"Are...you okay?" He heard her little voice from far away and snapped his head in that direction.
There she stood, peeking through the door timidly, still with her blanket around her shoulders.
He got up and walked towards her figure.
" Are you okay?" He asked, cupping her face.
She nodded and opened the door wider to let him in.
He sighed and picked her up from under her arms like a baby.
"Your hair is wet" She giggled when he snuggled closer to her neck.
" Hmm, is it?" He asked.
" Yes, it is"
He felt relieved to see her smile and made her sit on the bed.
"Are you here because of me?" She asked while looking down guiltily.
"No, I missed the flowers in your garden" he replied with a roll of his eyes.
"I remember you saying that before, right?" She asked, remembering when he came to her house to pick her up for their first beach walk and she stupidly asked him if he was there for her and he said no he was there for the flowers in her garden. She was so silly, she believed him and got sad.
" I did," he said and nodded.
"I'm sorry I didn't want to make anyone worried about me" she looked down with a pout, just realizing how concerned her parents must have been by her sudden drama.
"You are allowed to take the time off but don't lock yourself away like that, hmm?" He said so softly that she felt like melting then and there.
How can he be so comforting all the time?
She doesn't know why but she half expected him to ask her why she came here sneakily like that from her room and lecture her about her safety and how worried everyone was because of her but instead he was very calm and didn't question her actions at all.
She felt happy to see it though because even she didn't know why she did what she did back there. It was like her limbs acted on their own accord and her rational side was pushed back.
He texted Alex that she was up and asked for a first aid box with the food.
"How long was I sleeping for?" She asked a minute later.
"Hmm not more than three hours" he calculated the time from when she climbed down from the window and when they found her to now.
She gasped and looked at him again,
"You had a very important work today, did you miss it as well?"
"No, it was taken care of, don't worry" he consoled.
She couldn't help but blame herself for becoming a hindrance in his work.
So she silently hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder and securely wrapped her hands around his torso.
Hearing her sigh, he knew what was going on in her head.
"You have nothing to worry about, darling. It got complicated even before you, so I would've left it to Luka anyway" he explained calmly and continued weaving his fingers through her long hair that he loves so much.
"I still feel bad" her eyes got teary.
Today has not been a great day for her. When she saw that video she felt that terror all over again and she started expecting him to show up at her door again even though everyone already assured her that he will never be able to reach her. And now seeing Xavier here dealing with her issues like always and not being able to take care of his own work, makes her feel like a huge burden and she was positive it was the same for her entire family.
They all have to be so cautious with her, like making sure she is not left alone or she doesn't have to face issues that might trigger her social anxiety or ordering on her behalf all the time.
She is always making others do stuff for her and it was slowly taking a toll on her.
"Bebe"
"Coco"
"Coco"
"Ailee" he cupped her face and shook it a little to bring her back to her senses.
"Hmm?" She said with wobbly lips and burst out crying on his shoulder, clutching his shirt like her life depended on it.
He was caught off guard by her emotional outburst and froze on his spot.
Though it was his third time seeing her cry badly, it has never been this intense and he hated it just as much as the first time.
"Shhh, my love. I've got you. I promise" his soft whispers melted in her ear and reached the core of her heart but she refused to move her head and tightened her hold around him.
"What is troubling you, hmm?" He asked and put her on his lap just like she did when he told her his backstory.
"Ev- everything, Zai" she hiccuped and his heart broke all over again.
One thing was confirmed to him that all that love shit is actually true.
If not, then why does he feel like pulling his heart out or of that person who was responsible for her condition.
"What baby, tell me" he tried again.
"You will not get mad?" She raised her head enough to meet his eyes.
And in that moment he knew he will fucking kneel at her one command.
" Never" he replied and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.
"I feel like a burden on my family and you-"
"NO" he said angrily, already forgetting the promise he made a second ago.
"Listen to me first," she pleaded.
He clenched his jaw and nodded.
She can say her heart out right now and then he'll make sure she gets this bullshit out of her head so well that it won't come back. Ever again.
He can't have her go back to square one every two days.
"I feel like that because I'm always making you all worried about me and I've seen everyone around me doing more for me than themselves. Alex gave up his birthday party last year because I decided to join him for dinner, my sisters cancel plans every now and then because I always decline them all, papa and mama are always worried about me too. And now you are added to the list as well." She sadly looked down and fidgeted with her fingers.
" Are you done, now?" He asked, capturing her little hands in his.
She meekly nodded and a cute pout made its way on her lips.
"Okay, now listen. If your parents or any of your siblings get hurt and you have to take care of them, will they become a burden on you?" He asked calmly to which she frowned and shook her head.
" No, absolutely not," she said with firmness in her voice.
He nodded in approval.
" But why, why wouldn't they become a burden?"
" Because I love them and I'd love to take care of them. They are my family" she replied with no hesitation.
" Exactly, baby" he sighed when her eyes still had confusion in them.
"Babygirl, that is the case with you. They love you and they love to take care of you as your family so why would you think that you're a burden on them" his thumb kept caressing the side of her waist.
"That's true but I do it more often... taking their help" she murmured.
"Derry, your neighbor, do you think he is a burden to his parents, they even have to change his clothes and bathe him" he asked, referring to her neighbor who is handicapped.
"No, never. He is loved by us all"
" So, what did you learn?" he asked with a tilt of his head.
" That I'm not a burden," she said proudly.
" That you can never be a burden on your family or any loved one. They love you for who you are and feel the need to protect you always"
"Thank you so much, Xavier" she smiled warmly at him.
Alex cleared his throat from the doorstep and then entered with a trolley full of food and a first aid box in the lower shelf.
He placed it near them and Ailee nervously got down from his lap. She silently hugged him and he crushed her back in a tight hug.
"Hmm, feeling better now, lil sis?" He asked, patting her head.
She nodded her head that was pressed in his chest.
" Good, now eat up and then you come there whenever you feel like" saying that he quickly excused himself.
Ailee sat down on the bed.
He quietly put her leg on his thigh and folded her pajamas up to her knees and when she was about to question him, she saw how badly scraped it was so shut her lips instead.
How'd he even know she hurt herself?
She didn't ask but observed his hands gently applying the ointment on it.
When it was all done he put the plate of food in front of her and went to wash his hands.
Coming back, he saw her happily eating all her favorite food before joining her too.
It was pouring heavily outside and he instructed her to wait till it slowed down a bit but after five minutes she ran out asking him to catch her.
"Coco, you're going to catch a cold" He said and ran after her.
He was able to capture her even before she could get all wet and picked her up with one hand while his other hand held an umbrella and ran towards the main house.
He gently put her back on the ground and turned to go inside when they saw all her family watching them with dropped jaws.
They immediately looked away pretending to be busy with some work.
Ailee went ahead and sat with her sisters and they smiled.
"Hi, can I get a hot chocolate, mama?" She asked to which Juliana chuckled and nodded with glossy eyes, happy to see her daughter smiling again.
She quickly made her hot chocolate while they all told Xavier Ailee's childhood incidents.
It kept drifting between her and her siblings' most embarrassing incidents and in that moment they all felt peace and wished for it to remain like this forever.
___
It was past midnight when Ailee... ...
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