Unedited

Part - 39

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H.O.P.E - Hold. On. Pain. Ends.

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Kathryn burst into her hotel room and kicked the door to shut automatically. She headed straight to the mini fridge and grabbed a scotch bottle and directly drank from it without bothering to pour the drink in a glass.

"How dare he insults me?" Her breath raged and her whole body shook with blazing anger as she took a huge swig from the bottle.

"What all nonsense he spouted at me? Rascal! I should have given him couple more slaps" she talked to herself loudly as she angrily paced the room. Right then she heard a knock at the door.

"It must be him. I won't let him woo me" she walked to the door and shouted without opening the door "I don't want to see your ugly face. Get lost, you asshole."

"Kathryn, it's me, your Rishab uncle" he didn't discreetly follow her. He knew in which hotel she stayed. She had texted him sometimes back when she had arrived there.

Kathryn quickly opened the door and apologized for shouting at him. "Sorry. Sorry, uncle. I thought it was Arjun. Really sorry."

"It's okay. I understand that ugle face and asshole is not me" he said with a chuckle. "May I..." He gestured whether he could come in.

"Sure" she moved aside and let him walk in. She followed him after making sure Arjun wasn't with him and locking the door.

Rishab pulled a chair and sat on it. His eyes were fixed on the bottle sitting on coffee table.

"Were you drinking?" He asked bitterly. Kathryn sat on the edge of the bed with her head bowed down.

"Kathryn?" He called her authoritatively when she reminded silent.

"You want some, uncle?" She offered a drink.

"You want a slap from me?" He asked glaring at her.

"Are you here to give me back what I gave to your son?" She asked in a teasing tone. He couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head in negation. "He deserved that slap. In fact I would have given him a harder slap if you hadn't"

"Today is his birthday. I shouldn't have slapped him. I feel bad now" She said regretting her action. "I was clouded with anger so I... I am so sorry, uncle"

"I understand you, baby"

Kathryn crawled out of the bed and knelt in front of him. She took his hands in hers and said "You are the only one who understands my feeling even better than I do, uncle."

Rishab extricated one hand from her hold and caressed her hair affectionately. "Sit on the bed" he ordered softly. He hated people kneeling down in front of him.

She did as she was bid. Then he pulled his chair closer to her and took her hand in his. "What's happened to you, darling. You weren't like this when I had last seen you at the Airport. You have lost the spark in your eyes and you have lost so much weight. You almost look malnurished to me. Aren't you eating at all?" he asked showing fatherly concern.

Kathryn took a deep breath before opening up to him. "Uncle, I have a lot to share with you which I can't even share with Arjun"

"Go ahead and unburden everything to me. I won't judge you." He promised.

"Firstly, I have a doubt, uncle"

"What doubt?"

"Uncle, how come Arjun knew about Alex?" She asked with a confused frown. "Was he spying on me?"

"No..." Before he could say Arjun saw her wedding photo with Alex on Facebook, she continued talking. "I agree he tried to... He tried to take advantage... But I didn't let him, uncle. I swear I didn't... Even though I was highly drunk I was under total control... but this stupid guy failed to believe me..."

"What? He forced himself on you?" He asked angrily as his blood boiled.

"Calm down, uncle. Nothing big happened." He just gave me a bruising kiss and took me by complete surprise. "He was under a misconception. He said he loves me but I made it clear to him that the feeling is not mutual."

"Then why you married him?" Rishab asked.

"Married? Who? Me?" Kathryn looked puzzled before laughing out loud.

"Who told you that I married him?" She laughed again. "Oh Jesus! I am just 20. Who will think about marriage at this young age?"

"Arjun didn't spy on you. He just..." He fished out his phone and opened his FB page and showed the post Alex had shared. "...saw this wedding pic of yours and this boy Alex's. What explanation you have for this?"

"He saw this darn pic and assumed I was married? Is this the reason why he asked me 'was I honeymooning in France with Alex?' Gah!" She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "What am I going to do with this silly boy?" Now she didn't know whether to laugh or get angry on him.

"It's a pic from a ramp Alex and I walked together, uncle"

"Oh"  Rishab sighed in relief. His gut instinct was right yet again. She wasn't married.

"Yeah-oh!" she scoffed realizing even he had thought she was married. "Alex's mom is a famous bridal dress designer in New York. Every year, she displays her collections in New York fashion week... Um, it's a fashion industry event."

"Okay"

"This year she took part in Paris fashion week and I had gone there along with her and Alex."

"Why?"

"As I said earlier, I walked the ramp for her. I am a model. I get paid for modelling."

"Oh"

She took her phone and showed him a video taken from the ramp.

"You look stunning, Kathryn" he appreciated her beauty and grace. His eyes didn't even take a look at the man walking beside her holding her hand. His eyes admired only the beautiful girl in pearl white bridal gown.

She swiped her phone screen and showed him couple more videos of her.

"This pic is from a photoshoot I did for a magazine"

"You look like a goth in this pic with dark dramatic makeup" he commented honestly.

Kathryn fell back on the bed and laughed. "You don't like makeup, uncle?"

"Definitely not these smoky eyes, black lips and cake-face" he made a face looking at the photo once again. "I like you the most when you're natural and makeup free."

"You sound like Arjun" she said with a chuckle.

"Arjun knows about this?" he asked referring to her doing modelling.

"He knows and he doesn't like it. He often says I am studying M.B.B.S, not some ordinary degree... my focus should be fully on studies, not on modelling... Blah blah blah..." 

"He is right. Why do you do this, Kathryn?

"I am not doing modelling by choice. I am forced to do it, uncle" she said helplessly.

"Who is forcing you?"

"Simran and Liam" she said without any emotion.

"Your parents?"

She nodded her head affirmatively. "They told me to move back to US."

"Why?" He asked shocked.

"They want me to take modelling as my career so that they can make money. They can find investors for their business through me. The perks are many but nothing in my favour."

"This is atrocious!"

"I know. I said 'no, I want to study medicine' but Simran didn't listen to me. She seized my passport and credit cards. She threatened to never let me step out of New York."

"Then how did you convince her?"

"I threatened her back. I told her I would slit my veins. She panicked and gave my things back"

"What?" He asked in disbelief. She threatened her mother to kill herself? 

"She knew I don't make empty threats because I had already done something like this..."

"You attempted suicide?"

"Not exactly but I had caused many physical damages to myself. I had slit my upper body...." She shivered remembering the pain she had to endure then.

"Why?" Rishab gently placed his hand on her left cheek and caressed it.

"To look ugly" she whispered.

"Oh Kathryn" he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, securely.

"I was 16 when Simran and Liam pushed me into this glamour world. I hated being a glamour model, always posing in swimsuit and lingerie. I wanted to bring an end to it... I thought if I had scars in my body it wouldn't look sexy and I wouldn't have to show it to the world." She paused and shook her head feeling silly of herself now for taking that stupid move. "But that plan failed when they made me get plastic surgery."

"Drugs, drinks, self-harming... What else this girl has done to spoil herself?" He thought dreadfully.

"Kathryn, promise me you will never ever do something reckless like this. Promise me." Rishab stretched out his palm and insisted her to promise.

"Don't worry, uncle. I am far from being suicidal..." She reassured him. "I am actually enjoying my life now..." With your son! She wanted to add but she didn't.

"Taking drugs were also a part of your plan to look ugly?"

"Not just that reason. I also wanted to bury the pain of being lonely and unloved under something powerful so I took drugs. And it really helped me in many ways. For one, it brought me closer to Arjun" she said with a bright smile.

"Why didn't you share all this with Arjun but me?"

"Arjun doesn't have the patience to listen to the whole story, uncle. The moment I say I got drunk and Alex tried to drug me and bed me, he would frame things in his head and accuse me that I had let him have me." She said in disgust.

"Kathryn..."

"I am not a cheap girl, uncle." Her words came in a hoarse whisper and a lone tear dropped from her left eye. "I will never deceive, Arjun. I may not love him but I know he loves me and I value it..."

"Kathryn, he didn't mean anything he said. Trust me. He was so angry and miserable since the day you left to US..."

"Even I was miserable, uncle. I didn't even have a supporting family to cheer me up. I was all by myself. I couldn't even contact him because I knew I would miss him terribly and that would make me even miserable. I worked round the clock and completed my work two weeks earlier and came here for whom? For this boy only, right? But he? He said all those cheap things about me in front of his whole family and humiliated me yet again. Do I deserve this, uncle?" She asked with her eyes brimming with tears

"No, baby, you don't. You deserve love and respect and you will get it from all us. I promise." he hugged her and ruffled her hair.

"You were right, uncle. I didn't know him at all. I thought he was a sweet guy but he is not. No, actually he is sweet but only to his family, not to me. I am no one to him."

"Kathryn, no, please don't talk like that. You mean a lot to him." He cupped her face and reassured her. "He loves his mother more than his own life but he is ready to fight against her for you. Doesn't that prove what place you hold in his heart?"

Kathryn just stared at him taking in everything he said.

"Arjun is very serious and possessive about you. He doesn't like you closeness with Alex and that's why he burst out when you took his name."

"Alex is my only friend, uncle. I can't let him go for Arjun."

"You still consider him as a friend?"

"Yes, I do. I am mad at him now but I will forgive him, eventually, for crossing his limit."

"Kathryn, he is trying to split you and Arjun. Can't you see that? He deliberately posted that picture on FB and tagged it to you knowing full well Arjun would notice it. He even captioned the pic as "Soulmates". Is he your soulmate?

"No, uncle. His mother's bridal dress boutique's name is 'Soulmates' so he would have captioned it like that..."

"Stop giving me lame excuses, Kathryn. Even you know he meant you two as soulmates and not just promoting his mother boutique."

"Alright, uncle. He may think whatever he wants but I know for sure, this 'A' is not my soulmates. There is another 'A' whom I believe to be my soulmate."

"Arjun?" He asked for confirmation.

Kathy bit her lower lip and nodded her head. Rishab smiled and planted a kiss affectionately on her head.

"Thanks for coming here and making me feel better, uncle. I think now you should go. It's late, already."

"Um... Actually I came here to take you along with me."

"No, no, uncle. I am not coming. I can't face your family now, especially Arjun."

"Baby, you're not staying alone here. I care for your safety so you take your things and come with me now without throwing any tantrums" he said sternly.

"Uncle..."

"No arguments! Come." He stood up and held out his hand for her to take.

"Fine, I will come but I have a condition"

"What?"

"Your son should not come closer to me"

"Okay. I will order him to stay away from you."

She smiled and collected her backpack and clutch from the bed. She politely refused Rishab's offer to carry her bag. After checking out from the hotel, they walked to Inayat's house in silence.

--0--

"Is your cheek still paining, Arjun?" Naira asked gently caressing her brother's back. She was the only one sitting with him now. Dadi and Madhu had gone to bed sometimes back.

Madhu was so upset with her son for using such mean language on a girl but she spared him from her scolding as it was his birthday, today.

Veer had taken Inayat to their room to console her. She started crying the moment Kathryn slapped Arjun and walked out of the house. She blamed herself for whatever happened tonight as she was the one who invited Kathryn.

"No, Naira di." he said rubbing his face with his palm. "I am actually happy that she slapped me and brought me out of my irrational anger. I would have said lot more worse things to her if she hadn't stopped me"

"You already said a lot, Arjun. If your words could wound me then think about Kathryn?" She asked softly.

"I know, di. I fucked up again." He held his head in his hands feeling guilty.

"It's okay. You apologize to her. She will..."

He cuts her off and said "She won't forgive me. It's over between us"

"You don't decide that, Arjun. She will understand you. If not, dad will make her understand. See, by morning she will be here to have breakfast with us and then we will all go out for sightseeing. There we will celebrate your birthday in the most memorable way."

"I wish this happens" he said taking hold of his sister's hand.

--0--

"I ruined Arjun's birthday, Veer" Inayat said sadly drawing random patterns on his chest.

"Stop blaming yourself, Inayaa. You wanted to surprise him so you invited Kathryn to his party but he lost his temper and said those horrible things to that poor girl. It's his fault, not yours." He drew her closer to him and pressed his lips on her temple.

"Why he behaved like that, Veer?" She asked leaning up and looking at her husband face. "He is very sweet and kind to everyone but to her? So rude and mean. She was so hurt when she felt and this happened for the second, that too because of me."

"Arjun has anger issues, Inayat. He screams. He shouts. He scolds but never means a word he says." He said knowing his brother would be in more pain, at the moment, than anyone else. "It will take time for you and Kathryn to understand his nature."

"He is very sensitive and emotional. Even two days back he cried hugging me like a baby. He expressed how much he loves Kathryn. He said he wanted her back in his life but he kept a dead line. He said he would wait for her only till his birthday."

"What nonsense? If she hadn't come he would forget her?"

"I didn't know what he would decide. I just wanted them together so I thought to do something. I called uncle and asked for Kathryn's number. He gave me but said she wasn't attending anyone's call since last two weeks. Still I tried and Alhamdullilah, I got her on-line. She said she was back from States yesderday morning and she was getting ready to see Arjun. I told her we all are here and I invited her to come here and celebrate his birthday with us. She hesitated at first but agreed when I insisted. She wanted to surprise him too..."

"You did the right thing, Inayat." He said half sleepily.

"But nothing happened rightly, Veer"

Veer sighed. He had a long day and he was feeling hell tired. His eyelids were getting heavy and he couldn't keep them open for long. He just wanted to close them and sleep deeply but his wife wasn't letting him.

"Inayaa, we will do something tomorrow, um... today and bring her back here"

"Really?"

"Yes, now sleep" he loosely hung his arm around her waist and closed his eyes only to open the next moment hearing the door knock.

He groaned before rolling off the bed and walking to the door. Inayat sat up on the bed and adjusted her clothes.

--0--

"Kathy" Arjun yelled her name when she walked into the house with his dad.

He stood up and was about to rush to her but stopped when his dad gestured him to stop. "Stay where you are, Arjun!"

"Dad, please. Let me talk to her." he pleaded and looked at Kathryn but she had head downcast, her fingers fisted. She was scared she might punch him if she looked into his eyes.

Rishab glared at him and took Kathryn to Inayat's room.

"Veer, can Kathryn stay with Inayat in this room?" he asked to a surprised Veer. He didn't expect to see Kathryn there.

"Inayaa" he moved aside and revealed who was standing outside the door to Inayat.

"Oh my Allah! You are here?" Inayat jumped out of the bed and ran to Kathryn. "I am so sorry" she threw herself at her and apologized to her. "And thank you so much for coming back."

"Inu di, don't cry. I am alright." Kathryn said with a genuine smile. She liked Inayat since the day she met her but since yesterday morning, after the phone call with her, she felt a strange bond with her.

"Inu di?" Inayat asked in surprise.

"Um... I thought... I..." Kathy flushed in embarrassment.

"I like it" Inayat pecked Kathryn's cheek before taking her into the room. Naira joined them after pushing her twin brother out and locking the door.

There were only two bedrooms. Dadi and Madhu occupied one room. Inayat, Naira and Kathryn occupied another room leaving the three men, Rishab, Veer and Arjun to sleep on the floor, in the living room.

Since Veer was exhausted he slept peacefully even on the hard wooden floor. Rishab was about to sleep when Arjun started. "Dad? What she said to you? Is she still angry on me? How you convinced her to come back? Dad, answer me please?"

"Sleep, Arjun!" That was all he said before he dozed off.

--0--

Arjun tossed and turned on the floor but sleep was far away for him. He got up and laid on the couch hoping the chance of place would help him to sleep but nothing worked.

He positioned himself towards the direction of the bedroom where the young ladies were sleeping. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and his heart almost leapt out of his chest when Kathryn walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen.

He silently watched her rummaging for something in the fridge.

She found a loaf of bread and some cheese slices.

She made a quick sandwich and started munching from it.

Arjun sneaked into the kitchen and standing behind her, he watched her eat heartily.

Within seconds, she was done with her first sandwich and was about to make another one when someone placed a bowl in front of her from behind.

She tilted her head up and looked straight at Arjun's eyes as he was looking down at her with a soft smile.

"Eat this, baby" he pressed her shoulder forcing her to sit down and eat. Kathy looked at his hand on her shoulder and then look at Arjun's eyes. Actually, she glared at him murderously, silently asking him to take his hand off her. 

"Okay, cool. I won't touch you." He raised his palms up and took a step back. "I know you are hungry so you eat first and then we can fight"

She pushed the bowl away from her.

"Inayat bhabhi made this pulav." He opened the lid of the bowl and pushed it closer to Kathy. "I bet you will love it." He took a spoon and gave it to her.

She snatched it from his hand and started eating. She was too hungry to fight with him.

He let her eat the pulav and went to the fridge to find something else to offer for her to eat. "Chicken gravy? Over! Matter paneer? Over! Kheer? Yes! Cake? Yes!"

He dished out some kheer in a ceramic bowl and a humongous cake slice in a plate.

"Dessert, ma'am" he placed the kheer bowl and cake plate in front of her.

She ate the kheer first in silence and then started with the cake. He watched her with a smile.

"Kathy, baby, I am sorry" Arjun knelt down on the floor next to her chair. She held the spoon mid-air and watched him intently. "I know I hurt you but please talk to me"

She shook her head in negation.

"You can punish me for hurting you but not this way. Hit me if you want. I won't mind but talk to me. Please."

She resumed eating his birthday cake and refused to talk.

"Kathy, I had missed your voice for two weeks already. I can't take it anymore. Please, talk or simply yell at me."

He sighed when he got silence from her side.

He stood up and sat on the chair.

She finished eating everything but still sat there as if waiting for him to talk further.

"You left me saying you were going to do something you didn't want to do. You didn't call me or texted me once since you landed there. You completely forgot me. When I called you that day you were in a bar with Alex and I saw him kiss you, kiss my girlfriend." He fisted his hands tightly till his knuckles turn white. "And few days later, I saw a wedding pic of you two. What conclusion you would make with all these events?" He asked her.

She gaped at him, mutely.

"Now, I know you are not married and it's a big sigh of relief"

She narrowed her eyes wondering how he figured it out.

"Your slap told me everything loud and clear." He answered her unanswered question. "You're still my girl" he said with an arrogant possessive smile.

"Baby, stop giving me this angry glare"

Her look didn't change.

"Okay, I agree. I used extreme words. I am sorry. I should have listened to you before shouting at you but I didn't...so sorry again."

She turned her face away from him.

"I know saying sorry will not ease your pain but I don't know what else to say. Do you want me to apologize to you in front of my family? I will... I will do anything for you. Just tell me?"

"God! Kathy!" he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She didn't pull her hand much to his surprise. "This silence from you is killing me more than you saying you hate me. Please talk to me"

"At least, tell me what should I say? What would you like to hear from me? God, I am clueless"

"Tell me you love me" finally she uttered those words in mere whisper. He blinked his eyes twice in shock.

"Tell me?" She insisted as she wanted to hear him say his love for her.

"Oh darling, I love you" he held her face in his hands and kissed her lips tenderly and she responded to his kiss.

... To be continued!

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