We begin roaming around the Great Mall of Las Vegas around eleven in the morning. The plan is to have a ladies' night out tomorrow, and good outfits are definitely our first priority. We make sure to enjoy our time inside the shops, chatting and laughing over very mundane stuff.

Starting with clothes and shoes, which takes eternity until we finally get something worthy enough to make us smile, what follows is a place for lunch as it's already afternoon. Indeed ladies and time are not a clever combination. Liam's words click the back of my mind and I start smiling to myself.

But my smile fades when I recall something else.

"Sam, how do you feel when you use Jonathan's Debit card?" I ask casually as my friend pays for her clothes.

"Nothing. Just . . . normal," Sam replies flatly.

"Just normal? You don't feel burdened or anything?" I keep delving, recalling Liam's disappointed look when I rejected his gesture.

For me it's a very foreign situation. All of my life I've been financially independent, and it's been like a normal house chore that's difficult to ignore. I've never used anyone's money for my expenses.

"Kira, he's my boyfriend and he gave it to me willingly, so . . . it's just fine," Sam replies matter-of-factly. "Thank you." She smiles brightly at the lady who's just returned her card—which is Jonathan's. "I know. I sound like a gold digger, right?" Her face twists.

"No, not really. I was only curious," I say truthfully. "You're not a gold digger, Sam, I know that."

"Well, in a way I am. I pulled those dickheads' cards many times in the past," says Sam, laughing heartily as though she's happily recalling. "But it wasn't because I was desperate for money, no. I'm a career woman, dammit! They didn't have anything important to do with their filthy money, other than spending stupidly, so I thought why not help them? But I guess it has turned into a bad habit; I don't feel bad at all spending Jonathan's money because he can afford it all."

I burst out laughing. "How I need your free spirit, sweetie." I sigh heavily, unsure how I'm gonna cope with so many foreign things now that I have my better half.

"Guys, I think I'm done. Where are we going next?" Roshni joins us after a little escape to the ladies' room.

"Since I'm feeling better already," Sam announces as we get out of the boutique. "I'll proceed with my original plan."

"Which is?" I ask.

"Surprise, Kiki." Sam rolls her eyes.

"Sure." I do the same because I always get terrified by Sam's idea of surprises. "Before that, why don't we check some lingerie? That place seems promising." I point at the lingerie store, my sex goddess wide awake.

I need some catchy underwear now that I'm officially quitting being solo.

"Sure." Sam shrugs and once again we get into another shopping spree that's super enjoyable.

It's what I needed, too.

"Okay, this is something else. $500 for a piece of underwear? And the smaller they are, the higher the price," Roshni muses, holding a tiny G-string in the air.

I giggle at her final remark. "And look at this one," I utter while checking the price tag attached on a pair of baby pink bralette and its matching lace brief. $950? Hell no! "Could it be for the whole dozen?" I tease.

"No, sweetie. Agent Provocateu has those horrific prices enough to save the world from hunger, and yet some people buy them," Sam says as she moves over. "There's a $1100 sleeping robe over here." She grins at me, holding the silky baby into a fitting stance.

"How lovely." I roll my eyes, ignoring how sexy it looks. "As a broke bitch I am, I better go and check on Victoria's Secret that at the very least remembers the poor exists. If not, we can settle for Walmart. End of the suffering."

We break into a long laughter, our afternoon getting better and better despite the odds.

"But hey, isn't it lovely? Look at this." Sam takes ahold of another bra in ocean blue. "A perfect cup for me." She places it on her chest, facing the mirror.

"Yeah, you'll look great," I comment while checking some more pairs and designs. One of them catches my attention and I don't think I can leave this place without it. "Are you buying that one?" I ask Sam, holding my own choice.

"Why not?" Sam shrugs.

"Oh, bold!" Roshni chuckles. "I'll get one as a souvenir myself. A reminder that Vegas is a money eating place."

"Tell me about it." I sigh heavily. "Maybe I should get another one, too, for my honeymoon." I wiggle my eyebrows at them, the thought making me giddy.

"Oh, yes! And let me take charge of that." Sam jumps gleefully. Wow. "Speaking of which, where are you going, huh?" she asks.

"For honeymoon?" I turn serious somehow, returning the pair I don't like.

"Yeah." Sam bobs her head.

"Um . . . Maldives." I smile widely, flushing crimson. "It's where I wanna go and I hope Liam approves."

"Maldives? Fuck, girl, that's a goal!" Sam shares my enthusiasm and it's a big cheers.

"Agreed. I heard plenty of good stuff about that place. I'm sure you'll have a good time," Roshni remarks.

"Hopefully." I sigh again.

"Okay, now let's find you something sexy to wear on that night to remember. Something red, maybe? Or black? And don't worry, I'm going to buy one for you, huh?"

"Oh my! You will?" I utter, amazed.

"Come on, Kiki." Sam laughs softly. "Yes. And I'll use my own money on that one. Jeez, you're so uptight. Such a mom!"

"And I love you, daughter." I give her a dramatic side hug, so happy to have this woman by my side. "Oh, does that make me a grandma already?" I pull a face.

"Apparently," Roshni muses and Sam rolls her eyes.

***

It's three in the afternoon as we finish our lunch at a Thai restaurant in which we've had a new dish with a weird name. Was it lamb? Or pork? Goodness, I don't even know, but it was very tasty. We can't stop laughing at the experience itself and the bonding moment we are still sharing.

Roshni is now feeling at home, her arranged marriage ordeal forgotten; at least for the moment, for she still has a long way to go as far as she and Malik are concerned. According to her, they have to find a way out of it. She wants to end the engagement, and so does Malik.

What a waste! I really like her.

"But I swear I'm having so much fun here," she says sincerely, her dusky brown eyes flashy. "I never had a girls' time like this."

"Really?" Sam gasps, surprised.

"Yeah," Roshni states. "I'm only surrounded with guys back in Melbourne; at home, at work, so this is so awesome."

Both me and Sam smile at that, glad that she's having a nice time.

"And me, too. I love sharing this moment with you, girls." I second Roshni's words and we're walking out of the restaurant.

"Well, I'm always happy to be in Vegas! I mean, it's Vegas, guys!" Sam is busy with her phone, talking nonsense that probably makes sense.

We are now promenading around the Las Vegas strip, holding our shopping bags with pleasure. The area is lined up with resorts, hotels, casinos, vast apartment complexes and other fancy buildings that makes me wonder how much would the rest cost.

Most of the people moving around seem to be the tourists, who are eager to try anything and everything they see—food, drinks, music. Lovely. With the cool autumn weather, nothing gets in the way of the little jovial walk on our way back to the hotel, I suppose.

"Shall we head back to the hotel?" Sam asks tiredly.

"Yeah. Now it's the perfect time for that spa . . . or the gigantic swimming pool that kept calling me over and over again," I reply, my eyes stuck on my cellphone as I'm busy texting Liam.

I haven't heard from him since morning and it's quite unusual.

"Sounds like a plan for my lazy ass," remarks Sam.

"Sweet." I grin, and we finally retract our steps back to the hotel.

I drop my shopping bags into our suite and join the girls for the spa. The team is of well trained staff that treat their clients like queens. We get a full body massage, facial, manicure, and at last we relax our soothed bodies into a jacuzzi.

What a day! Both my subconscious and sex goddess are resting in harmony, eyes covered with cucumber slices—celestial life.

"Let me enjoy the warmth at least for a minute," Sam says, hating the fact that she can't stay long in the hot tub due to her pregnancy.

"Yes. Only for a short while," I repeat for the umpteenth time.

"Just when did you learn all this?" Sam asks, masking her annoyance with a huff.

"Ever since my friend got knocked, and made me read the DOs and DON'Ts during pregnancy as if I'm the one pregnant!" I retort while scrolling on my phone.

"She made you do that?" Roshni laughs heartily, head reclined back with arms outstretched to her sides.

"Yeah. And then I found her sleeping soundly as I kept reading everything aloud. This bitch." I throw Sam an accusing glance.

"Oh come on, Kiki. That's gonna be helpful for you too, you know," Sam says with a chuckle.

"She's right," remarks Roshni, having fun whenever Sam and I banter.

"Ah, this feels like heaven," Sam breathes, laying her head comfortably to enjoy the warmth of the water invigorating her body. "I miss my boo now. Sex in the hot tub would be so much fun!"

"Ew!" I grimace as Roshni breaks into an uncontrollable laughter. "Do we really have to hear about your sexual endeavors now? Sam!" I grab my champagne flute, getting no response from Liam—his phone is off.

"Why not?" Sam chuckles. "Have you tried getting laid in the water?" She looks at me.

"Even if I did I won't tell," I say bluntly.

Maybe not in the water, but I've had my adventure here and there. I flush.

"Yeah, yeah, such a secret keeper." Sam releases an audible sigh, fully aware that I'm not keen on disclosing my privacy.

"But truly, unplanned sex is the best," I remark after a minute.

"Look who's talking! My Kiki has turned into a real woman now. Do tell me more, baby, do tell," Sam cheers on, hungry for more. "So you love it unplanned, huh?" She wriggles her eyebrows.

"Fuck, shut up, Samantha." I sip my chilly champagne, laughing.

"Oh no, ma'am. I never stop talking so easily," Sam says. Roshni keeps laughing her heart out. "And you, Roshni, darling. What's your take in sex?"

"Me?" Roshni exclaims, caught off guard.

"Yes?" Sam looks strenuously at her. "Or don't tell me you're waiting until marriage. It's been over a decade since I last heard that phrase. Does it still exist?" She finally gets up, her towel soaked wet.

Now a real laughter fills the room.

"No, I . . . I don't know. I don't know what to comment about sex, but I'm not a virgin, and I did love it when I had a chance to enjoy," Roshni says in her cute Australian accent.

"Uh! That's quite interesting," remarks Sam. "So, was there a guy before our dear Malik? Some potential candidate to spice up your love story."

"Sam!" I scold subtly.

"It's okay," Roshni says, laughing at the question. "Whenever I tried to get into a relationship, it turned out to be a complicated one, if not an utter chaos. So, I don't really have a beautiful love story to narrate, which means . . . I'd rather stop talking about it."

"But—" Sam stops when a heavy splash of water hits her face coming from me. "Damn, Kira! What's that for?" she growls.

"Call Malik, ask where they are," I reply.

"Oh, why?" Sam scowls.

"Just call him. No, text him without showing that we're back in the hotel," I instruct.

"Why?" Sam insists.

"Because I want to know where they are, and what they're doing. I can't seem to reach Liam on the phone since earlier." I'm suddenly restless.

What is this?

"Sure!" Sam grunts, rolling her eyes at me. "Do you want to give him a damn raid like a typical jealous wife?" She shoots me a glare while tapping on her cellphone.

"No," I argue stoutly, my mind filled with something unpleasant.

Monique. The name keeps ringing the bell when I think of Malik and Liam's conversation earlier this morning.

"Are you sure? Because I know that look and it suggests nothing but jealousy. Do you think he's having fun watching those stripers doing a pole dance somewhere?" Sam messes with me, quite deliberately.

"I wasn't thinking of that but thanks to you I'm starting to entertain the idea," I snap quietly and gulp the rest of my drink.

"Maybe he left his phone on charge," Roshni comments.

Mmm? Maybe.

"I sent Malik a text. He's online," Sam mutters, her eyes on her phone. A short silence follows while we are waiting for the text from Malik.

The phone finally buzzes.

"Well, they're in a bar nearby, waiting for . . . Jamal?" Sam reads out the text, then gives me a stare. "They're waiting for Jamal and Natasha. I guess the two of them are here."

"Oh?" I sigh softly. "Why don't we go to that bar? Aren't we done here? Don't you want some evening adventure? Because I do and I'm leaving right now." I start getting up.

"What's wrong, Kira?" Sam huffs a little laugh, bemused. "Why are you so worked up?"

"I don't know," I reply truthfully. "I feel like . . . I need to go there. I know I sound like an insecure woman, which I am somehow, but it's a gut feeling. Besides, what are we losing from it? We'll just have fun while at it."

"Okay, ma'am. Let's go hunt down the men. And they better be innocent right now!" Sam mumbles, sarcasm lacing her voice and it's clearly a message for me.