Rain Again (Completed)

Chapter 7

Past has its own weird ways of creeping up on us when we least expect it. It's like our shadow, always after us.

"Neil...," Kate stuttered in shock.

The flashbacks of that night came rushing before her eyes, they roused from the suppressed section of her mind to cause havoc so painful. She recalled all that Neil had been saying on the phone that night, among many other wounds his betrayal was one of them that she would never be able to forget.

There was a mix of emotions playing on Neil's face. He was happy to see his friend after so long but at the same time, his heart clenched imagining what all she might have gone through after...

"Kate," Neil muttered, a ball of emotion as if permanently lodged inside his throat. "God! Kate... you... my God, Kate...," he became a blabbering fool as he cupped her cheek in joy and in worry.

Kate was yanked back into the present hearing his voice, she shot back, shoving his hand away, and was about to leave, but Neil caught her wrist hurriedly.

He had a smile of relief creeping up on his lips now, he felt like he could finally breathe now that his search was over. At last, he had found her best friend. "Where the hell were you, Kate? I was looking for you every-freaking-where! Are you alright? Where are you staying?" There were endless questions and he had just started. But most of his queries got their answers automatically as he stared at her eyes, those soulful eyes had lost their lives in them and had dark circles surrounding them. Her pale gone face, the loss of weight - everything about her screamed it out loud that she was not fine. She looked broken but still somehow hanging on by a thread.

Kate laughed sarcastically, the coldness in her tone was bone-chilling.

Neil's heart lurched painfully.

"You want an answer after what you've done to me?" Kate hissed.

Neil shook his head furiously. "Kat..."

"Don't." She cut in, her voice cracking with emotion. "It's still hard for me to believe that my best friend out of all people ruined me. With just a few morphed photographs you managed to make me a slut in his eyes! Such an easy success, Neil. Well, congrats about that." Kate choked, tears streaming down her face. "How could you...? How could you stoop that low, Neil!"

"I did not!" Neil gritted out, his fists clenching in desperation. "Trust me, Kate. That night... whatever you heard - you heard just bits and pieces and clearly, you misunderstood. I had nothing to do with the photographs, Kate. You need to trust me on this!"

"Maybe, you're right. Maybe." Kate shook her head, sobbing. "But how would that change what has already happened?" It was not hard to hear the genuineness in his voice, to read it in his eyes but... so much had already been destroyed and the truth hardly anymore mattered.

Neil's eyes were blurring with liquid as well seeing Kate in such a vulnerable state. He wanted his friend back. He hoped she was still not lost from him.

In another desperate attempt, Neil held Kate's shoulders, trying to calm her. "I understand you have gone through a lot but we can prove that you..."

"Prove?!" That made Kate snap suddenly and she pushed away from Neil violently. "Can't you see it doesn't matter to me anymore? Nothing will be able to bring back my dead child! Nothing..!"

A bitter laugh came out of her lips as she backed away another step seeing Neil freeze in his spot. Now the dam has broken - Kate found it hard to stop. "According to Alex, it was your bas*ard. My baby!"