Garak genuinely had... no idea what he was supposed to be lying about. Oh, generally, yes, there was always an undercurrent of ulterior motives, of subterfuge and manipulation, to all of his interactions, but he'd come into this with the expectation of laying his cards out on the table, of making it clear just he wasn't going to cause any trouble or do anything here as reprehensible to Julian as what had forced him away in the first place. But then his train of thought had been sharply and swiftly derailed by Julian snapping at him, and as the young doctor talked, Garak found himself more and more confused.
It wasn't until Julian started lying into himself, started lambasting his abilities and talking about not being good enough, that it simply started to click into place. Had... had they been talking at cross points the entire time? Whenever they had deigned to actually speak to each other back home, over the past year, had they both been approaching things from two entirely differently levels and missing each other completely? All this time? Because if that was so...
Garak couldn't help the sad, quiet laugh that passed his lips as he stepped forward, gently settling his hands onto Julian's arms and guiding him, wordlessly, over to the couch in the room and pulling them both down onto it. "This, my dear doctor, is why you need to take more breaks," Garak said, a certain gentleness in the words before he sighed, allowing silence to fill the void around them for the moment as he shifted to collect and realign his thoughts. He needed to alter his entire approach here. Especially as there seemed to be layers to this that went far beyond his own petty hurts.
"It's been a very long year," Garak said, looking up at Julian with a quiet sympathy in his eyes. "So many things outside of our control, so many things forcing our hands, decisions made for us or in times of crisis. So many outcomes less than ideal," He said softly as he reached out a hand to cover Julian's. "Jadzia would not want you beating yourself up over the outcome of a situation none of us could have foreseen. Sometimes... sometimes you can make all of the right moves, all of the best decisions, and still lose the game, my dear. Circumstances such as that do not become a personal failing unless you make them one."
Giving Julian's hand a very light squeeze, Garak frowned softly, tilting his head down to try and inspect the doctor's expression, "There is not a thing about you that I disdain, my dear. Don't mistake me. There is plenty I find arrogant and self-righteous and relentlessly aggravating. But I wouldn't have you any other way. And I hate the idea that I have left you with the impression that you are in any way not enough when that couldn't be further from the truth."