JP

Sitting back down at her table for the main course, Jiya blew out a breath and took a quick sip of water. She had never been to a speed dating event before, she had organised one back in college, but she had never actually sat down and tried the event for herself. It may not have been the kind of thing she’d hoped to be doing for Valentine’s Day, but it was proving to be a damn good night.

Taking another sip of water, she quickly brushed a hair back into place with her fingers as they announced for people to take their seats. Glancing down at her dress, she smoothed it down before looking back up, a look of surprise and confusion on her face. “Don’t tell me this is how you’re trying to entice me into a throuple, Asli, we both know that’s inappropriate. What’re you doing here?”

It had just been a fun little thing Jiya had decided to sign up for on a whim. After the disastrous ending to her first date post her last relationship, the doctor had realised that she had to do better, she had to start moving on. One of the steps? The speed dating event. She had been nervous, but as soon as it had started, it almost reminded her of her college days. For Jiya, she didn’t get a whole lot of downtime between her job and her son, but this was exactly the kind of thing she needed, where no pressure was on anyone.

It had been a fun evening, considering she was still relatively new to town, if anything, it was an opportunity to meet people, which she definitely had. As she shrugged into her coat, Jiya felt like she was almost chasing her sleeve. As she finally slipped her hand into the arm hole, she straightened her arm, instantly hitting someone behind her. “Oh my god, I am so, so, sorry, I wasn’t looking.” Pulling the coat on, she turned, her lips parting slightly at the sight of the blonde. “What a great second impression, huh?”

…

What did it matter? It didn’t. In the grand scheme of things, none of it mattered anymore because there wasn’t anything she could do to change the past. He’d ended up with a child and with the brunette and Sophia was here on her own. “It doesn’t matter. Which is why I’m confused why you’re making a big deal out of it.” She could only put the blame on the other for long enough before she shrugged. “I was bitter. I’ve got a lot going on outside of this situation and seeing you and … it’s brought a lot back. However, if I wanted to be cruel or vengeful. I could have said a lot worse than best friend. So in the grand scheme of things… it’s not a big deal.” The kid wasn’t any wiser and this little back and forth shouldn’t have been brought to the level that it had. Clearly, they both held onto some type of resentment but Sophia was still at a loss why she was angry with her outside of this conversation. 

Her brow rose and she cleared her throat. Had she known that, she may have not reacted the way that she had. “He made it seem that you were both together when we talked. I mean, I asked him and..” It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to rub it in her face since it was a conversation that she was going to have with him when he returned to town. “I understand that but it didn’t change that it did happen.” Her entire life had been uprooted and destroyed and Sophia was still reeling from all of that. The fact that they were all in her town hadn’t helped the healing either. “I .. Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Opening her note pad, she scribbled down her number and handed it to Jiya. “Let me know when you’d like to sit down and have a talk.”

-

“Then why make a deal of it to Sam? If it’s not big deal, why bring him into it like that? It makes no difference to him and so I can figure out pretty easily why you’ve done it.” With one hand reaching for the belt on her coat, her fingers played with the end of it, just mainly for something to do that could distract her a little from the conversation she was having. In reality though, Sophia wasn’t the problem and never had been the problem. Yes, she was sure Ravi had broken up with her because of feelings he still harboured for his ex, but that wasn’t Sophia’s fault and it was unfair of Jiya to put that on her. 

Shaking her head, for the first time, Jiya let her defences drop. She couldn’t be angry anymore, she was just hurt. “We broke up before we even moved here. It’s been close to a year now, I think, I don’t remember exactly. I got a job offer here and he came with us so he wouldn’t be away from Sam, although now I wonder if there was an ulterior motive to him encouraging it.” Shrugging her shoulders, she glanced at the woman in front of her, needing now to get away, just like she had in the doctor’s office. “But what Ravi did, that’s not my fault, like it’s not yours. I tried to cause as little damage as possible and I screwed up, but I never asked him to leave you.” Nodding, the doctor took the piece of paper and slipped into a pocket of her purse. “I’ll text you, we’ll sit down.” Nodding again, Jiya moved to step around the girl. “Have a good day.”

“That sounds like a kid,” she laughed, “I hear all the horror stories of children ordering hundreds to thousands of dollars on Amazon. I couldn’t even imagine what I would do in a situation like that.” Dilan told her with a shake of her head. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her own niece was getting to that age and they’d all be locking their phones for protection from unauthorized purchases. “No, they really don’t, do they?” She couldn’t help but agree. It was many years ago that Dilan made her move to Providence Peak, though she still remembered how terrified she was to make the leap, wondering if making a decision with grief was the right move. “I didn’t always,” Dilan admitted to Jiya, “I honestly thought I would always stay there, settle down and have a family,” she paused a moment, “then it just didn’t work out quite that way, so I was looking around at jobs and found this one, but I love it. It was scary but I’m glad I did it.” 

-

“He nearly did it once. We were snowed in Boston and I said he could choose one toy, I managed to grab my phone back before he charged a few hundred dollars to my Amazon account.” Laughing quietly, Jiya shook her head, even if it was one of her favourite memories. “I remind my mom, often, how lucky she is that we never had this crap when I was younger and growing up.” As they walked, Jiya was reminded once again that if it wasn’t for the kindness of strangers in the cute little town, she would currently have no friends. Even Dilan, her current company, was a new friend and one she had made solely from just people actually talking to each other. Nodding, she was struck by the similarity between the women. Just like her, Jiya had always thought she would stay in Boston for the rest of her life, but as she had grown up and as Sam became older, she hadn’t wanted the city life. “It is so scary, especially when you’ve never been to the place before. It’s such a risk, moving all that way and you can’t just turn around and go home when you’ve left everything. But same, I’m glad I did it. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done like this. It was definitely the right choice.”

“When does the enticing start? I’m ready.” Cal grinned over the rim of his champagne glass, then took a careful sip to finish the serving. He nodded politely and passed the empty flute to a passing waiter, returning his attention to Jiya. “Thank you. I think it might be fair if you shared a secret with me too, that way we can be true confidantes.”

“You are the first. Good on you.” He offered up a soft laugh at that, knowing he could have been saddled with someone less easy on the eyes or much more pushy. “I am the Chief Operating Officer and VP of Dryden Corporation which is a family business first and a multinational sustainable energy corporation second. I oversee daily operations at the company headquarters as well as the local office.. when I’m not at charity functions like these, in the company of medical professionals who are more attractive than they have any right to be, that is. How’s that for an answer?”  

-

She hadn’t expected to have an easy conversation when she had walked over, let alone be standing there smirking at comments he was making. Trying to mask the look on her face by taking another sip of her drink. “How do you know I haven’t already started? You haven’t run away screaming, have you?” Handing her glass over as the waiter walked past, Jiya’s head tilted a little towards her shoulder, one hand reaching up to brush a few strands off of her face. “Hm.. Before I came in tonight, I had to sit in my car for ten minutes and listen to hardcore rap music. It’s the only thing that could get the adrenaline pumping. Does that count?”

A little shocked that no one had bothered him so far, Jiya glanced around her, convinced there would be a little queue forming, especially as she learnt of what he did. She had heard the name of the company before and she couldn’t believe she had put them together when he had told her his name. “Well, you may want to keep that quiet or you will have to find some kind of shield to keep all of the department heads away from you.” It had been a while since she had met someone on chance and been flirted with and the compliment instantly had her cheeks flushing a shade of pink. “Pretty good, pretty damn good.” Laughing quietly, Jiya pressed her lips together as she tried to regain her composure. “So this attractive medical professional you alluded to, is she making the charity event a bit more enjoyable? Hiding less yawns at least?”

…

Sophia couldn’t help but blink at Jiya when she got angry at her over something that seemed trivial. “That isn’t what I said, Jiya.” The brunette hadn’t expected anything to be said but she also didn’t know what the big deal was. Maybe if she would have told her that she had been almost engaged to his dad before Jiya stepped into the picture then she could have been angry but she’d only referred to Ravi as a good friend rather than a friend. “I said a good friend. A best friend. No one is asking you to lay anything out to your son.” Her hands moved to her hips because her patience was wearing thin with Jiya and her mightier than attitude. She had been at fault for some of it but she didn’t seem to want to take the blame. “I have been in contact with Ravi and he knows my issues, Jiya. You may think that I’m attacking you but it’s far from it. Somehow, you end up with the bigger attitude than I have after learning you started dating the man that almost proposed to me. I haven’t done anything to you so I’m not entirely sure where this is all coming from. I can’t imagine it’s about making a small correction like best friend that made no difference to your kid.”

The fuel in her chest began to dim when she listened to Jiya. “He told me you were still together. That you both moved here together.” Her eyes regarded her as she stepped back. The lie hurt but she slowly regained her composure a little bit as guilt washed over her. “I didn’t know the both of you had split up.” Even though the brunette deserved an apology, she couldn’t give it to her. Rather she just shrugged and stepped back. “I didn’t know.” 

-

There were so many things she could do or say. If she took a breath, took a step back and looked at the situation, she could easily see that although she wasn’t happy with Sophia’s actions with Sam, there was too much hurt in the situation for either of them to be reasonable. She could calm down, she could ease the situation but she didn’t have that time and unfortunately for both of them, Sophia seemed to encompass every bit of hurt over the last few years. Even if she had her own hurt to deal with. “Why does it matter? Why does it matter which type of friend my son thinks you are? If you were going to be around him, fine, but you’re not, so why does it matter so much to you?” Crossing her arms over her chest, Jiya caught her mother’s eye over Sophia’s shoulder, nodding as the elder woman tapped her wrist. “Great, if you’ve been in contact with Ravi, you can tell him hello yourself, can’t you? Absolutely no need to bring my child into it.”

Looking at her, Jiya could feel the anger seeping out of her at the revelation that Ravi had kept their breakup a secret. Instead, that all too familiar hurt made it’s way back into her body. She may not have been enough for him to spend his life with, but she was enough to be a lie. “We broke up months ago, before we moved here. He.. He never-” Shaking her head, Jiya cut herself off, not willing to divulge the details that weren’t clear, even to her. “Apparently he’s been lying so I don’t know what he told you, but what happened with us was never my intention. I did not have feelings for him when I turned up that day and I did not think what happened, would happen.” She just didn’t have the energy to talk. “Look, if you want to talk about this, then I’ll be happy to, but not today, they’re waiting for me.” Brushing her hair back, the doctor took a deep breath to steady herself. “I think maybe it’s time we get the truth out there.”

“Lucky guess?” Cal smiled, politely accepting the offered champagne flute from the dark-haired woman.  He chuckled softly as she revealed her intentions in approaching him. He wasn’t at all surprised or offended, after all, he had come to the event with a sizable donation to give. He knew how these functions worked quite well. “Hm. So you did catch that yawn? Don’t tell anyone I’m not actually a robot, okay? Every now and then a hint of my humanity slips despite myself.” He teased, shrugging before taking a sip from his glass. 

“I prefer a hands-on approach when it comes to my family business affairs. And when it comes to philanthropy.. I like to know where the funds will go, you know, place a face with the name..” Dr. Padyar had quite a lovely face indeed. “My sister was originally set to attend, but she had a prior engagement and asked me to fill in. So.. I suppose you’re stuck with me tonight.”   

-

“Do we all come with a face of complete nerves because we’re meant to entice you into handing money over to us? Is that our tell?” Jiya smirked, surprised as to how easily she was finding it. Maybe they had caught each other out in a way, something that made it much easier for Jiya to deal with. Maybe if she could just chat to him, it wouldn’t feel quite like she was begging for money. “Oh, so you prefer people to think you’re a robot? I mean if that’s what you’re going for, then your secret is safe with me.” Chuckling quietly, Jiya took a sip from her own glass.

Nodding, she found that she was genuinely interested in him, even if she did know nothing about the business he was in. “So am I the first to try and be that face or have you been fighting us off left, right and centre?” Brushing a hand through her hair, the doctor placed her flute onto the table next to them. “Lucky me.” She said it with a smile, genuinely meaning what she said. “So what is it you do, Mr Dryden? When you’re not entertaining bumbling doctors, that is?”

“Listen, no one said first dates were supposed to be perfect.” Honestly, the woman found it more suspicious when they were. It was a red flag to the brunette when a date went too well. Should it have been a red flag that Jiya cried on their date? Perhaps, but Nina was willing to give the woman a shot based on the fact that people went through things in their lives and emotions weren’t so easily controlled. Nina’s cheeks flushed after the warmth of the woman’s lips made contact. “I would love some coffee,” she told Jiya with a nod of her head, “and no, I think this is great. I honestly haven’t been here in a long time and what better way to see it?” She shrugged her shoulders with a smile. “I totally get that. Taking the first step to go on a date is hard,” Nina should know, “you were my first date, too, since my last relationship.” She admitted to the other. “If it does happen again, at least I should be better prepared for it,” she teased her playfully before shaking her head, “Not really a tea person, at least I haven’t found one that I like yet. So if you have recommendations, I’m happy to try something new instead of coffee.”

-

Considering how the date had ended, Jiya knew that Nina was one hundred percent being too kind to her, but the fact that she was willing to even speak to Jiya, let alone go out with her again, meant a lot to the young doctor. “You’re very sweet and I am grateful you can overlook what happened. You shouldn’t have been a guinea pig for my first post-relationship date, so I am sorry.” Nodding, she smiled and moved over towards the coffee cart, reaching into her bag for her wallet. “Oh really? So it seems like we’re kind of finding our feet with each other then? But I honestly hope it’s not going to happen again, I definitely feel in a better place. How are you doing with dating then?” Ordering herself a mocha, Jiya motioned for Nina to order before handing over a couple of bills and grabbing a packet of sugar. “I love Jasmine tea, that’s definitely a favourite. Otherwise, my mom has the best recipe for traditional chai, which she passed down, it’s not what most people think of tea, but it’s my favourite thing in the world. You’ll have to try some, some time.” Smiling, the doctor nodded, emptying the sugar packet into her cup as it was handed to her. “So is this a place where you can walk a lot of is it just like a viewing platform?”

Cal Dryden had lost track of how many fundraisers he’d attended in the last few months, so when his sister asked him to fill in for her at last minute at this one he hardly batted an eye. He understood the importance of philanthropy, of course, and had dedicated plenty of time and money to doing good works in the community from genuine desire to do so, but events like these could often be tedious. He may or may not have been masking a yawn behind an event flyer when he found himself approached by a beautiful woman. He laughed softly, figuring he’d been caught.

“I’m not a doctor, no. Callum Dryden, VP of the Dryden Corporation.” He clasped the woman’s hand in his and shook politely. “And for the record, Dr. Padyar, I am having a great time.”

-

Smiling a little, Jiya shook his hand before reaching for two glasses from a passing waiter. “Is it that obvious that I’m a doctor, then? Was it perhaps the look of total discomfort as I walked up to a potential donor?” Handing him one of the glasses, she held up her own to gently clink against it. “It’s nice to meet you, Callum Dryden, but your yawn reflex is telling a slightly different story, you know?” Taking a sip of the drink, Jiya set the glass on the table before looking back to him. “Not that I blame you, I’ve never been much of a fundraiser kind of person, but we can say I did my part by coming over and talking to you, right?” 

Tapping a finger gently against the stem of her glass, Jiya tried hard to run her eyes over the man in front of her, trying not to focus on the fact that he was a potential donor and not just extraordinarily good looking. “So does your company usually send someone so high up to these things? You didn’t want to sub in your assistant or something?”

“That’s bound to happen at times, right?” She laughed, only imagining what the woman could have ordered that couldn’t be deemed Christmas worthy. “I can understand that,” Dilan nodded her head, “I think the way small towns are visualized in movies and television shows, people can be off put by them.” She admitted, she had been curious of she would like Providence Peak when she moved there five years ago. She had moved on a whim, based on the name of the location she took a job at as a wedding planner. “It really does catch you by surprise. I didn’t think I’d be here as long as I have been. I always thought I’d end up home again after I got back on my feet.” She had left her home town to get away from the memories that had been associated with Khalil and being left at the alter. “I was in Norfolk, Virginia before moving out here. Same with my siblings. They more or less came with me when I moved out here.” Which had been part of what helped her more than anything. “Definitely cute,” she nodded her head, “I think it’s something she will cherish a lot.”

-

Nodding, Jiya smirked a little. “It happens more than I’d like to admit, I have to write lists on my phone and password protect them. My son will find anything and everything on my phone if he’s given a chance.” Looking over at the woman as she spoke, the doctor nodded in agreement. When the job offer in Providence Peak had come up, the idea of living in a small town hadn’t filled Jiya with joy at all. She had expected the movie version, cheesy, full of people who had never left and never planned to and who weren’t super into new people moving in, but it was the complete opposite. “Definitely, those films never make you super excited to be the new girl in town.” What Jiya hadn’t expected, was just how good it would be for her and her son, to get out of the city, to explore a new state and more nature and just be able to breathe a bit better. “Oh, a fellow east coaster? I looked at job not far from there actually. Did you always want to leave?” Looking at the bracelet again, Jiya handed it to the stall assistant and grabbed her wallet out of her bag. “Perfect, that’s something ticked off the list anyway.”

“That’s so precious. My parents were the same way when they first moved here; They took as many pictures as they good of Alex for weeks. Trying to make up for lost time.” So much had changed and happened during that year there from when she and her daughter saw her parents back in London before moving out to Providence Peak. She let out a gentle sigh of gratitude. “I love you, truly,” she mused. That would be so helpful. Plus, it’d be great to have pictures of Alex and Sam together. Asli wrapped her arms around her, kissing her temple then laying her cheek against her head. She didn’t blame Jiya. No, she knew that her friend had done everything she could. She knew how dedicated she was and she did so much during the past few months. Had something been wrong, she knew that the doctor would’ve caught it. If anything, she blamed herself the most.

“Them being here must help out a lot. I’m glad that he still has you and them. It’ll get easier. Not exactly better or perfect, but… easier. It’s going to be okay.” While the video calls weren’t ideal, it was better than nothing. Asli perked up slightly. “Wait, really?” But before she could ask for more, Jiya gave it to her. Causing the younger woman to wince. “Oh… Jiya, sweetheart… It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Just, go through it all at your own pace. Alright? It’s okay to try and get yourself out there and on some dates, but also go at your own limit. Don’t push yourself.” With Ray, it had been unexpected. He’d been her best friend for months, learning that he had feelings for her had been a complete shock. Of course, she liked him, but she’d been so nervous at first. It hadn’t felt fair to try anything while she still had feelings for Atlas. Yet over time, she began to develop genuine feelings for her best friend. Which eventually developed in them getting into a relationship, which resulted in her falling in love with him. And even though they’re going through possibly their biggest challenge ever, she was still in love with the man. She knows that eventually, Jiya could have the same opportunity. She just hoped that she was going at a pace that worked best for her and not for someone else. Her bottom lip quivering, she wiped away some tears. “I don’t want to lose him,” she admitted softly. “Ray. I don’t… I-I can’t, I can’t lose him now, too. I’m still so in love with him but our relationship… We’re struggling. And I hate it. God, I hate it so much… I wish things were different.”

-

It was a new thing to Jiya, really, becoming friends with her patients. Back in Boston, she had been training, raising her baby, forming a relationship with Ravi and the sheer volume of patients meant that she could never fully remember who she’d seen in the corridor and who she’d seen in the clinic room. In Providence Peak, it was different. She was busy, but at a slower pace, she had more responsbility and more time to truly get to know her patients. It was exactly how Asli had become such a good friend, so quickly. “Love you, too, babe.” It was true and it was that reason that having Asli as a patient had been so much harder than it would’ve been had they only been acquainted. But at the same time, she was glad she had been able to be there for her friend.

As mortifying as it had been sitting on a date and crying, in a way, it was the best thing that could’ve happened to Jiya. It had shocked her system in that the person opposite her on a date wasn’t Ravi, but it was a kick that she needed. “It sounds horrific and honestly if it was the other way around, I probably would’ve run away. But it does take a whole new level of pathetic to be on a date with a gorgeous girl and burst into tears. In a way, I kicked me into realising that I really need to move on. I can’t keep going on like this. Ravi doesn’t want me, so why am I still hanging onto hope that’s not there? I need to move on, I have to move on.” Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, Jiya waved at her son as he skated past, happy as can be as he held hands with his grandparents. Tilting her head up to look at Asli, Jiya shook her head. “Honey, the man adores you. I could see it each and every time I looked at the two of you. You aren’t going to lose him. You’ve both been through trauma, but you can get through this together. It may take some help, to talk through everything, but I imagine you’re both not saying enough to each other, which won’t help. You love each other and that really can be enough, you know?”

“You’re a doctor, of course you’re good with people!” Looking over at colleague, Jiya simply shook her head. “I’m good with patients, asking people for money, yeah, no, not happening, can’t do it.” Shaking her head, Jiya blew out a breath and took a decent sized gulp of her champagne. If she didn’t get it together, she’d never secure a donation to her department. “Okay, fine, I’m going. Who am I talking to?” Scanning the room as her colleague pointed to a tall, blonde man on the other side of the room, Jiya nodded. “Just a normal conversation, I got this.”

Smoothing her dress down as she walked across the room of the marquee that had been erected just outside of the hospital, Jiya smiled as she reached the man, holding her hand out. “I know it’s a hospital fundraiser but surely it’s more fun than you look like you’re having? I haven’t seen you around before so I’m guessing you’re not a doctor? Jiya Padyar, nice to meet you.”

A do over date wasn’t something that Nina had thought that she would be up for - but alas, the woman was stunning and she had got her mind off Kat in the first place, so she figured it was worth trying again. First dates were hard, that much she knew, but the first date with Jiya ending in tears had been something new for Nina and she was hoping their first date re do would end on better terms. The rescue center for the wolves was a more interesting choice for their date but she supposed it was better than putting themselves back at the same bar to more vividly remember their first date. “Jiya, hi,” she smiled as she approached the woman, “looking beautiful as ever.”

-

“Hey, thank you for coming.” Blushing a little at the compliment, Jiya smiled, grateful that Nina didn’t seem to be holding a grudge over how their first date had ended. “Thank you, you look amazing as well, obviously.” Leaning over, the doctor hesitated for just a second before pressing a kiss to Nina’s cheek in greeting. “Did you want a coffee or anything before we head in? I know it’s a bit of an out there idea, I just thought it might be cool to do something different.” Gesturing to the coffee cart behind them, Jiya took a couple of steps towards it before retracing them. “I actually just want to apologise for what happened at the bar, I honestly didn’t see it coming and I probably wasn’t ready to start going on dates, but I promise it won’t happen again.” Nodding, Jiya smiled, knowing that it was fuelled by just how far she had come since that night. “So, coffee? Or are you more of a tea or hot chocolate person?”

…

Sophia watched as Jiya told Sam to go inside and leave them alone. Whatever was to come, Sophia didn’t back down because she didn’t feel any guilt in what she’d said given how she had also dimmed down the truth for the little boy. “Bye, Sam.” The brunette gave him a wave and then turned to his mother who was angry with her. To be expected. “What are you talking about?” Sophia asked because she was confused as to why the woman felt she was using her son against her. “I’m not using him to play a game or against you. You’re his mother and I’ve had a five second conversation with him.” One that was relatively innocent if someone looked back at the shared words. Evidently, whatever anger that Jiya felt came from within her than what Sophia had said. “I was far from Ravi’s friend and I understand why you might want to forget that because it probably makes you feel a lot better.” Her eyes moved over the brunette who she had grown to despise and have little respect for. “He was going to ask me to marry him. So calling me a friend dims the whole thing down.” Sophia wouldn’t have a say as to what she told her child but it felt like it was a means to make it seemed that she was no one when it was far from the truth. “I didn’t say anything that was false to your son. I didn’t even tell him the truth but if you can’t handle it then it sounds more like it’s a conversation you need to have with someone other than with me.” While there was jealousy on both sides, Sophia could have played her card a lot harder as she’d been the one who had lost so much. But she hadn’t given her any low blows or said anything horrible to her child. 

-

Maybe she shouldn’t have been so angry at Sophia, maybe she should’ve just taken Sam away and left the coffee shop together and avoided the situation all together, but something in Jiya had snapped. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back and she had seem to lost the ability to stay cool, calm, collected and carry on. “Are you seriously mad that I didn’t explain the nature of your relationship to my five year old son? How is that supposed to go exactly? No, you weren’t just Ravi’s friend, but it’s a damn sight easier for Sam to think that than trying to explain everything else and him just getting confused.” Rolling her eyes a little, Jiya blew out a heated breath. She didn’t want to make a scene and even thought Ravi being out of town had helped her start to move on, the pain of losing him was still pretty fresh. “It has nothing to do with me, Sophia! It’s about this situation being so complicated that neither of us really know the full story and Sam doesn’t need to know it. I’m sorry that you got screwed, okay, I am, I stayed away for so long to stop that happening, but your issues aren’t with me, they’re with Ravi. Next time you want to pass a message to Ravi, you can contact him yourself, leave my son out of it.” 

Pulling her scarf from around her neck, Jiya busied herself with rewrapping it to try and take a moment to calm down. “And what are you now exactly? Because that’s kind of all that matters right now. He’s still trying to get his head around the fact that his parents no longer live together and he rarely spends time with the both of us now, so why complicate his life any further? I’m sorry you’re still holding onto this, but my concern is not for you. I am not adding your history onto him when he’s still dealing with his parents splitting up. So, if my son could not be your real life version of Whatsapp, that would be great.”

[Sitting at the table, a beautiful woman in front of her, a few drinks in and another delicious cocktail in her hand, Jiya should’ve been having the time of her life on her first tinder date in years. Instead, as Nina asked a fairly normal question, Jiya felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Suddenly, she realised that she was on a date, but not with Ravi and it hit her like a ton of bricks as she realised just how over they really were. Unable to stop it, tears began flowing down her cheeks and as much as she tried to stop them, they just wouldn’t stop coming. “God, I am so sorry, I’m not a psycho, I promise.” Her voice was broken and quiet and she desperately tried to get a grip on herself. “Sorry, I just can’t, really, stop.”]

As she waited at the entrance to the wolf rescue centre, a slightly odd choice Jiya had made for a do-over date, she was sure that she was more nervous now than she had been before she’d walked into the bar for their first date those weeks ago. Taking a deep breath, the doctor took a few steps as she made the decision to grab a couple of hot drinks from the stall by the entrance, although she stopped half way there as she realised she wasn’t entirely sure what Nina would want to drink. Shaking out her gloved hands, she tried to get herself together. She was shocked Nina had even agreed to meet her again, but as she saw the girl approach, Jiya quickly fixed her hair before raising her hand in a wave. 

“Wine fueled is the important part of that statement,” the brunette teased the other. “I have bought my fair share of impulse buys after one too many glasses of wine, perhaps I ought to try Christmas shopping that way, it might go a little faster.” She spoke playfully, shaking her head at the thought. “That is probably the best way to go. Wrapping gifts can get tedious.” She admitted, “My siblings and I do our own wrapping, thankfully, not wanting anyone to get any bright ideas and accidentally spoil the surprise for the other.” Dilan told Jiya. “I’m glad you think so, really, I mean Providence Peak takes you by surprise.” It had for Dilan as well when she moved here. “I moved here, on a whim, simply because I took a job as the wedding planner for The Grape Escape. I thought I’d be foolish to pass up employment at a place with a pun name.” Dilan admitted to her, finding her cheeks reddening with a laugh that left her lips. “It’s hard not to spoil them, I know what you mean.” Her niece was only a few months old, but Dilan had bought her quite a bit and she always went overboard with her siblings.

-

Laughing softly, Jiya nodded in response. “It does make everything much more fun, I will admit. I did that a couple of years ago and to be honest, I forgot most of the things I’d ordered and most of them weren’t Christmas present worthy.” It was only since she had become a mother that the doctor had started taking Christmas really seriously. It had always been a fun family day, but now she had her own mini family, it meant a whole lot more. “I’ve never lived anywhere like this before, honestly. I’ve always lived in cities and although the job I was offered was perfect, I didn’t know if the small town, quiet life would suit me, but it’s amazing how much calmer you can feel in a place like this. It’s nice to speak to someone who gets it, you know? Moving here pretty randomly, it’s exactly what I needed.” Nodding, Jiya couldn’t help but laugh at the name of the company Dilan worked for. “It’s a good name, I don’t blame you at all. Where were you before?” Nodding, she stopped in front of one of the stalls, pointing to a delicate gold bracelet. “That’s cute, right? Like definitely cute enough to be a present from Sam to my mom?”