Chapter Five
902 Words
Most of the activities for the next two days were honestly a blur for Olef. From the spa sessions, shopping at fifth avenue, visit to the museum of Modern Art to attending a Broadway show. He spared no expense getting her everything she wanted and then some. His father was definitely going to grade him after this and Olef didn't fail. Ever.
Chad didn't show up but he was constantly on Olef's mind. What did Chad want to talk about? How did Chad know he would be here? Olef asked Ian to dig up some information and it turned out that Chad had come out of prison a month ago, so why did he wait till now before showing up?
The plaza buzzed with its usual weekend energy, families strolling, couples laughing, the scent of roasted nuts and fresh flowers mingling in the air. At the heart of it, some street performers had drawn a small crowd. They played a lively melody that floated across the open space, the sound fairly danceable.
“Olef, can we go see them play?” she asked.
He froze mid-step, his chest tightening.
Memories of his mother hit him like a bucket of cold water. He could see her dancing to the music in that same spot, her light brown hair glinting in the sunlight on the many Christmases they had come here when he was a child.
“I… I don’t know if…” he began, voice tight, but she was persistent.
“Please? Just for a minute,” she urged, her eyes pleading. Damn those eyes.
He swallowed hard, forcing a nod, and let her lead him. Sapphire and the people gathered sang along with the performers heartily while Olef stood there feeling like he couldn't breathe. He gave her two minutes before grabbing her arm and tugging her away
“Let's go.”
“But the song isn't…”
“ I said let's go,”he snapped. Sapphire gave him a look of fury which he pointedly ignored leading her back to their room. Immediately they were inside she blurted, “ What is wrong with you?”
He paused. “What?” He asked without looking at her.
“I asked what is wrong with you.” She came to stand in front of him so he could look at her. He didn't want to. Those eyes were distracting.
“You won't even look at me. Do you hate me that much? It's not my fault you're about to be in a marriage you don't want to. I was forced too and I wasn't given free reign to live my life because of you. So the least you can do is be nice to me.”
Olef narrowed his eyes. “That's no way to talk to your husband.”
“It's also not right to bark and snap orders at your ‘ wife’ all the time.”
“ I wasn't barking at you.” Olef grumbled.
He sighed. “ I'm sorry. I'll…control my temper.”
She nods. “ But are you alright though?You seem a bit pale and you've been acting all weird since we came here apart from the usual grumpiness.”
He gave a humorless smile. “I'm fine.”
She smiled back and maybe, Olef thought, this might work.
***
Olef was yanked out of Dreamland by the sound of screams. He jerked awake. Sapphire had woken up thrashing and screaming. He held her still. Her eyes were wild and she looked like she wasn't even seeing him.
“Sapphire. Sapphire look at me.”
He held her face in his hands till she really looked at him, her eyes teary.
“It's okay. It was just a nightmare.”
She hugged herself rocking back and forth, panting, eyes wide, crying. She looked crazed.
“Breathe. Just breathe. In and out. Match me.” He exaggerated his own inhale, slow and even forcing her to mirror him.
Olef rubbed her hair trying to get her tremors to stop. He wasn't the most comforting person but he did his best. It took about twenty minutes before she could actually calm down. He still held her though. He leaned against the headboard and she leaned against him.
“I'm sorry, Olef.” She said her voice cracked.
“ Stop apologizing. It's not your fault. Everyone has nightmares.” Although Olef knew this was no ordinary nightmare.
“Not like mine.”
Olef says nothing.
“I wasn't always like this, you know.”she continued, “I used to be normal. Happy. Then my mom died. And everything just…fell apart.”
“That makes two of us.” Olef said.
She turns to look at him. “I'm sorry about your mother Olef. Your father told me you were…struggling.”
Olef looked away. It was suddenly hard to breathe.
“I don't talk about my mother.”
She nodded and thankfully kept silent leaning on him again and soon she was asleep, snoring softly. Olef tucked her in but he couldn't sleep. He mulled over what had just happened. Sapphire was becoming more interesting and not in a good way. As he was thinking all this, his phone beeped. A notification. A text from an unknown number. At this hour? He opened it. It read: It's Chad. I know who's responsible for your mother's death. She's currently sleeping in your bed.
- Writer
