0°Celsius: Chapter 21

I am faded.

2 months later.

Alessandro’s study room.

He sat at his table with study lamp being his only illumination.

Papers lie scattered around him and the clock stuck 2 at night.

He removed his specs from his nose, rubbed his eyes and placed his specs on the table.

Placing both his hands behind his head he leaned back on the chair and closed his eyes.

He loved the silence…he loved the darkness.

They gave serenity to his chaotic mind.

But this silence was also short lived when he heard something falling down in the room next to him.

Rushing out of his room to the next one his heart accelerated just like it did most often these days.

As soon as he opened the door pitch darkness welcomed him.

Afraid he called out her name..

‘Saph….?…are you fine ….where are you….’

No reply….he felt like he could hear her heavy breathing but she didn’t reply.

He switched on the lights to see her small body lying on the floor…her eyes were glued on the broken side lamp and her hands clutched the pillow like her life was dependent on it.

He sighed with relief seeing her to be fine.

He took small silent steps towards her.

Reaching her he crouched down at her level but she still refuse to look at him…

‘Saph? I asked you something…? Are you fine….’

‘I….’

‘I…..I….’

He nodded encouraging her to go on as she looked at him trying to form the correct words.

‘Br…..o…..ke…….expensive…..’

Suddenly her demeanour changed

She looked at him with horror and fear.

‘I ….am . sorry……sorry…….S….orry…….!!!!!

Stupid….!…. Stupid!!! STUPID!! STUPID!!!!’

She started hitting her tiny palms on her head trying to punish herself…

He held her hands stopping her but she refused to stop.

She kept thrashing in his arms without fail.

‘Let…..me go……let….me go!!!’

This continued till tears were streaming down her eyes and pity overflowing his heart.

But he refused to leave her hands…

Refused to let her harm herself..

‘Saph it’s fine…it was not expensive…it was cheap….’

She stilled listening to his words..

Her next words made him loose his sanity.

‘C….h….eap?’

She asked again and he nodded with a smile trying to show her he was not angry.

‘….just….like..me?’

It felt like hundred knives were stabbed into his heart.

He stilled staring at her face unable to bear the pain in her words.

‘…No…..No baby…no.. my Saph can never be cheap…you my dearest are the most precious one in the world…never call yourself that…okay?’

He asked placing his thumb on her tears and wiping them off her porcelain skin.

‘…b…ut….I…am….a slut….they….the voices…say……that I am a slut…. slut’s are cheap…..ar…. aren’t they?’

Her eyes stared into his cold ones to see if she was right..

He did n’t say anything for a few minutes.

Instead he picked up her body in his arms and placed her down on the bed covering her with the quilt.

She thought his silence meant acceptance but then he spoke.

‘I am the only voice you should believe Saph ..only I am real and I think that my Saph only belongs to me…you are mine Saph….only mine…and no one’s slut ….you belong to me…just like I belong to you…..body …heart…soul … everything…..’

‘..but…the..–‘

He placed his finger on her lips… stopping her.

‘Now sleep…no thinking…no speaking…close you eyes now…’

‘..no….I…. can’t…the…y

…will…come….back……’

She said while gripping the quilt tightly..

‘I am .here….right next to you… nothing will happen. Okay ..’

She looked up at him and tightly clutched the front of his shirt.

Without wasting a second he joined her inside her quilt and held her tiny body safely in his arms.

But he knew that right now she didn’t needed safety from the outside world…she needed safety from inside. From herself from which he couldn’t protect her.

‘You bloody want to ruin your entire life with her….no son I can’t allow that!!! You will send her to a mental hospital and forget her!!Andrea is the perfect girl for you!!! Why can’t you accept her and forget that psycho bitch!! Haven’t she ruined you enough!!’

Andro listened to his mom silently…not arguing. Not replying. Nothing.

Clarissa Romano was not a patient women especially when her son’s silence aggravated her anger.

‘Okay so you can’t do it…no worries I will throw that shit out of my house myself…’

As she turned around he spoke

‘You. won’t. even. lay. a. single. step. into. her. Room.’

‘Oh really now you will go against your own mom for that girl….wow….son….just wow…I thought I raised you well…’

‘Mom….just don’t test my patience. I am asking you politely…please leave before I say something I should not..’

‘Fine…go to hell with that psycho bitch of yours…but remember don’t you ever call me your mom again…if thinking best for my son’s future makes my son say this to me …then I don’t want a son like that…’

With this the clicking voice of her heels slowly faded away as Andro’s heart shattered to million pieces.

He broke down there and then as memories flooded his mind.

The day he won his first trophy and gave it to his mom.

The day his mom kissed his forehead and said that she was the most lucky mom to have a son like him.

The day she held him in her arms as Sapphire’s heartbreak broke him into pieces.

The day she cried when his company succeeded.

He gulped the bottles lying on the bar shelf and indulged his misery in depths of Vodka.

But some pains can only be numbed and not be erased and this was that pain.

Soft hands were placed on his back and when he looked up he saw a worried Andrea looking at him.

He needed someone desperately and she knew this.

Even though not his fiancé　she was still his friend and she knew really well how to maintain friendship.

He landed himself in her arms as she soothes his back and hair.

Assuring him that everything will be fine.

She took the bottle from his hands and placed her body as support to guide him to his room.

Gently placing him on his bed she untied his shoes and smoothened the creases on his forehead.

He refused to leave her hand but she knew he had to.

‘Saph…..S…aph’

Were the words leaving his dried lips and she looked lost standing there wondering if this is what people call true love.

She gently escaped her hands from his grip and turned around to leave but not before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and whispering…

‘I am here Alex…I will always be here…’

But little did she knew that a small figure was standing there holding the door frame looking at her and Andro.

She was loosing her sanity…she knew she was going crazy…but still she was selfish.

She wanted him.

All of him.

Without sharing.

Even at the cost of his downfall.

She couldn’t be normal again.

She knew she had crossed the limits now.

She knew soon the voiced she hear and the water she floats on will suck her in .

The hands that touch her will choke her to death.

But till then. Till with little sanity left in her with which she could feel his touch…she wanted it all for her.

You call her a phycho…you call her a slut…a whore…a maniac… whatever you call her…she was all of them…all of them but only for one person… for him….for her Andro.

He stood there outside the club.

A cheap club to be exact.

Smell of sweat and alcohol welcome him as he opened the door.

He passed through the grinding bodies just in search of one person.

Panic was nothing new now…her safety and health worried him every second.

But right now it was different.

She was not safe here…hell she was not safe the second she decided to leave her room without permission when he was out.

Maria’s call was enough to make him leave all his work and get mad in search of her.

But what made him angry at her after such a long time was her choice of place.

A club.

A damn cheap prostitute club.

Alessandro’s POV

I was very patient with her considering the mental state she was in.

But coming here at this time alone was unacceptable.

I looked out of place here but soon my eyes landed on her who very well managed to mix up with the cheap crowd there.

There she stood wearing a skirt so short that his blood boiled on seeing it.

But that was not it…her black top had a Criss cross back leaving very less to imagine.

How dare she!!

Her hands held a glass of beer and as if sensing my state she turned around.

Her eyes met his but she didn’t looked surprised.

Instead she smiled at me with a wink.

What the hell is wrong with this girl!!

Last I remember she couldn’t even speak or walk properly and now she is behaving more than normal.

The doctor did warned me about some bipolar thing…but this was too weird to accept.

I made my way towards her and snatched the cup from her hand.

‘Androooooooo!!’

With this she threw her body at me and started kissing me senselessly.

I loved her yes. But this kind of behaviour was not acceptable… especially here.

I forcefully took her out and made her sit inside the car…

She started laughing like crazy …

I held my head in my hands not knowing what to do.

Before I know she crossed the passenger seat and was trying to sit on my lap attempting to seduce me while giggling continuously.

My patience crossed all limits and I screamed at her.

‘Are you a damn Slut Saph!! What the hell are you doing? Just stop this nonsense for god’s sake!!’

She stilled.

All her actions stopped.

Her laughter seized and she looked lost.

Lost of where she was…who she was….what she was doing….

My eyes softened seeing her.

Maybe it was not her fault…

She didn’t even knew what she was doing.

I placed her back on her seat and decided to reach home.

All the way she kept silent. Not even a single word. Not even a sigh….it felt like she was not even breathing.

I kept checking her again and again to see if she was fine.

As we reached home I guided her to her room and decided to take out some clothes for her.

As I placed the pajamas and t shirt on the bed.

I found her staring at herself in the mirror.

She looked like she didn’t identified herself.

She kept looking at the clothes that covered her body.

The red lipstick that coated her lips.

The mascara that highlighted her eyes.

Next I know she pulled up her fists and slammed it into the mirror.

The voice of mirror breaking got accompanied by her screams.

I held her bleeding fist in my hand and pulled her back from the shards of broken glass.

Her screams refused to cease.

‘Saph.!!! Saph!! Look at me!! It’s fine…you are fine!!’

I held her face and forced her to look at me.

She calmed down and suddenly engulfed me in a hug

‘Andro…I am not fine…..I don’t…….know…..why………I didn’t ….even….realise… I look soooo bad….I look soooo soo bad….please….those voices…..they…are real ….they said we will have fun….they said I should enjoy…I should do what I am….a slut ..I should dress like one…An…Andro…..and I did dress like …it…I don’t…know…why…when….’

She broke down in tears clutching to me dearly while I kissed her head and returned her hug saying that everything will be fine.

‘Andro……I….love…you…but…I… can’t….you… can’t….I was desperate….to touch…you…sorry…I…behaved

..like..that… it’s….just…..I.. thought…you.. didn’t..love…you…never…touch me ..me…so…’

I placed a finger on her lips and stopped her from blabbering.

‘Shhhh love how could you even think I don’t love you….’

I slightly pushed her back on the bed behind and her body bounced on it…

Her eyes held shock and excitement.

I moved slowly towards her like a hunter moves towards it’s prey.

My eyes taking in each and every inch of her.

‘I hate when you show my property to outsiders Saph…I think it’s time to mark it as mine’

I said looking at her body.

Her body shivered with my words and as I approached her she was ready to be a willing prey.

The night stayed young as our bodies bonded our souls and future together.

It was the first night she didn’t needed her medicine to get a peacefully sleep…his love was more miraculous than any medicine could ever be.