A/N: Tere ore just randomly started playing on the radio just as I started writing this chapter (And it happens to be one of my favourite Katrina Kaif songs)... Followed by a whole lot of Priyanka Chopra songs i.e., Pyaar Ki Ek Kahani (Krrish), Aas Paas Khuda (Anjaana Anjaana)... Is this some sign from the universe??? XD

Session time, which means it's a long chapter ahead!!! Grab some popcorn because it's going to a bumpy ride...

Aaannnndddd, it's Priyanka Chopra's birthday!!! So, happy birthday PeeCee!!! Keep on rocking!!!

***

After two sessions of meeting Ayesha or Sunny at the door, Raina was in a bit of a shock when she finds Kabir opening the door for her.

"Hi," he said, greeting her.

"Hi," she replied. "How are you today?"

"You saw me two days ago," he answered. "What do you think?"

"Well," she said, sheepishly. "I'd say you look well."

He smiled at her. A genuine smile. "Thanks," he told her.

He then ushered her into the living room and took their respective seats.

"Ayesha and Sunny finally trust me enough to leave me at home alone," he told her. "They've gone shopping for... A wedding..."

"I see," she said. Raina could see a pang of sorrow in his eyes. She decided it would be better to change the topic to avoid dampening the mood so early in in their session. "So, how many layers of the Kabir tiramisu did you manage to uncover since last week?"

"Honestly," he replied. "None."

"And why, may I ask?" Raina asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Kabir felt as though he has taken a step to the past. He felt like a schoolboy being chastised for not passing up his school work.

"I was afraid," he replied. "Dekhiye (You see), it's not that I don't want to share but... There's a whole lot of mess inside me. And from where I come from, I hate feeling helpless. That's why it took me such a long time to find help and that's also why I snapped at you during the first session."

Raina gave him a sincere smile.

"I know it's only been three weeks," she informed him. "But you've already made so much progress from the first time we met. Pride is something we hold on to so tightly that sometimes, we wear it like an armour to protect ourselves. Do you find it hard to admit your mistakes or to let go of that pride?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Do you know why?" Raina asked.

"I think it's my personality," he replied. "I was always a rebel and a sore looser."

"I see," she noted as she jotted it down in her notes. "So, I guess it must have been hard for you to be doing these therapy sessions?"

"Like I said, I don't like the feeling of helplessness," he answered. "I initially wanted to make things hard for everyone so that I didn't have to continue."

"What changed your mind?" Raina prodded.

"You," he replied. Raina averted her gaze from him, a tinge of red creeping up her cheeks. "You were different, you had no preconceived notions, you didn't judge me for being an alcoholic. For the first time in a while, I was finally meeting someone as the real Kabir Varma not 'Kabir Varma the fallen rockstar'. However, I will admit that as much as I enjoy the sessions, I still hated Ayesha and Sunny for making me do this."

"Well," Raina said. "I'm glad I could help." Doctor Malhotra's words rang in her ears. But Raina, give it a thought, woh bechara ko help ki bohot zaroorat hai. And you might be his only hope. Raina took a breath before continuing. "So, how are you coping? I did reduce the prescription."

"I can feel a bit of the withdrawal symptoms rather than being completely in control," he stated. "But I also know that if I continue the prescriptions at that dosage, I'd get addicted to the medication instead and it's going to be worse than alcohol."

"How bad or strong are the withdrawal symptoms?" Raina asked. Maybe, she made a mistake.

"Not too bad actually, it's already better," he replied. "Especially when I keep myself occupied but I notice I'm still more prone to feel agitated."

"Is your agitation manageable?" Raina further asked.

"Yes," he answered. "But it's more of a 'I have so much energy that has been pent up for so long and I can't do anything about it' type of agitation."

"Hmm," she noted down. "You're feeling restless?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Do you do anything in your free time?" Raina asked.

"I'm trying to write new songs," he said sheepishly. Right under Ayesha's nose. "I exercise too."

"Does it help?" Raina continued.

"Yes but there are only so many push up and sit ups that I can do though," he replied, jokingly.

"Right," she said. "What about the wedding? Will you be attending too?"

Kabir's mood suddenly changed. Before he could make a wrong move, he reminded himself that she was innocent. She didn't know about him and Tara. Although, it didn't help that it hurt.

"I don't know," he replied. "I'm not comfortable with this, topic change karo. (Change the topic.) Please?"

"Does this have to do with the someone who left?" Raina asked.

Kabir could feel the agitation and the memories flooding back. It was so livid as if it just happened.

"But I love you, Tara."

"And I loved you too."

"Don't do this to me...?"

"I'm sorry."

I hate you Tara Rai!

"Kabir?" Raina's voice was like a lifeline, slowly pulling him back to reality. "Kabir? Kya hua? (What happened?) Are you alright?"

"No," he replied though gritted teeth. "I hate her..."

"Who?" Raina asked.

"Tara Rai," he said. Raina confirmed her suspicions. "I hate Tara Rai!"

Instead of breaking into a rage tantrum like what Raina had expected him to do, he started sobbing instead.

At that exact moment, Ayesha and Sunny walked through the door. Ayesha wanted to run to her brother's defense but Sunny stopped her and her gaze landed at Raina who gives her a mixture of an apologetic and assuring look. They left without a word and before Kabir could notice their presence. Ayesha hated seeing her brother so helpless but Raina was a professional and she knew what she was doing. If they had asked for her help, they were going to have to trust her. Moreover, Kabir had changed so much since he started therapy.

"But you also still love her too?" Raina said. "Don't you?"

Kabir nodded between sobs. She let him cry a while longer to let up his pent up emotions out. Once he had cried enough, Kabir takes a deep breath, to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry," Raina said. She had to choose her next words correctly. One small slip up could undo all the progress they made. "I'm sorry for asking about the wedding. I didn't know." Lies! It was the only thing the gossip news channels talked about.

"For a professional," Kabir said between breaths. "You really don't do your homework." He then lets out a few weak chuckles. "How can you expect your patients to do their homework then?"

Raina couldn't help but laugh along. Wow, leave it up to Kabir to make a joke at such a pivotal moment. Kabir never ceased to amaze her. Suddenly, she feels bad for betraying his trust. After all, she did Google him too.

"Fine," she replied. "I'll do my homework and you do yours."

Kabir then took a long sniff and wiped off his face using his sleeves. Raina couldn't help but grimace. She passed him a tissue from a nearby box. "Here use this, it's more hygienic."

"Thanks," he said. "I'm fine now. Tara Rai mere girlfriend the (Tara Rai was my girlfriend). She left me for an ex-band mate."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she told him. She wasn't going to push him for an answer.

"But I need to," he answered. "If I don't, I don't think I'll ever have the courage to do this again." Raina nodded and he continued. Today, Kabir Varma is going to face his demons. "She was one of my first friends, which meant that we did almost everything together. Tara, Sunny, Ayesha and I. I have always found her so different, she would make up her mind and then do it with full determination. It didn't mattered if it was almost impossible or it was not normal. And she definitely didn't care about what others or 'society' would say. I found that quality of hers so enduring and so attractive. I decided to take a chance and we got together just as we were about to graduate high school. I still remember the way she smiled when she told me that 'it took long enough'. She was amazing. And then, VKAS happened. I met Vishal in college, the... her... Dulha..." Kabir stopped and took a deep breath. He was going to need all the courage to finish the story.

Raina then went over to him and held his hands. She gave them a reassuring squeeze then looked him in the eyes. "Kabir, you can stop anytime you want, Kabir. No one is going to force anything more out of you against your will. Not even me, ok?"

Kabir nodded and then continued. "Vishal and I met in college, he was Sunny's friend from his business course, who also has quite a knack for music. Sunny basically forced us to get to know each other when he offered Vishal to shifted into our rented house. Soon enough, we formed VKAS, Rahul Oberoi found us and we became stars. My parents weren't happy with it and it basically caused us to disband. I decided to continue pursuing a music career despite their constant protest. I became popular and fame got into my head. I begun to focus so much on my career that it dictated my life. I lost myself in the midst of it and Tara... She left me... She told me I changed and I was no longer the Kabir that she knew. I wanted to change for her but she said it was too late, too much had happened. And I hate her for that, for not fighting enough for us, for not giving us another chance. But I also love her and I missed her so, so much. I really screwed up."

Raina gave him a sympathetic smile and returned to her seat. She decided he needed a bit of space to recover from that.

Kabir suddenly felt warm liquid trickle down his face. He hadn't realized that he was crying again.

"I'm sorry," he told her, wiping the tears off with the tissue she gave him earlier.

"Don't be," she replied. "I'm here to help you."

Kabir lets out a smile. "Then, I'm glad that you're here to help me."

Raina returns the smile. Brown meets brown and their gaze lingered on in silence. It was Kabir that broke the trance.

"So, what did you plan for today?" Kabir asked. "Before all that?"

Raina snapped out of the trance. Professional, Raina! Be professional! "Woh... Umm... I thought of playing another game with you but what we did was good as well."

"It doesn't stop the pain though," he told her.

"It really doesn't," she replied. "But I'm glad you are willing to share his with me. We have another 15 minutes left, do you still want to try out the game?"

"Sure," Kabir answered. "What is it?"

"Never have I ever," she said.

Kabir scrunched up his face in confusion. "Never have I ever?" Kabir asked. What new game is this?

"Basically, I'm going to give you a few statement and you're going to react to it," she explained as she handed him a card.  "On one side of the card, it says 'Have' and the other, 'Never'. If you have done it, show 'Have', if not, 'Never'. And if you feel uncomfortable with the question, let me know."

"Cool," he said, bracing himself for the worse.

"Ok," she said. "Can we still talk about Tara or do you want to change topic."

Kabir tensed up. "Tara," he said confidently.

"Are you sure?" Raina asked.

"Yes," Kabir replied. No more running, Kabir. Let's end this today.

"Ok," Raina said. "Never have I ever tried to change her mind."

Have.

"Never have I ever tried to keep to keep my feelings to myself?"

Have.

"Never have I criticize or lecture myself?"

Have.

"Never have I tried to change myself or grow in a better way after?"

"Does this count?" Kabir asked.

"Do you think you put in any effort in this?" Raina asked him in return.

Have.

"I'm glad you have," Raina said before continuing. "Never have I ever stood my ground and fought for whatever I believed. Remember, we're talking about Tara."

"I know," he replied.

Have.

"Never have I doubled my efforts to do what I believe should be done?"

Have.

"Never have I ever refused to believe it happened."

Have.

"Never have I ever come up with different solution to solve the problem?"

Have.

"Alcohol," he told her.

"That's not a solution," she disagreed. "That's creating an even bigger problem."

"It was at the time," he retorted.

"Kabir," she chastised.

"Raina," he said, copying her tone.

"Fine," she gave in. "Whatever. Never have I ever tried moving on after the breakup."

Never.

***

A/N: It's my birthday this Sunday so I'm going to update this before I get carried away with the celebrations XD If I've got time to finish the next chapter, this week will be another double update week...