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 God'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 hell. 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 goosebumps 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."