Guess what happened? I didn't. By the end of the week, Kylie's patience grew thin as she insisted to make a call to the clinic. When I didn't, she offered me a second alternative. 
“What if I took your session first?” I looked at her skeptically but she continued. “Now I'm not exactly an expert, but I can hold a decent session. Talk to me first. Deal?” 
I snorted. “You sure are unusually persistent this time.”
“Because I want to help you, Natasha. Let me,” Kylie said, taking my hands into hers. Her gesture was cheesy as fuck but I still let her since she was cute with her pleading blue eyes. “Think as if you're talking to a friend, which you actually are. You know I never judged you and never will...” Her voice turned an octave deeper as she mimicked an older woman's voice, “This is a safe space.” 
“Uh- huh, a very safe space with a security camera and digital lock.” I joked back and we guffawed together. I let out a smile, intertwining my fingers against hers. “Fine. Let's roleplay this shit.”
“Okay ahem,” Kylie cleared her throat. “Since I'm already aware of your basic details, we'll jump to the tacky parts. Tell me about your family and your relationship with each member, one by one. Yes, I already know about your background a little from what Rithik told me but I wanna hear it from your perspective. Your feelings.”
“Uh- huh! Going straight for the kill,” I teased, pretending to slice my neck with my hand but when Kylie's serious face didn't falter, I sighed in defeat. “Fine. I guess I'll tell you.” 
Henceforth, I began talking about it. I talked about Mitali first since it was the easiest. I had a constant smile on my face as I chirped about the way my little sister looked after me and cared for me. I also helped her with her studies. Our little banter, our shopping days, our shared laughs. Just talking about her filled me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Although I nearly stopped speaking after I recited the times Mitali tried to shield me away from my parents' wrath and also looked after my bruises later on. Then, there was a pause. A long, dreadful pause. 
“What happened?” 
“She also saved me...” My voice was so quiet that the air around us spoke louder. When she inquired again, I dropped the bomb, despite the erratic beating of my heart. “from jumping off the terrace...”
I didn't need to look. I could feel her harrowing gaze burning from the corner of my eye. I gulped. Silence followed. Then another. 
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay then, moving on to my Ma ka laadla beta (Mumma's boy), Sahil—”
“Do you still think about it?” Kylie's voice was soft, yet it sliced through my words like a static. I flinched.
“No, not really. Not anymore,” I answered quickly. Then after a pause, I added cautiously while fidgeting with my fingers. “Though I do think about how worthless life is at times. How it's just an endless pit of crap yet we still try to hold onto it like it's the world's precious gift. Gift? My foot... Aree, why are you laughing?”
“Nothing. I'm just glad you're talking.” Kylie continued to chuckle some more, placing a hand over her mouth until she stopped to look at me. “Honestly, everyone thinks that way at some point of time. It's not unusual... Ah, sorry, this is more about you than the rest of the world. Go on, talk about your brother. How do you feel about him?”
I blinked, bewildered. “You really are acting like a therapist. Perhaps you should open a side business.” 
I began ranting about my brother who was unreadable. I didn't get the impression Sahil hated me, but he wouldn't go out of his way either. He just didn't give a fuck. And I bet he didn't give much fucks for anyone else in the family either, including our mother who doted on him. He would often roam around the city with his boy friends or play cricket. He even went on group trips sometimes. Or atleast that's what he told us. I've rarely ever seen his so-called 'friends'. He could be involved in shady ass things or have a bimbo girl for all we know. It was as if he built a small world of his own, away from our family.