When Love & Hate Collide [Completed]

Chapter 50 - No Place In The World

A/N - As promised, here's the mid week update for you all. 

Along with the song 1000 Times by Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam, a song probably depicting Norberto's state of mind. Enjoy with the chapter that's going to leave many hearts and eyes, probably, bleeding...

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By the time I returned to the living room, Norberto had already left. I had taken my time to dress up and then additional fifteen minutes, fidgeting with my mobile so that they didn't feel pressured. The situation was already awkward enough and I didn't want to add to its peculiarity.

When I heard the main door close with a loud thud, I went back to room only to find Albert all alone. He was still shirt-less, sitting on my couch, his chin resting on his joined hands and his elbows resting on his thighs.

The brooding look discouraged me from asking any question, but I couldn't resist. He was too serious for my comfort. I asked him if he was alright to which he just nodded. I sat next to him on the couch and placed my head on his shoulder.

We sat like that in silence for long time. I knew this meeting was not easy for him, especially considering the circumstances. He was deep in thoughts for a long time.

Finally, it seemed he came up with a decision to the thoughts in his mind and turned to me. "Can I ask you something?"

"You know you can ask me anything. You are the one person who knows me more than any other person in this world, May be more than even me," I replied immediately to rest the struggle going on in his mind.

He took a deep breath and said, "You are right. I need not ask anything."

"What is it? Ask me," I urged again.

"Nothing. Forget I said it. It's all mixed up, up here," he said pointing to his head.

"I am sorry," I said sincerely.

"Don't be. None of this is your fault," he said in a tone, closing it from further discussion.

I knew that was not it. There was something that he was not telling me. I didn't want to intrude. I didn't want to cause more trouble between the two of them than what had already happened. So instead, I just said.

"It's not your fault either."

He thought about it for a long time before saying, "In a sense, it's good we had this meeting. I don't think I would have ever been able to come up with a way to break our relationship to Norberto. Now that it's done, I feel lighter."

Then standing up, he pulled me off the couch and said, "Let us go. Between the two of us, it is time to let go of the past and think of our future."

That was the end of discussion on Norberto. Or so I thought.

Norberto felt otherwise.

I never came to know what happened between the two of them in my absence, but it obviously did nothing to calm Norberto. He was a walking piece of insanity wrapped in a life-less human body. Such was the state of his raging mind, he was hell-bent on drowning himself to death by drinking non-stop. Every second of every minute he spent sober, he could feel the world tearing off his limbs from his body.

If only death was kind enough to have him.

The Gods had cursed him. They had dumped him down the darkest alleys of burning hell, to suffer for the rest of his life. He was not afraid of the Gods. He had been living in hell for years. For him, hell was more of a home for him than any other place.

But the irony was even the deities who ruled hell thought he betrayed them by falling for a stupid girl. Darkness which had welcomed him since he was a small kid and had embraced his soul, drinking from it sip by sip, felt his blood was corrupted.