Adam was stunned to see her holding the back of his shirt firmly in her grip. He tried to move but she still didn't let go, instead made her grip tighter on it.
He was amused by her actions. His anger slowly dissipated.
"What now?" He asked her sternly.
Her head was lowered and he couldn't see her expressions but could feel the hand holding his shirt tremble a little.
"You need to disinfect your wounds, Sir." She replied demurely.
"Who's your Sir?" He asked her back with a raised eyebrow. 'I hate it when she calls me by that title.'
"You can fire me if you want but you have to treat your wounds, now. It's not good to leave them like this, they could get infected.
"And what does it have to do with you?" He scoffed.
Stella raised her head and when she did, Adam felt all his rationality going out of the window. Her eyes were teary and she was biting down on her lower lip hardly as not to allow any whimpering sounds escape her lips.
Adam felt his soul being sucked out of his body at the sight. 'Shit! I took it too far.'
When he saw that she had brought a first aid kit for him, he was elated. But he decided to act against what he actually felt like, how could he let her have her way with him this easily? He didn't know that his actions would make this little lady tear up.
"What happened? Are you hurt somewhere?" He couldn't help but ask her, his voice laced with worry.
He took her hand and guided her to the couch, making her sit down. He sat opposite to her on the wooden table.
"Stella? Please talk to me. What happened?" His voice filled with gentleness.
The more he was being nice to her, the more she wanted to cry. She couldn't control her tears and a few of them escaped her eyes, running down her cheeks.
Adam couldn't help but feel helpless. He didn't know what to do. It was the first time a girl was crying in front of him. He didn't know what to do.
'How did it turn out like this? She was the one trying to make up to me. How did I end up being the one trying to console her? I am so whipped up.'
"Please, talk to me. You are making me worried." He asked her again.
There was still no reply other than the occasional sniffing sounds.
"If you talk to me, I will treat my cuts. I promise." He tried to coax her.
"You promise?" He finally heard her speaking. "I promise." He replied with his head bobbing up and down. He could agree with anything as long as she wouldn't cry.
"I am s-s-sorry." She said in between her sniffing. He got up and brought her a glass of water. She took it but didn't drink.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have treated you like that. You have been treating me so well and here I am accusing you of something that you never did." She finally said her thoughts out loud.
"It's alright Stella. I was in the wrong as well. I shouldn't have shouted at you. "He replied to her politely.
"No! It wasn't your fault, it was mine. Just because of a bad experience before, I doubted you. I doubted your character. For that, I am deeply sorry." She said, gathering her thoughts.
"It's alright. It's all in the past now, isn't it?" He asked her with a smile.
She nodded, "Yes, but I still want to apologize properly. You even hurt yourself because of me." She looked at him, her expressions filled with guilt.
"I am sorry Adam." She said looking into his eyes.
Adam was struck by lightning. It was the first time she had said his name without him forcing her to do so.
"It's alright." He gave her a toothy grin.
He took a bunch of tissues from the tissue box next to him and passed them to her. "Now stop with the crying. You look so ugly." He tried to joke with her.
"Shut up." She rolled her eyes at him dabbing the tissue papers on her face. She drank the glass of water Adam had brought earlier.
Adam laughed at her response. 'Thank God, she is back to her normal self.'
Stella placed a cushion on her lap, took Adam's right hand and placed it on the cushion.
She took out cotton pads and disinfectant from the first aid box and started to clean his wounds with her utmost concentration.
In the silence of his office, two people were sitting opposite to each other. Stella was busy tending to his wounds while Adam watched her intently. She would, once in a while, softly blow air on his wounds to ease his pain.
He could still see guilt written on her face. "What is it now?" He asked her patting her head as if she was a little kid.
"I am sorry." She said again only to get a scowl from him.
"Stop apologizing to me, or else I won't let you treat my wounds. "He said taking back his hand but she didn't let him.
"Okay, I won't. It's just I feel guilty looking at your wounds." She said biting her lower lip.
"Then don't look at them." He stated as a matter of fact.
Stella glared at him in response, going back to what she was doing.
"Well, there's one way you can make it up to me." Adam spoke gently which made her eyes brightened up, "What?"
"Be my friend." He said as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Huh?" She was confused by his sudden demand.
"You heard me. Be my friend and I will turn a blind eye to what happened." He said looking intently at her.
Stella didn't reply to him for long. Just as he was starting to think that he had gone overboard, he heard her say, "Okay."
Adam couldn't help but freeze at her reply. He didn't think that she would agree with him and he wouldn't have minded it. He was just trying his luck.
"What did you say?" He couldn't help but ask her to confirm.
"Okay. I will be your friend." Stella smiled at him once she was done disinfecting all his cuts. She made sure that she didn't leave a single cut untreated.