Chapter 200
She wasn’t particularly good at comforting others, so she tried to recall how she’d seen people do it before.
Once, when Zinnia and Maisie were walking around the school track, they saw a boy and a girl.
The girl was crying her eyes out, and the boy gently stroked her hair. Zinnia didn’t catch what the boy said, but whatever it was, it made the girl stop crying.
Zinnia thought, ‘I hope this trick will work on Yannis. Wish I’d heard what that boy said back then; then I could’ve used it to comfort Yannis now.
Perhaps her words had finally taken effect; Yannis fell silent. He simply held her, saying nothing, making no other move.
“Yannis, would you like me to help you back to your room to rest?” Zinnia asked gently.
Zinnia’s legs were going numb from crouching. Now that Yannis had stopped crying, she thought about helping him back to his room.
She thought, ‘It is the dead of night, and the living room is getting chilly. If we stay out here any longer, we will both risk catching a cold!
Zinnia wondered how Yannis ended up here. Jackson had texted her before bed, saying he’d put Yannis to bed and told her not to worry. But when she
came out, she found Yannis crouched in the corner by the window.
Yannis remained silent. Zinnia tried to pry his arms from around her waist, but after struggling for what felt like ages, his grip was ironclad. She couldn’t budge him an inch. Zinnia sighed in frustration.
Perhaps sensing her discomfort from crouching, Yannis suddenly straightened his legs. Caught off guard, Zinnia lurched forward, and in an instant, she found herself sitting squarely in his lap.
Zinnia felt something soft and cool brush against her forehead. Instinctively, she straightened up, her eyes darting to Yannis’s lips. Her ears burned crimson, her hands fluttering helplessly as she struggled to figure out what to do.
Yannis’s gaze remained vacant and lifeless.
Noticing his dazed expression, Zinnia felt a faint sense of relief. She thought, ‘This is just like a scene from that TV drama Maisie and I had watched the other day.‘
Maybe it was because she was distracted, Yannis frowned slightly. He released his hold on her waist and guided her hands to his waist, silently urging her to hold him.
Zinnia was already fidgeting nervously on his lap. When he suddenly pulled her closer, she toppled right onto his chest, her face instantly burning with embarrassment.
She didn’t expect Yannis to become incredibly clingy when drunk. He stopped muttering about being abandoned anymore, just holding on to her for dear life. She tried to wriggle free, but he wouldn’t let go.
With a pitiful, almost pleading tone, Yannis murmured, “Hug me.”
Yannis looked up at her, the corners of his eyes still red and glistening with unshed tears. He looked utterly pitiful. In a hoarse, wounded voice, he said, “Are you going to abandon me too? None of you ever keeps your promises. You’re all liars.”
Seeing him like this, Zinnia simply couldn’t bear to refuse him anything. “I’m not going to abandon you,” she said, meeting his gaze.
As Zinnia finished speaking, a flicker of clarity briefly lit up Yannis’s dull, vacant eyes. His arms around her slackened for a moment, only to tighten again almost instantly.
Zinnia didn’t notice this subtle change. By now, she had grown used to Yannis clinging to her. She thought, ‘Fine, hold me then. As long as it makes him
feel better.’
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Chapter 200
“Don’t lie to me.” Yannis said, sounding like a toddler who needed constant reassurance.
Zinnia said softly, “I won’t lie to you.” Even though she knew he wasn’t in his right mind, she meant every word. Just then, a chilly dan Prest window, making her shiver,
“I want to sleep,” Yannis murmured weakly.
“Then let me help you to bed,” Zinnia said. She stood and reached out to guide him.
With Zinnia leaving his embrace, a sudden pang of emptiness washed over Yannis. But then, his hand was held.
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