Chapter Text
“It's, oh, so quiet
Shhhh Shhhh
It's, oh, so still
Shhhh Shhhh
You're all alone
Shhh Shhh
And so peaceful until...
You fall in love”
(“It’s oh so quiet” by Björk)
With her head resting on her hand, Kokoro looked fascinated at the young man in front of her, who, with his hands in his hair, lips contracted and gaze fixed on the void, was giving vent to an unusual version of himself, to say the least. Feeling somewhat privileged in being a spectator of such a rare event, she realized only a second too late that it could be indelicate to laugh at such a dramatic moment for him. Which of course, she just did. And with a certain crudeness too. Eh, old age bastard!
"You're not helping me, old woman," said the poor man in a grave and tense tone.
"Come on! It's not a big deal. Maybe you still have time not to blow everything up."
"Again. Not helping."
She swirled the wine in the glass, swallowed it in one gulp, and slammed the glass on the counter.
"Honestly, Paulie, if you want some help from me - which I don't recommend you do, by the way, since I'm a really bad advisor - you'd do well to tell me the story right from the start. The information I have is insufficient. Not to mention that I can't give you an opinion if you clam up. "
The boy gave a melodramatic sigh and, if possible, became even more miserable to her eyes.
"There's no story. I got stuck in a series of events beyond my control."
Eh, the youth of today. They pose as great men, but they are nothing but newbies when it comes to feelings.
Kokoro refrained from rolling her eyes. The stubbornness of this hopeless generation has no limits, she thought. The bases are missing. In any case, she was sorry to see the boy in such a pathetic state. It would be cruel to leave him alone to solve the emotional puzzle that had reduced him to a rag.
“Mm... 'Stuck', you say. Interesting choice of words. I would rather say that you're 'involved'. Look at yourself; you are a mess."
Paulie locked himself back in his dark, grumpy world for a few minutes.
Then, as if having second thoughts, he straightened his shoulders and slowly turned to her, making the seat creak.
“Ok, yes... I admit it.”
A pause.
And then: “I'm involved. "
Kokoro grinned. One step forward in the end. About time!
“We got all night. Come on, tell me everything from the beginning."
Paulie stalled, shifting his weight from one side of the seat to the other and running a hand over his neck.
"All right, ” he sighed. “But after I'm done, I want your honest and brutal opinion."
"You'll have it. But hurry up. I'm losing my temper."
And finally, he began to tell his story.