Chapter 224 - His Kindness

Igniting a cigarette with the flickering spark from a metal lighter, Eric slackly walked out of the convenience store wearing a casual turtleneck white sweatshirt followed by a comfy blue trouser. By skipping the office with a day-off, he wanted to give himself some good rest to cure those awful hangover aftereffects after such a loaded drinking night with Clara. Blowing a heavy puff of air while strolling alongside the narrow walkaway he was gazing up at the starry night sky making a glum face. 

"Damn... No matter how hard I try...she is all about I can think of even when I am drunk. That's awful. What I should do to get her out of my head? What will happen if I really don't get to see her ever again? This is such a mess... It's so frustrating--"

Suddenly, his sullen mumbling trailed off as he noticed a startling sight before him! Just a few steps apart on the footpath of the narrow lane, he was walking by, a woman dressed up in a beautiful short knee-length black blue gown, being completely tipsy and looking kind of dizzy was squatting down on the ground, lowering down her grimace. Her loose, wavy long reddish-brown hair were curling down her elegant shoulders, also covering a half portion of her face. But from an intense glance, from her side-face, she kind of looked like Ivory!

"Is that...Miss Ivory?" Murmuring to himself, perplexed he rubbed his eyes once to get a clear confirmation if he was still seeing insignificant things! But his guess was indeed right, observing from her side-face and her elegant appearance, she was indeed her looking in a distressed, lonely state. 

Quickly he rushed towards him tapping his bold footsteps with gushing emotions inside his aching heart. Gulping his saliva, he squatted down on the ground beside her and tried to touch her shoulder nervously, "Mi-Miss I-Ivory?"

Apprehending a sudden familiar voice, she slowly lifted her chin up from the ground. Frowning her brows, she tried to peek a glance at him. 

"Miss Ivory...Wh-What are you doing here at such an odd hour by sitting on the street? And...you reek of booze... It seems you are quite drunk!?" Impatiently gawking at her while surging his eyes wider, he murmured out. 

"You..."

"What? Do-Don't you remember me?"

"My...purse... thief!" Followed by a small hiccup, her words sounded quite grumpy while glaring at him with her narrow cold gaze. "Why do I...always find you...wherever I go? Are...you really...a stalker?"

A small simper suddenly escaped his lips hearing her drunk accusations at him. Somewhere deep down in his heart, he seemed really happy to find her again and that glow of bliss was evident from his expression.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe how coincidences always find their own ways to bring us together. Well, you can allege me of anything, I won't mind. But, an elegant, beautiful lady like you shouldn't be sitting here on the streets all alone at such an hour! It is quite dangerous!" He whispered. 

"W...What?"

"There is a public park nearby just a few steps away, at least you should come with me there. It will be relatively a safer place." He tried to hold her arm cordially to help her get up from the street, whispering in her ears. 

"Don't touch me!!" 

Suddenly, she shoved his approaching arm quite hoarsely, screaming furiously at him. Her shrilling voice was so loud that some of the passersby looked a bit startled, whispering among themselves while throwing suspicious glances at Eric. 

Nervous at the awkward situation, Eric moved a few inches away from her and replied abruptly in a low offended tone, "he-hey, Miss Ivory...please don't yell like that! People...will get the wrong idea that as if I am molesting you or something."

"I...will...kill you...if you try to...molest me!! Just...go away and leave me alone!" Scowling her tipsy expression, she snarled back promptly. 

"Gosh...you are so cranky even when you are this much drunk! Alright, you don't have to go...but I am not leaving you here all alone either. I am gonna stay next to you like this." Sulking his cast he reciprocated in a displeased tone, averting his gaze away from her facing the street.

Hearing his declaration, she seemed much irked than before glaring at him. She gritted her teeth, as she snapped, "hey...annoying punk! Do you...want to...die?"

"I am kind of a clingy man to my beloved ones as you must have already understood it now. So...if you agree to my proposal, I might leave you alone as soon as possible accordingly to your wish." Sneakily glimpsing at her while holding a witty smirk, he cleared his throat before asserting his offer loud and clear. 

"Why am I always involved with this irritating human whenever I am alone? This really makes me want to slit his throat right now!" Gnashing his jowls, she cursed him inside her mind fixing her cold glare at him. 

"So, what do you decide? Wanna go there or...shall we both keep squatting down here?" He inquired again. 

"Fine... But as soon as we reach there...you are gonna leave me, alright?" Unwillingly agreeing to his proposal, she pouted her grimace. 

"Sure!" Looking quite delighted at her answer, Eric almost sprang up from the ground and held his arm towards her with a small smile on his radiant face. But Ivory chose to stand up on her own without holding his arm as the support. But she seemed heavily intoxicated! As soon as she stood up, her feet diverted their balance upon the pointed high heels she was putting on. Losing her balance, she was about to plop down on the ground. 

But Eric, quite quickly grabbed her tightly by her elbow preventing her from falling down again. Pulling her closer to him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, seeming lost in her gaze. 

"He-Hey, wh...what you are doin--"

"Do you think, you can walk on these heels in this drunk state?" Intruding her statement, he clinched his grip tighter on her arm peeking a glance at her pointed heels below.

"Huh?" Hearing his concerning expression for her, she scrunched her brow ridge at him. 

"I have a quick solution," suddenly mumbling on his own, he knelt down on the ground and tried to take off her heels with his own hands gently. Flinched at his unexpected cordial gesture, she tried to move away from him seeming palpitated.

"Hey! Wh-What are you intending?"

"Stay still! I am not gonna run away with your heels, Miss Ivory. Just take them off and you will eventually feel better." Softly, he peeked a gentle glance at her by lifting his chin up and continued taking off her heels again. 

As soon as he succeeded, he rose up from the ground and placed his own comfy slippers before her on the ground while holding her heels with his other hand. "Here, wear my shoes and you will be able to walk comfortably." 

Surprised at his sudden act of kindness, Ivory stared at him momentarily gulping her saliva. Sneaking glimpses simultaneously at his slippers and his smiley face, she blurted out in a husky tone, "wh...why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you being...unnecessarily kind to me?" She probed.

A small blissful chuckle escaped his lips as he continued glancing deep into her wider eyes, "isn't it obvious? Walking in these heels at this state would be painful for you and... I don't want to see the person I like, suffering from pain." 

Suddenly, hearing his considerate soft voice, her heart skipped a beat unknowingly for a second! Looking very anxious, she tried to hide her anxious gaze from him by putting on his slippers obediently. 

"Good. Now I am holding your arm as a support so that you won't stagger your steps. Don't be hyper again, okay?" Tenderly, he gripped her wrist with his spare arm and started walking forward slowly with his smiley eyes. 

"Ar...Are you going...to walk...barefoot?" She queried while fixing her cold gaze at his bare feet. 

"Why not? It doesn't matter about me as long as you are alright." He reciprocated promptly in his warm note.

.

While walking slowly after him, her eyes were consistently fixed on his bare feet as it flashed a long lost memory of her childhood on her clouded mind. 

.

[Memory]

"Zeus, wear my shoes so that...your feet won't be hurt in the forest." Giving him tenderly her small leather shoes standing in the middle of their mountain forest, small Ivory smiled widely at toddler Zeus who was frowning his face holding a torn belt of one of his leather shoes. 

"But...if you give me yours, then...aren't your feet gonna get hurt with those grassy thorns?" He sulked his innocent, little face, sounding very serious. 

"Don't worry about me. As long as you are alright...I am all good!" She whispered with a glimmer of happiness, glancing at him softly. 

........

Her eyes were filled with tears as the bitter memory flashed on her mind. Gritting her jowls, she wondered deep inside gazing sadly at Eric's bare feet, "fuck...until now...why am I still thinking about that jerk? Why did I love him...so bad?"