I Can See Your Tears (ENG)

*+｡ CHAPTER 5｡+*

After Arcenio showed Narin around his house, they both sat in the garden and talked over the warm tea that Aitana had prepared earlier.

"I am sorry you had to wait for me." Man said, taking a sip of the warm drink.

"You don't have to apologize for that." The woman sighed, but stopped when she noticed that her companion quietly hissed in pain and grabbed his aching leg. "A-are you okay?" She asked uncertainly, which caught his attention.

"Yes, do not worry." He replied smiling. "This kind of pain is normal for me. I am used to it. Sometimes I think I am so used to it that much that the pain seems less."

"You're lying." She said right away. "It's not like that at all, is it?" She said a bit worried. "You're just saying that so as not to worry others." She turned her head to the side, unable to bear his gaze any longer.

Rubio looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded his head in agreement.

"You got me." He chuckled. "And you are right too." He added, catching her attention again. "I do not want to worry them because they have a lot on their plate anyway."

"You yourself help so many people, and you don't want to talk about what is bothering you." She interjected again. "Why? When you do it for others... "

The brunet smiled faintly.

"Good question, querida." He nodded in deep thought. "Maybe I am not entirely sure myself. I want to help others, but I can not help myself. Pathetic, right?" He chuckled softly and took another sip of tea.

"I don't think it's pathetic." The woman said after a long moment, looking at him carefully. But before she said anything else, she waited a moment to choose the right words first. "I think..." She hesitated, then gave up saying what she had in mind.

"Tell me." He encouraged her warmly. "I would like to know what you think." He looked at her tenderly.

Vazquez returned his gaze for a brief moment, then lowered her head again and sighed softly.

"You try to be strong in front of others and everything you do, you do for them." She said after a long time. "But..." She hesitated again, took a deep breath, and continued. "But you're afraid to admit that you're suffering because you think it'll be a sign of weakness. By showing weakness in front of them, they'll also consider you weak, not someone they can continue to rely on... "

Narin glanced uncertainly at Arcenio to see his reaction. Brunet was still listening to her carefully, but he was in no small surprise when his friend said such sincere and true words.

"No offense, but that's stupid." She added, making him laugh. "Arcenio." She whispered. "Even if you show weakness to them... they'll consider you their equal. Human. A man who can be called a model, because... because he also has his weaknesses." She cleared her throat, feeling very embarrassed for having dared to say such a thing to him. She had never talked so openly, especially about how people felt.

At the House, she always had to restrain herself to some extent so as not to discourage customers or upset her boss. There no one cared about her opinion and no one ever wanted to listen to her, much less know what she meant. Here, with Arcenio, it was completely different. He always treasured her words.

"And you managed to see it all in such a short time?" He asked, which surprised her even more. "You really are amazing."

"I'm not." She interjected immediately. "I'm just saying what I see."

"Yes, but not every person is able to see that much." He said with a warm smile.

Narin glanced uncertainly at him, then avoided his gaze again. There was silence between them for a moment, but she couldn't bear it any longer.