Don't Be Afraid To Ask

*23* Perth Nakhun

— Hey, Zee, who is that girl with brown/blonde hair? —  I asked my friend, with a gentle movement of my head pointing towards a not very tall brunette, whose hair was blond from the middle down, and dark brown above.  She was wearing a loose, dark navy knee-length dress and an unbuttoned flannel shirt with blue and black checks.

—  This one?  This is Annie, the author of the story we're going to play.  Why do you ask?

— Nothing, just out of curiosity.

— Sure, let's say I believe you —  Zee gave me a look that I knew he didn't believe me.  I shrugged, there wasn't much he could say about that.  I saw that he was talking to the French Formula 1 driver they came with, so I decided to go over and say hello.  All I heard was her calling someone gay.  I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows up.

— Who's gay?  — I asked and then she turned very sharply and almost fell over, instinctively I reached my arms out in front of me and grabbed her.  She leaned into my hands with a completely natural reflex, as if she trusted me from the beginning.  I looked at her carefully.  There was a large mole above her small but neatly defined mouth on the left side.  She seemed nice and rather calm.  Working with her will certainly not be difficult.  Cool!  For some reason, though, I felt quite shy, tense, and nervous around her.  Instead, she smiled serenely, as if nothing had happened at all, as if it didn't matter to her.

*.  *.  *

When I saw Saint leaving the table, I followed him.  I wanted to know what he and Annie were talking about, he seemed pretty depressed.  He walked forward quite slowly with his head bowed and did not grace anyone with his glance.  He gave the impression of someone whose whole world had collapsed.  I couldn't hear what they were talking about over the noise, but I decided not to care, if I played it right, Saint would tell me about it himself.

I followed him into the bathroom and saw him crying.  I moved back far enough that he wouldn't notice me and watched him.  He quickly wiped away his tears, washed his face with water, and began practicing his smile.  Then I came out of hiding.

What I found out later only confirmed my earlier suspicions, especially those related to P'Sky.  Saint looked so fragile and delicate and weak now that the slightest gust of wind could blow him away.  Seeing him in such disarray, I couldn't let him be alone, so I took him to my apartment, which was quite nearby.  The pallor of his skin, his pronounced cheekbones scared me beyond jokes.  I just felt so sorry for him.  Maybe I didn't know what he was going through, but I thought it was even too much for him.  He was strong, he was tough, but how much pressure can you handle?  Such burdens?

— You're staying with me tonight, okay? It'll make me worry less. —  I said truthfully, handing him a towel, bathrobe and unused pajamas.  I always had a few sets of clothes at home in case one of my friends suddenly and unannounced decided to stay here overnight.  I may be an introvert, but even so, I don't like being alone.

While Saint was showering, I contacted my detective friend and asked him to meet me the next evening.  Then I set about preparing a nutritious but light dinner.  I had a feeling that Saint hadn't eaten anything yet.  I may not have been a chef or master cook, but I could still prepare something simple.

—Eat at least a little, or I'll feed you myself — I threatened him with the spoon in my hand.  He smiled faintly and slowly began to eat.  Even if he was telling the truth that he wasn't hungry, I couldn't let him starve himself.  He was my friend, and you have to take care of friends.

*   *   *

The next day, Zee decided to take a longer walk around the neighborhood, for which he also invited me over the phone "as part of the integration", although his voice sounded suspiciously cheerful then, as if he had thought of something, as if he had created some brilliant plan, which he did not want to follow  I had no one to share, so dressed in comfortable and light clothes, I walked in the company of Zee, NuNew, Max, Nat, Pierre, Yuki and Annie.  ZeeNuNew was leading, of course, with Max and Nat walking leisurely behind me and Annie, closing the procession with our F1 drivers wearing expensive-looking private clothes and identical white-and-yellow Nike shoes.