Raymond heard her and came back to the lift .

Akira was still not sure what was wrong with him and she looked up to him . Her eyes were asking him hundreds of questions . But as there were a few other people also in the lift lobby who were waiting to go down, they both decided to keep quiet and silently went inside the lift .

When the lift arrived on the first floor, Raymond stormed towards his office room and Akira just followed him silently . She literally had to run to match up with his pace .

The moment she entered the room and closed the door behind her, he threw a question at her without even waiting for a second .

"Is everything ok with you?", he asked and clearly, his tone was filled with both concern and irritation .

"I am totally fine", Akira replied and she tried to sound extra chirpy so that Raymond's misconceptions were cleared up . She was not sure what he meant by asking her if she was ok . She didn't know if he meant that she was physically or mentally or emotionally ok . She didn't even dare to ask after seeing him this irritated .

Fed up with her answer, Raymond decided to ask her directly .

"Do you have any pain in your shoulder?"

"What my shoulder? No", Akira replied instantly .

Raymond sighed after hearing her .

"Did Anthony hit you earlier on your shoulder or something like that?", asked Raymond again .

"No no, why would he do something like that?", retorted Akira .

"I can't believe that you are still on a run to defend him . You have already submitted the charges against him . I am not asking you to modify your charges or anything . I am just asking you if he has hurt you", Raymond said and it was very clear that he was irritated to the peak right now .

"I am not defending him, Raymond . It's true that he gave me wounds on my neck using the knife, but that's all . I am not defending anyone here . I am just telling you the truth . Yesterday when I was . . . "

But before Akira could finish her sentence, Raymond interrupted her and said .

"OK, then can you open your jacket for me?"

Akira gulped in disbelief, as she couldn't believe what Raymond just said . She stammered and said,

"Why why do, why should I remove my jacket?" .

This fueled Raymond's irritation even more and he said,

"For G.o.d's sake Akira, I am not a pervert . I am not asking you to strip in front of me . I am just asking you to take off your jacket . Can you just simply do that without asking any stupid questions to me?"

He was not requesting her to take off the jacket . It was more like an order which she didn't want to follow . But the way he was looking at her at that instant, she caved in . She had no idea how he got to know about her injury . She didn't have the courage to ask him too . So reluctantly she removed her jacket and stood there without moving a bit .

His gaze was fixed upon her, but somehow it didn't make her uncomfortable, because there was something different in the way he looked at her . She knew that it was a look which meant care and concern and nothing else apart from that .

"Turn back", Raymond said .

Akira obliged to him silently and turned back .

Raymond froze there for a moment . She had two first aid shoulder patches applied on her back . There was another bruise below that part which she had not covered yet as she couldn't reach it . It still looked fresh .

Raymond sighed after seeing her in this condition . He felt like a part of him just died . He couldn't understand how she was able to bear through all of this and act all cheerful in front of others .

"Why didn't you get your bruises completely dressed?", asked Raymond .

"I couldn't reach it", Akira spoke with a lower register .

"What?" asked Raymond again as he couldn't hear what she was speaking .

"I couldn't reach it with my hands", Akira said .

She was just wearing a tank top and was standing in front of her boss . It could sound hideous to someone else but they both didn't feel anything awkward . He had a genuine concern for her and she felt every bit of it . She stood there fidgeting with the buckle of her jeans .

Raymond then saw the position of the wound and immediately understood what she meant . He picked up the first aid box from his draw and walked towards her .

"Stand still . This will sting a bit", Raymond said and inched closer . He had a cotton pad dipped in the antiseptic liquid in his hand . With every approaching step of Raymond, Akira's heart started beating even faster . She could practically hear the rhythm .

He stood there inches away from her for a few seconds, looking uncomfortably at her back . Then he slowly said .

"Can you move it a bit away from your shoulder" .

"Huh? Move what?", asked Akira standing there all confused and dazed .

Raymond cleared up his throat and then again said,

"Can you move your strap a bit . I need to clean up your bruise" .

Akira stood there mortified after listening to Raymond . She couldn't understand what was the right thing to do what not to do . She hesitated for a moment but then she didn't know what gripped her and she slightly moved her strap away, clearing the obstruction on the bruise .

Raymond was all tensed up inside . He was turning hot like he was running a fever . His ears turned blazing red . He gasped for air and then took the Cotton pad and started cleaning her bruise .

Akira shuddered with his touch . The antiseptic liquid stung like h.e.l.l . Every time Raymond dabbed on her bruise, she would flinch a bit . Raymond could clearly see that she was in discomfort and pain . But he had no idea how to comfort her or reduce the pain . So he just took his left hand and placed it on her arm . He grazed his thumb lightly on her arm trying to comfort her before dabbing on the wound . He was scared that probably she would flinch even more but she didn't move even an inch .

She had gooseb.u.mps all over her . Her mind and body were all numb . She couldn't feel anything at that moment . Nothing hurt her anymore, nothing stung her anymore . All her sense of awareness had deserted her .

Raymond then threw the Cotton pad in the dust bin and took another shoulder patch and applied it on the bruise which he had cleaned up . Akira was still standing there without moving in an inch . Then he picked up her jacket and give it to her and said,

"Sharing pain does not make you smaller or any less strong . It makes you human . "

Raymond heard her and came back to the lift

.

Akira was still not sure what was wrong with him and she looked up to him . Her eyes were asking him hundreds of questions . But as there were a few other people also in the lift lobby who were waiting to go down, they both decided to keep quiet and silently went inside the lift

.

.

When the lift arrived on the first floor, Raymond stormed towards his office room and Akira just followed him silently . She literally had to run to match up with his pace

.

.

The moment she entered the room and closed the door behind her, he threw a question at her without even waiting for a second

.

.

"Is everything ok with you?", he asked and clearly, his tone was filled with both concern and irritation

.

.

"I am totally fine", Akira replied and she tried to sound extra chirpy so that Raymond's misconceptions were cleared up . She was not sure what he meant by asking her if she was ok . She didn't know if he meant that she was physically or mentally or emotionally ok . She didn't even dare to ask after seeing him this irritated

.

.

Fed up with her answer, Raymond decided to ask her directly

.

.

"Do you have any pain in your shoulder?" .

.

"What my shoulder? No", Akira replied instantly

.

.

Raymond sighed after hearing her

.

"Did Anthony hit you earlier on your shoulder or something like that?", asked Raymond again

.

"No no, why would he do something like that?", retorted Akira

.

"I can't believe that you are still on a run to defend him . You have already submitted the charges against him . I am not asking you to modify your charges or anything . I am just asking you if he has hurt you", Raymond said and it was very clear that he was irritated to the peak right now

.

"I am not defending him, Raymond . It's true that he gave me wounds on my neck using the knife, but that's all . I am not defending anyone here . I am just telling you the truth . Yesterday when I was . " .

.

.

.

But before Akira could finish her sentence, Raymond interrupted her and said

.

"OK, then can you open your jacket for me?" .

.

Akira gulped in disbelief, as she couldn't believe what Raymond just said . She stammered and said, .

.

"Why why do, why should I remove my jacket?"

.

.

This fueled Raymond's irritation even more and he said, .

.

"For G.o.d's sake Akira, I am not a pervert . I am not asking you to strip in front of me . I am just asking you to take off your jacket . Can you just simply do that without asking any stupid questions to me?" .

.

.

He was not requesting her to take off the jacket . It was more like an order which she didn't want to follow . But the way he was looking at her at that instant, she caved in . She had no idea how he got to know about her injury . She didn't have the courage to ask him too . So reluctantly she removed her jacket and stood there without moving a bit

.

.

His gaze was fixed upon her, but somehow it didn't make her uncomfortable, because there was something different in the way he looked at her . She knew that it was a look which meant care and concern and nothing else apart from that

.

.

"Turn back", Raymond said

.

Akira obliged to him silently and turned back

.

.

Raymond froze there for a moment . She had two first aid shoulder patches applied on her back . There was another bruise below that part which she had not covered yet as she couldn't reach it . It still looked fresh

.

.

Raymond sighed after seeing her in this condition . He felt like a part of him just died . He couldn't understand how she was able to bear through all of this and act all cheerful in front of others

.

.

"Why didn't you get your bruises completely dressed?", asked Raymond

.

"I couldn't reach it", Akira spoke with a lower register

.

"What?" asked Raymond again as he couldn't hear what she was speaking

.

"I couldn't reach it with my hands", Akira said

.

.

She was just wearing a tank top and was standing in front of her boss . It could sound hideous to someone else but they both didn't feel anything awkward . He had a genuine concern for her and she felt every bit of it . She stood there fidgeting with the buckle of her jeans

.

Raymond then saw the position of the wound and immediately understood what she meant . He picked up the first aid box from his draw and walked towards her

.

.

"Stand still . This will sting a bit", Raymond said and inched closer . He had a cotton pad dipped in the antiseptic liquid in his hand . With every approaching step of Raymond, Akira's heart started beating even faster . She could practically hear the rhythm

.

He stood there inches away from her for a few seconds, looking uncomfortably at her back . Then he slowly said

.

"Can you move it a bit away from your shoulder"

.

"Huh? Move what?", asked Akira standing there all confused and dazed

.

.

Raymond cleared up his throat and then again said, .

.

"Can you move your strap a bit . I need to clean up your bruise"

.

Akira stood there mortified after listening to Raymond . She couldn't understand what was the right thing to do what not to do . She hesitated for a moment but then she didn't know what gripped her and she slightly moved her strap away, clearing the obstruction on the bruise

.

.

Raymond was all tensed up inside . He was turning hot like he was running a fever . His ears turned blazing red . He gasped for air and then took the Cotton pad and started cleaning her bruise

.

Akira shuddered with his touch . The antiseptic liquid stung like h.e.l.l . Every time Raymond dabbed on her bruise, she would flinch a bit . Raymond could clearly see that she was in discomfort and pain . But he had no idea how to comfort her or reduce the pain . So he just took his left hand and placed it on her arm . He grazed his thumb lightly on her arm trying to comfort her before dabbing on the wound . He was scared that probably she would flinch even more but she didn't move even an inch

.

She had gooseb.u.mps all over her . Her mind and body were all numb . She couldn't feel anything at that moment . Nothing hurt her anymore, nothing stung her anymore . All her sense of awareness had deserted her

.

Raymond then threw the Cotton pad in the dust bin and took another shoulder patch and applied it on the bruise which he had cleaned up . Akira was still standing there without moving in an inch . Then he picked up her jacket and give it to her and said, .

.

.

"Sharing pain does not make you smaller or any less strong . It makes you human . ".