Chapter Twenty-six.

'Yeah.' Lina chortled dryly.

'I'd like that very much.' She said, and Catherine proceeded to the kitchen. 

She retrieved a bottle of tequila from her grandmother's antique cupboard, and took two glasses from the rack.

The tequila has been in the house for God knows how long.

And Catherine wouldn't have dared to have a shot of it, on a normal day.

But Lina's bad mood gave room for an exception. No other moment could be the more perfect to finally open that bottle of liquor.

She approached Lina, who now leaned her back against the wall, still sobbing but now quietly.

Catherine joined her on the floor, setting the down the bottle of liquor, and glasses down along side.

She went on to open the bottle, and poured a liberal amount of its content into each glasses.

Then lifted both glasses in her hands, passing one of it to her sister. 

'Thanks.' Lina voiced, taking the glass from Catherine. 

'You're welcome.' Catherine uttered, her tone almost inaudible.

Lina lifted her glass to her lips, and held it there for a moment, inhaling the musk of the liquor, before finally taking a big sip.

'Ughhh!!' She expressed in disgust.

'How beautiful.' Catherine shot at her sarcastically, lifting her glass to take a sip too.

Lina's gaze, still simmering with unshed tears, shifted to her sister's hand cradling her glass.

She watched her sister take a sip from the glass of tequila, without expressing any form of irritation. 

'You must really be a drunk.' Lina spoke, and Catherine shot her a stare in between her sip.

Then she moved her glass away from her lips, setting it on her thigh.

'I mean, you took a big sip from your glass so gracefully.' Lina further explained 

'It actually wasn't a big sip, Lina.' Catherine countered. 

'Taking sips, and swallowing slowly is an hack to drink gracefully.' She uttered, and Lina raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. 

'Mmmmmphh.' She scoffed, and Catherine snickered.

'Are you going to tell me what is going on with you or we are just going to seat this way and drink all night?' Catherine questioned out of the blue.

'Catherine....' Lina breathed.

'I may have made the biggest mistake of my life today.' She stated.

'What do you mean by that?' Catherine asked. 

'Did something happen between Arnold and you?' She added.

The accuracy of her curiosity on the turn of event a while ago, sent a wave of bittersweet rush down Lina's spine.

'Yeah.' Lina heard herself admit to her sister, which she normally wouldn't. 

'Arnold kissed me.' She blurted bluntly.

Then stopped to think why she was even having that conversation with her sister.

Was it because she trusted Catherine so much, or was it the alcohol starting to kick in.

'You kissed Arnold?!' Catherine expressed, bewildered. 

'That is not what I said, Catherine.' Lina protested.

'He kissed me.' She added.

'Is that so?' Catherine asked almost in a whisper.

'Uhmmm hummm.' Lina hummed, nodding.

'But, you kissed him back. Did you not?' Catherine fired, sending a fluster to rise in Lina's skin.

'Well, I couldn't resist.' She gave in, and Catherine squealed in excitement. 

'Oh my goodness!!' She exclaimed.

'Don't scream.' Lina retorted. 

'Mom could come down any minute if she heard us.' She added. 

'I knew it.' Catherine set her glass down, giving her sister a big hug.

'I knew there was something there for you both.' She said and Lina stared at her totally confused. 

'I'm so happy for you.' Catherine went on.

'There is nothing to be happy about, Cat.' Lina proclaimed.

'Kissing Arnold wasn't something I should have done, and judging by the turn of events tonight, I doubt I will be seeing any of him before returning to Turkey.' Her word came of like a force, withdrawing Catherine's hug back to herself.

'Wait, Lina.' Catherine muttered. 

'Do not know tell me you flipped out on him after you kissed?' She questioned.

'I didn't exactly flip out, I just saw...' Lina started, but her voice trailed off, because Catherine was the very last person she would tell about the haunting images in her head.

The haunting images that tormented her in her sleep almost every night.

The images that started all her problems in the first place, sending her very far away.

Catherine's stare pierced right into her soul, expecting to hear Lina talk to her.

'What did you see?' She asked.

'It's complicated.' Lina rebutted. 

'Explain to me in the most plain words as possible, I will understand.' Catherine uttered in a very sincere manner.

'Well, Catherine.....' Lina voice came out so lowly.

'Arnold deserves better.' She said eventually. 

'He deserves someone who can love him the way he should be loved.' She added.

'Why can that person be you, Lina?' Catherine queried. 

'You don't understand.' Lina countered. 

'I walked out on us years ago.' She added. 

'But he is giving you another chance to do right by him.' Catherine's frame moved unsteadily as she spoke.

'I can't do that, Catherine.' Lina rebutted. 

'Why not?' Catherine shot, searching Lina's eyes. 

'I don't want history repeating itself.' Lina responded, setting her glass down to the floor also.

'And what is that supposed to mean?' Catherine sent a puzzled look.

'I am to return to work in less than a month, Cat.' Lina got up the floor.

'I may not return until Christmas, and an absent partner isn't what Arnold needs right now.' She stated.

'Doesn't help with Frederick being in the picture.' She added. 

'So you have a problem with him being a father?' Catherine rose to her feet also.

'Not all all.' Lina clasped her hand against her face.

'I just don't want to break Frederick's beautiful heart again, like Lori did.' She explained. 

'If he gets used to me always being around, my return to Turkey will be me betraying him.' She concluded. 

'Then, stay.' Catherine blurted. 

'Don't return to the Middle East. That way you have no need worrying about breaking Frederick's trust or not.' She remarked.

'Catherine, I can't do that.' Lina moved from the hallway to the dining area, with Catherine following suit.

'You are never going to open your heart up to us ever again, will you?' Catherine pointed out.

'What did we ever do to you?' She went on to say.

'How grievous may our sins be that makes you detest us so much?' She queried.

'What are you talking about?' Lina turned, searching her sister's face. 

'You hypocrite,' Catherine spewed angrily, making Lina's eyebrows furrow.

'Do you have any idea how much hurt your absence caused us?' Catherine shot. 

'How many nights mom cried herself to sleep, because her daughter refused to return home.' She added.

'How heartbreaking it was to see our calls and messages get ignored by someone we loved and cared for.' Tears summoned up in Lina's eyes, listening to her sister speak.

'I was ignored totally at some point, because all what mom and dad worried about was you.' Catherine shrieked. 

'Catherine, please....' Lina cried.

'Enough of the fake tears.' Catherine's voice cracked on each syllables. 

'Stop pretending to care for us when you actually don't.' She fired.

'I really do. I care about you all.' Lina sobbed disheartenedly. 

'But, it is hard for me. It is really difficult to live here pretending to be happy. Or like everything is okay.' She mustered. 

'What do you mean, Lina?' Catherine questioned.

'Are you trying to blame us for your choice of being absent in our lives? Gosh, the level of gaslight.' She shot.

'You're the one who just didn't care enough.' She pointed, before Lina could speak.

'That is such an unfair thing to say, Cat.' Lina's voice shook as she spoke, her emotion on the brink of collapse. 

'I would have stayed if I could.' She gasped for air, proceeding to Catherine who held her hand up, halting her.

'Why can't you?' Catherine's word trembled, fighting back tears.

Lina shook her head, struggling to compose herself. 

'It's only fair that you gave me a good reason for your absence.' Catherine went on to say. 

'What did we do to you, Lina?' She asked. 

'Why did you leave without returning until nana died?' She shot, and Lina's heart pounded so fast.

'How deep must our offense have cut for you to forfeit your happiness also in response?' She added.

'I'm sorry.' Lina whispered through sniffles. 

'Don't apologise to me. Just give me an explanation.' Catherine's voice cracked with rage, as she sobbed.

'Talk?!' She blared, watching her sister stand tongue tied. 

'Catherine...' Lina whispered, her tone firm and unyielding. 

'So you really have no explanation for what you did?' Catherine's words caught in her throat as she realised her sister's resolve to remain tight lipped.

'You are even worse than I thought.' Her accusation hurled at Lina in a scathing tone, setting her off.

'Running off for no reason?' She went on.

'I will never do something so despicable....' 

Her words were left hanging as she was abruptly cut off.

'Rich coming from you, considering you're not the one who's been left to pick up the pieces of a shattered trust.' Lina snapped.