On Tuesday morning, I went to work a bit later than usual. I knew the day would be less hectic since I was done with all the paperwork for the new cases. I had nothing left to do. I went to the court by eleven to represent my case. Both my client and his wife were absent so the opposition lawyer agreed for rescheduling the case. I was back in time for lunch with the ladies.

They didn't push me after I had told them I like Gaurav. I told them realising is one thing and acting on it is totally different. But that doesn't mean they were going to stop teasing me about it every now and then.

"I miss Shreya. It is boring without her quirkiness." I said.

"So, basically you are saying that we are boring." Neha commented.

"No, I did not mean that." I tried to defend myself.

"Of course you did. You might be an amazing lawyer lady, but you are not going to find your way out of that comment." Maya said taking a bite of her food.

"Come on, all I meant was that I miss Shreya's comments."

"Yeah, I get it. Shreya is your favourite."

"No, not exactly what I was trying to say." I said.

"You need not pretend." Maya said.

"Come on, why are the two of you acting like Shreya?"

"Se, now you cannot stop comparing us to her." This time it was Neha.

"Come on ladies, what exactly is wrong with the two of you?"

The two of them exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

"I didn't expect such childish behaviour from you."

"Oh come on, we making the best use of our time with you."

"Am I getting fired?" I asked in horror. Why would they say that? Do they know something I don't know?

"Fired? Why would you get fired?" It was Rahul this time who asked the question. I turned to face him. Gaurav was not beside him.

"I don't know."

"Gaurav didn't say anything about firing you. What is the matter Maya? You must know." He asked her.

"Rahul no, she is not getting fired. We were talking about something and she totally misunderstood our point."

"Oh, Okay!" Rahul said and turned to me.

"Kavya, did Karthik tell you about our plan for Sunday?"

"No." I said. I had no clue what he was talking about. As far as I knew, Karthik wasn't coming home for the next two weeks.

"He probably wanted to surprise you. Don't tell him I told you, he's coming tomorrow. He invited me and Sneha to lunch on Sunday. I'll probably come in early though. Well, yeah see you around." He said and left.

"That was confusing." Neha said when her boss left our table.

"I agree." Maya said.

"So, going back to the topic, what did you mean when you said you were making the best use of your time with me?"

"Trust me you don't want to know our reason." Maya said and I raised one eyebrow.

"Oh, just that you'll be with our boss soon and you know, we won get to do this after that."

"You did not just say that." I said. I could be so stupid at times; I should've guessed they would find some way or the other to bring that up.

"Okay, no more comments about that." Maya said and we all turned our attention back to the food in front of us.

After lunch I returned to my cabin and spent my time reading some of the books from the library. My mind wandered off to the days I used to sit at home taking care of Rishi. I used to read a lot when he was asleep. That was the time I got to myself. But now I had all the time in the world, but a piece of me was gone.

"You coming for coffee?" Maya asked popping her head in.

"Sure." I said and stood from my seat. As I was walking to the lift with Maya, Gaurav approached us.

"Hey, Kavya, can I talk to you for a second."

"I'll wait for you by the lift." Maya said before walking off.

Gaurav looked like he didn't want to tell me what he came here for. He walked to my cabin and I followed.

"What is it Gaurav?"

"Remember your friend Meera's case?"

"Yes, what about that?"

"The verdict is out."

"Oh already?" I was getting excited. The new judge passed the verdict faster than the previous judge. I wasn't expecting it for another week.

"Yes." He sounded upset when he said that.

"What is the matter Gaurav, you seem like you are distressed."

"We lost Kavya."

"What?" I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Meera's case was strong.

"I know Kavya, we had the upper hand. But, I have heard rumours that the judge and our opposition lawyer went to law school together. This is a clear case of partiality. The verdict says that we mentally wounded the respondent by accusing him of having a relationship with a woman he considers his sister."

"What? He was having an extra marital affair with her. Meera saw that with her own eyes. What about the fact that they accused Meera of having an immoral relationship with her brother?"

"I know Kavya it is difficult for you accept this. This is your first loss. I know this case is important to you."

"I don't care about losing Gaurav, I care about Meera. I can't begin to imagine what she'll have to go through." He came beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"It is okay Kavya, I am sure she'll understand. We will take this to the high court. The judge there won't be biased. They are not going to get away with this."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. And, I think you should go home now. You need to tell Meera too, doing that in person would be the best option."

"Thank you Gaurav."

"Anytime."

I packed my belongings and left my cabin. Maya was waiting for me near the lift with Neha by her side.

"What happened? Why did he want to see you alone?" Neha asked.

"I lost Meera's case."

"No way, I saw that paperwork. There is no way the opposition could've won."

"But they did. Gaurav said we'll take this to the high court, so, I need to go tell Meera.

Telling Meera was the toughest part of the day. She was heartbroken. She cried and I cried along with her. That was my only coping mechanism. I told her what Gaurav told me and she was apprehensive about going to the high court. I told her it wasn't a big deal since Gaurav was going to be there. He wasn't going to let this go easily. She thanked me for the help I did while I felt bad. I had failed her. She had a strong case and I was unable to get her justice.

"Don't blame yourself Kavya; I know you did your best. I also know you will help me out of this."

"Thanks for having faith in me."

"You are my friend Kavya, I will always believe in you. In this world, we all have to be strong. I have my daughter and I will fight for her till the very end."

"And I will be there with you."

I had a headache after all the crying. It was six thirty by the time I reached home. As I parked my car, I noticed another car in my driveway.

"Gaurav, what are you doing here?" I asked when I saw him sitting in the porch of my home.

"I just came to make sure you are okay."

"That is really nice of you Gaurav, thanks."

I opened the doors and he came in behind me.

"So, you were crying?"

"No." I replied instantly.

"You were. Don't lie to me Kavya, you have bloodshot eyes."

I smiled sheepishly when he said that.

"Go ahead, get changed. I'll wait here."He said.

I went to my room. Found a change of clothes and went to the washroom. I put my hair up in a bun, took a quick shower and got into the clothes before rushing to the room where I had left my boss.

"Gaurav..." I called when I couldn't locate him in the living room. His coat was lying on my sofa.

"In the kitchen." He said back. I walked to my kitchen to see Gaurav poring tea into two cups. The sleeves of his white shirt were pushed back to the elbow.

"I took the liberty of making tea. I hope it is okay."

"Okay." I said not knowing what else to say.

"If I am right, you have a pounding headache." He stated and I couldn't agree more.

"This tea will make it better, I promise. My mother used to make it for me while I studied for exams. I always had headaches during exams."

"Thank you." I said taking the cup from him. We both walked back to the living room.

We talked for a while about Meera's case, then, the topic of conversation shifted to me. Before I knew, I was talking to him about my past. It wasn't as painful as it used to be but, a lone tear did escape my eyes as I talked about Rishi's death. He was silent the whole time I talked and I was grateful for that. When I finished, he took my hands in his and squeezed it, as if reassuring me he was there.

He ordered take out for the both of us. As we ate, he talked about his college days and how he was an all rounder and the best outgoing student. He had helped me to overcome an evening which I thought definitely was going to be painful. He had managed to change a painful evening into a memorable evening and I was glad he was there.