Yuri and his sister were on their way to join the rest of the club in the common room when they saw Kellion heading their way.
" I'm afraid we have a little situation. " - Kellion wicked amusement gleamed in his green eyes as he spoke.
" What is it? " - Yuri was instantly on his guard.
When the president had that look, it usually spelled trouble... for someone else. In this case, that would be him.
" MJ and Aria took her to the room prepared for her and I'm afraid she doesn't like it. " - Kellion smirked to Yuri.
" Kathy asked to be taken to your room because that's ... Where she belongs. " - Kellion, added.
When Yuri made it to his bedroom, he found his fiancée alone and busy unpacking. She glanced up the moment he entered and continued to watch him with unwavering eyes as he closed the door behind him.
Like all the other officers' suits in the club, Yuri's was vast and elegant. Since his tastes ran in the minimalist side, his bedroom sported a neutral palette of whites and grays, with occasional accents of wood.
It would have been a beautiful room for anyone's standards, but for Yuri it had always been just a place to wrestle with his nightmares every night. It was more a prison than a room, a place for punishment than rest, but somehow, It was different now.
Somehow, Kathy made the shadows go away, made all things dark and painful disappear with how beautifully innocent she was. She might not be completely normal, but she represented everything good in the world.
" I was told you wanted to sleep here? " - Yuri take a deep breath when he asked quietly. He watched her face closely as he waited for her reply and saw not a hint of embarrassment as Kathy nodded at him.
" People who are lovers sleep in one room. " - Kathy answered wisely.
" I read it on the internet. " - Kathy, added.
If the internet were a man, Yuri would have gladly strangled it by now. Also, what kind of antiquated parental controls did Kristina Rewis install in their system? Wasn't Kathy too innocent to know anything about lovers?
" I see. "- Yuri said.
He briefly considered enlightening her about how the internet was mostly filled with lies but eventually decided against it, remembering how the cabin crew had warned him against bringing up any kind of untruth with Kathy.
" I may stay here then? " Kathy said while wariness flickered in her violet eyes.
God help me. Yuri thought. But out loud he said the only thing he could say.
" Yes. " - Yuri answered.
A smile that was dazzling in its innocence and sweetness touched her lips, and Yuri found himself mesmerized.
" Thank you. " - Kathy, said.
Her husky, lilting voice deepened the enthrallment and again his body began to stir. Kathy sat at the edge of his bed and patted the space next to her. His body burned at the invitation 'What the hell was happening to him?' Even though his mind knew it was a simple invitation for him to sit beside her, his body insisted on an illusion.
It told him Kathy was seducing him, tempting Yuri to join her in bed. When Yuri sat next to her, Kathy was confused to find her fiancée had turned into a rock, his body hard and stiff, a stony expression on his handsome face.
Blinking in confusion, she closed the distance between them, unknowningly pressing her breasts against his arm as she reached to touch his forehead. He stiffed at her touch, and thinking he had rejected her, she snatched her hand away.
Fuck! Seeing the look of hurt in her eyes, he realized she had misinterpreted his reaction and automatically captured her hand.
" I'm sorry. " - Yuri, said. His tone was low and fierce.
Yuri hated how callous he was with her, when with everyone else he was always careful and in control. This girl had saved him and his sister. He owed her everything, and he mustn't ever forget it.
" You don't want me to touch you? " - Kathy asked while the pain didn't fade from her violet eyes.
" I want to, of course. Only, you surprised me. " - Yuri said. The ache in his groin intensified. It was the only thing closest to the truth he could think of saying.
" Oh. " - Kathy hurt faded.
" I'm sorry, I surprised you. " - Kathy, added.
She glanced away then, her eyes drifting to the large windows in front of them. It faced the University's Gardens, which were renowned for its award-winning landscaping. The school's founders, the Christopoulos Family prided itself in having one of the world's most beautiful campuses and spared no expense in ensuring it retained its title.
" This kind of sunset, it reminds me of the ones we saw in South Africa. They were... Magical. " - Kathy said softly.
His lips curved as he tried to imagine how Kathy would have looked in her African Expedition. 'Probably wearing something feminine and appropriate', he thought. She reminded him of her little sister that way.
" You've traveled a lot with your grandmother? " - Yuri asked. Kathy just nodded, a wistful expression on her face.
" Europe, Asia, South America... " - Kathy said.
" The United States? " - Yuri asked. Kathy slowly shook her head.
" Everywhere, but here? " - Yuri, added.
" Yes. " - Kathy answered. While her gaze remained at the orange-tinted skies.
" I think, Grandmother didn't want me to be hurt. " - Kathy, added. Before Yuri could ask what that meant, she continued matter-of-factly.
" She told me, you were busy with school and your club, and that if we came here you might not have time for me. I told her you would, because you loved me. " - Kathy said while her gaze sought his.
" You would, wouldn't you, Yuri? " - Kathy added again.
He wanted to say yes. But to do so would lie, and the thought of lying to someone like Kathy was suddenly sickening. He had already lied to her so many times, had lied to her for years, ever since he had promised to love her.
" Why is it so easy for you to believe I love you? And that you love me? " - Yuri heard himself to asked.
" Why wouldn't it? " - Kathy asked simply.
" You said so, and you have no reason to lie to me, do you? " - Kathy, added.
The words made no sense. The words made every sense. In her world, people didn't lie. People didn't need time to find out if one or the other could be trusted. People simply loved. But in his world, the real world it wasn't that simple. It wasn't that black and white.
In Yuri's world, people didn't always have a choice. People still loved, but they also had to lie because they loved. Like Yuri had to do now.
" If you had come here.. " - Yuri said levelly.
" I would have dropped everything to be with you. " - Yuri said but in his thought it was true.
" Because you're right. Because I love you. " - Yuri added but in his thought that was a lie.
A moment later, he felt something. Looking down, he saw her fingers brushing against his, and he automatically clasped hers. Her hand, small, pale and soft felt too right in his.
" Thank you, Yuri. " - Kathy said while her eyes were shinning with love, happiness and trust. Yuri shook his head.
" Thank you, Kathy. " - Yuri said.
The silence that grew between them was comfortable, almost too much so. Minutes passed, and he felt Kathy leaning her head against his shoulders.
" I want to stay like this forever. " - Kathy whispered.
" I want that, too. " - Yuri said. But this time, he realized uneasily he was no longer sure if he were speaking the truth or another lie.
He thought of Dr. Simon Corba's call. Unlike their earlier encounter, the doctor had fawned on him over the phone, thanking him profusely for taking care of his former patient's granddaughter.
'People think I have cured her because of you, Mr. Athanas. I am now able to charge higher fees, and it is all because of you have taken responsibility of Ms. Rewis. But I beg you sir, if she ever suffers from another relapse, please call on me first instead of taking her back to Athens.' - Dr. Corba
" Yuri. " - Kathy said while suddenly stiffened beside him.
She shivered, and Yuri automatically wrapped one arm around her shoulders.
" Cold? " - Yuri asked.
" No. " - Kathy said with her small voice. She laid her head against his chest.
" I feel like... " - Kathy paused, and Yuri sensed her mentally searching for the right words.
" It's like what Grandmama used to say when she had a feeling something bad was going to happen. " - Kathy said.
" I'm not going to let anything happen to you, sweetheart. " - Yuri said while tightened his hold around her.
Kathy didn't answer, only shifting in his arms as she pressed her head closer to his chest. He realized then she was listening to his heartbeat and, for some reason, drawing comfort from it.
Sweet, beautiful Kathy.
But still, Dr. Corba's words slithered into his mind. 'Please be on your guard, Mr. Athanas. She's been known to hurt other people when she's having one of her attacks'. As if hearing the same warning, Kathy shivered in his arms.