself. She decided just that one so she could still drive.

"Maahi, say – up for some dares?"

"Kristen, no. I am not getting drunk tonight. I have to take you two home."

Kristen brushed it off, "We can just call a cab. C'mon, we're supposed to be celebrating your divorce!"

Maahi held up her glass of Martini, "I'll celebrate with just one of this, thanks."

Kristen pouted having heard the determination in Maahi's words. Maahi didn't want to get drunk when she had no reason to. She didn't choose to drink when she was happy. That side only surfaced when she was super stressed or upset. Right now, it was neither.

So, Emma rectified, "Alright, we'll give you dares that don't involve drinking. Now, let's start. Krissy, you first."

Kristen gladly abided, "Barkeep, bring out another tequila shot." She was given that soon and she gulped it down, hissing as it burned down her throat. She then pointed at Maahi, "Body shot."

Maahi's eyes widened, "What? No!"

Kristen rolled her eyes, "M, don't be a Debbie downer. You can't say no to everything. We're here to have fun."

Maahi tried to object but Emma jumped down the high chair and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the booths. "Pick a guy."

"Do I have to?" Maahi grumbled.

Kristen gave her a devilish smirk, "I'll do it for you." Before long, she walked off towards the dance floor, scouting, and then placing her hand on a shoulder, spoke in his ear. He turned around to face where Kristen was pointing and Maahi's eyes widened when they fell on the guy.

Emma commented next to her, "Damn, trust Krissy to pick out the hot guys."

The guy looked to be a rip off straight from a magazine with his surfer blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp and chiseled jaw sporting a light stubble. He definitely had the perfect American genes. His eyes locked with hers as Kristen continued to speak to him, and Maahi felt the need to blink away.

She didn't feel right doing this. It almost felt as if she was cheating on Parth even though they weren't technically 'together' and they'd never labeled their relationship and made it exclusive.

Her heart started to turn jittery as the two of them began their descent towards the booth. She looked up hearing her friend's voice, "Liam, Maahi."

Liam forwarded his hand, "Hi."

She forced her lips in a smile and shook his hand, "Hey," before pulling Kristen to speak under her breath. "Did you really have to do that?"

Kristen announced in a loud voice contrast to hers, "I'm going to get a shot!"

Maahi tried to stop her but she was long gone. Left with no choice, she turned to Emma and Liam. He commented, "You don't look too happy to be doing this."

Emma offered, "Don't worry about it, we're celebrating her divorce."

Liam received from that the Maahi wasn't happy with the divorce. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Maahi read his words and smiled genuinely, "Don't be. It's what I wanted."

Liam eased up at that. Kristen returned with a tequila shot, lime and salt. She handed the glass to Liam and lime to Maahi. Maahi tried to buy her way out of this, "So, um, just do it on my hand?"

Emma scolded, "Girl, that's not a body shot. Get in the spirit already!"

"Pushover," Maahi muttered and neither Emma nor Kristen took offense. They believed it to be the job of a friend to be just that and push their friend into having fun when they didn't want to.

In her head, she sent an apology to Parth as if he was telepathic and then pushed her hair off her shoulders. Before pinching the salt under her right collar bone, she warned him, "No groping."

He chuckled in light humor, "Not that kind of a guy, hun. Shall we?"

She nodded, finding it in herself to trust the random stranger. He tipped the glass back along with his head gulping down the liquid. She tilted her head to the side as he leaned in and licked the salt off before going for the lemon wedge. Their heads didn't bump, completing the body shot, but his lips did graze hers. Pulling back, he gauged her reaction but to him, she looked completely in control of her body.

Kristen said, making both of them blink away from each other. "See, that wasn't bad at all, was it?"

Maahi forced a smile and Liam reached for her hand. "It was a pleasure, Maahi." Her lips parted for a response but no voice came out as he brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss over the back of it. She couldn't believe she felt a tingle.

Out came a lame response, "Uh, yeah...?"

He smirked and with a wink, returned to the dance floor. Both her friends stood in front of her with hands on their hips. Emma mocked, "Uh, yeah...? Seriously, M?"

Kristen added, "He was totally into you!"

Maahi groaned, "I just... he just put me off balance, okay? Give me a break. It hasn't been long since I've been back in the market."

Kristen rolled her eyes, "Dating is like riding a bicycle."

Maahi laughed, "Yeah, right. For you, maybe. Anyway, I feel guilty already."

"Why?" Kristen narrowed her eyes.

Emma pointed out, "Probably that guy she keeps texting during lunch hours."

Kristen gasped, "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!"

"He's not..." She answered in uncertainty.

Dares forgotten, they indulged in a conversation. Emma read between the lines, "But you want him to be."

Maahi played about with the olive in her still half remaining Martini. "Yeah, but it's sort of complicated right now. He lives in New York and he was the lawyer that helped me get the divorce."

Kristen questioned, "Wait, I thought you said the lawyer was your best friends' brother?"

"He is."

Kristen gaped at the connection. "Well, damn. Getting hot with the lawyer? Scandalous, but I approve."

Maahi let out a laugh. "Ofcourse you would. Is there anything you wouldn't approve of?"

Kristen smirked back, "That list is quite small."

Emma continued the previous conversation, "So, tell us about him. What's he like?"

"Yeah, how does he look like?"

Emma slapped their mutual friend, "Bitch, there's more to people than looks. Start acting like you're 24."

Kristen laughed as if the suggestion couldn't be any more ridiculous. "Yeah, right." She answered sarcastically.

Ignoring their side banter, Maahi replied. "He's actually amazing. Hot too, yes, but more than that, caring. Understanding. He says the sweetest things. In messages, he's always telling me I'm beautiful and all. Yeah, he's a big flirt. He was when I first met him at my friends' wedding 3 years ago, but he's definitely grown since then. I don't know... he treats me right, you know? He'll say things sometimes on topics just to get under my skin but still... he makes me smile."

Kristen walked round the booth and sat on Maahi's lap, giving her a hug. "All I heard was he makes you happy."

Maahi bore Kristen's light weight, "He does."

Emma said, "Okay, shoot me for this but we're all counselors. Kind of hard to switch off that side so I have to ask this... what's the problem? Why aren't you two together already?"

"Because, Em, a lot of our conversations take place through messages. I haven't seen him in two months and I don't know, it doesn't feel right to be having this talk with him over messages or a phone call. And the time we initially had this conversation, he was still my lawyer so we'd agreed on taking it slow, no labels. I wanted to just focus on myself. I still do... there are lots of things I want to do, things I couldn't try earlier... but the more I talk to him almost every day..."

"The more you do want to label it." Emma concluded, catching on to her friend's dilemma.

Maahi answered in a nod, picking up her drink and taking a sip. "Yeah. The things I want to do, places I think about visiting... often times I end up wondering how it'd be like to do them with him. But it's not right. I can't ask for more when I am not ready for it and drag him around, you know?"

Kristen inhaled deeply before shifting off her lap and exhaled. "Okay, we can decide on what to do about your situation when I'm sober. For now, back to the dares! I'm losing my buzz."

Emma shook her head at Kristen's current level of immaturity before offering Maahi a sympathetic look. Maahi blinked to let her know it was fine and they moved on with the night.

Needless to say, Kristen drank to the point that she was close to passing out. Emma was drunk too, but wasn't completely out of it. Close to midnight, three hours later, she tried to get both of them out of the bar but ofcourse nudging two drunk girls out of the bar and into her car proved to be more difficult then she'd imagined.

"Need some help?"

Maahi turned her head back to realize the offer came from Liam. She hadn't seen him after the initial few minutes in the building and had almost even forgotten about him.

"Liam!" Kristen exclaimed his name turning away from Maahi's arm and into his side. Liam staggered but held her up with his arm around her back. "You... you my friend are very *hiccup* hot."

Maahi answered in embarrassment, "She's way too drunk for her own good."

Liam chuckled, "Assumed." Wordlessly, he helped carry Kristen out of the bar while with Maahi's support, Emma was able to walk out on her own feet. Once out, he questioned. "Cab?"

"No, I've got my car."

"How about you go get it?" He suggested, "I'll wait here with them."

She gave a dubious look.

He arched a brow to tease her, "Do I look like a kidnapper to you?"

"One can never be too careful." She said it in all seriousness.

He put Kristen down on her feet before pulling out his car keys. "Here, now you can trust I am not going to go kidnap your friends anywhere."

She knew taking it would seem rude, but still, he was a stranger. So, she held on to his car keys as insurance for her friends' safety before walking around the building to the parking lot and bringing around her car.

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【 Author Note 】

Please read this for an important announcement: https://www.wattpad.com/623589519-meet-the-author-the-big-move

As for this chapter, yes, I understand if the two month leap seems sudden. It does break the flow a little but the timeline needed to move up a little. After all, you can't just jump from one guy to another in a matter of week or so... just to be a little realistic here :) 

Also, not a lot of Parth but atleast we get to see her thoughts about Parth with her conversation with her friends! 

As always, vote & comment! Looking forward :D