Chương 41: I Am Here to Listen

"Ah, no, it's okay. I am fine," Irene said clasping her hands together, "I wouldn't bother you more. You have already done a lot, and I am grateful for the same."

"You are not bothering me. Why would you think that?" Ilyan wore a confused expression.

She did not know what else she could choose other than silence. Though she barely knew him, she had come to understand that he was genuinely a kind soul. Had there been anyone else in his place, she doubted if he had reacted the way Ilyan had reacted to the entire situation.

Ilyan had been admirably mature in handling the whole Ayden thing, she believed, and the fact that he had not put her in the uncomfortable and awkward zone by asking her why Ayden said and did what he did, left her unconsciously liking him as a person.

"That's really kind of you to say that but we both know what the truth is." She shrugged her shoulders. "Also, um, I am sorry."

And there, she found him scratching his head again.

"For what?" he asked, edging closer on his chair, making it seem like he was intrigued to hear her response.

She wondered for a brief moment if he was being sarcastic but she erased it from her mind the next moment. He would not do that, she thought.

"For being rude to you back then in the car. I really shouldn't have talked to you the way I did. I am really sorry," she confessed, earnestly apologizing.

"You don't have to. It's alright." He leaned back in his chair, flashing a warm smile.

"How are you not mad at me? Had I been in your place… had you talked to me that rudely, I would have been like really angry. It's just natural."

He chuckled as she began complaining. "It's just who I am."

"Oh," she uttered, her mind still thinking about why, why he would not have a normal reaction to her rudeness but then, perhaps, what seemed normal to her... it didn't, to him.

"You can go if you have work. I am fine, really." Though she was asking him to leave, she was not sure if she really wanted that.

Having someone around, at that moment, was somewhat better, knowing demons came to haunt her especially when alone. After a bad emotional breakdown, she would rather like some time to restore herself first.

"I am cool. And I am on a short break from work so no worries."

"Oh. Just for general knowledge, what do you study?" She wanted to know more about him.

His brows rose for a moment before they narrowed and his lips slowly curved into a smirk. "How old do you think am I?"

"Um, I am not sure. Maybe 22?" She took a wild guess, but completely unsure about it, "I don't know. I mean I am kind of really bad at guessing someone's age from their skin.

"26."

He could not suppress his laughter anymore, looking at her reaction. Her perfectly O-shaped mouth and widened eyes had him burst out laughing.

"How old do you think am I?" It was her turn to see if she was the only one who was terrible at it.

She would have a little relief if he miserably failed like her. She waited, internally praying for him to get it either fifteen or twenty-five.

'Fifteen? Really, Irene?' She smacked herself for the exaggeration.

Her fingers were digging in the skin of her palms as he was taking a bit longer than what she expected.

"21?"

And, with that guess, Irene really wished that she had a punching bag. Why? Why was she so bad at it?

A month ago, Melissa when in a mischievous mood, had decided to play 'guess the age' game with Irene. And Irene and ended up guessing 17 for a 37 old. Oh, she had been embarrassed to say the least.

"You are also good at it," she murmured, dejected. Her plight was beyond everyone's understanding, she had always felt.

"Oh, no, I am not good at it. It's just the decoration." He stepped in, clearing it for her as he pointed at the birthday decoration on their wall.

'Oh, how dumb could you really be, you fool! That's mentioned right there. Looking at it, anyone could guess it right.' As her gaze stared at her last birthday decoration, she could just wonder how more embarrassing it was going to get for her.

"Belated happy birthday to you," he wished and she acknowledged with 'thank you'.

"What would you like? Tea? Coffee? Something else?" She remembered her manners a little late but she believed in better late than never.

"It's alright. Give those feet rest for the day. They have worked a lot today."

And with that one line, what she had forgotten in his presence came back rushing to her.

He was quick to notice her fallen face and realize his mistake. He could have avoided saying that but the damage was done. The topic was touched and she… was hurt.

He had engaged in a random conversation with her to distract her for a while from the awful incident that had happened and he himself ruined it. He could not believe that he did that.

His first reaction was 'oh shit, that was not the right thing to say'.

The last thing he wanted was to remind her of what would hurt her and he had just ended up doing that and he felt terrible about it.

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. You have done nothing."

Though she had already gone in that state of mind where her mind, clouded by everything that Ayden did, was making her feel awful and it was overwhelming her again, she could not let Ilyan think that it was his fault because it really wasn't.

"You are thinking about it again because of me."

"I could get a short break when I actually did not think about it because of you."

He had not expected that prompt reply. To know that he had been able to help, even if it was a tiny bit, brought a small smile on his lips.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know."

She looked lost.

He, for a moment, thought if he was making things difficult for her by making her talk about it but when he gave it another thought, bottling things up was going to do no good her. It might just worsen it and he really didn't want it to happen.

"I am here to listen if you want to and if it can take that burden off your heart."

"Don't you already know a lot about me? How much more do you want to know?"

"The much that you want me to know."