Hi everyone! ^^

Finally chapter 21...It was ready since a while ago, just hadn't find the time to update :P

Thank you all for your lovely reviews! x3 (even the one who doesn't like the FlippyxFlaky :P I have to say, I'm definitely not into the FlippyxGiggles, I'd much rather the FlippyxPetunia ...but anyway, you actually gave me a good idea, because I needed a slutty girl for another story I'm writing, so I think I'll use Giggles for that. xD )

She sat in front of a recently lighted fireplace, hugging her knees against her chest. It worked with gas so it was easy to handle for her. She was not cold, the air conditioner was enough, but she liked to simply sit on the floor, watching the fire. Though that was a lie.

It was him who liked to sit watching the fire, she hadn't understood that fascination he had. If it was about wasting time in thought with which may seem a meaningless action in others eyes, she found more enjoyable lying on the carpeted floor and staring out the picture window, up to the sky.

Now that the anger was filling her being, she began to understand the wonder of staring into the glowing fire. It was a feral and erratic dance that didn't stop. It was as if small living flames leapt and bounced in joy, then turning into an infuriating madness which drove them to move even more wildly.

Its endless pace soothing her own rage, as if it burned instead of her, driving away all the cholera from her body.

She didn't want to cry anymore, it was useless. And ironically, the only thing she wanted was being with him, feeling his arms around her again. No matter what he did, it only made her feel she needed him more than ever. It was his spell working in her mind, making her his puppet. And she willingly would accept it because it was the fright of being away from him, what overpowered every other feeling and fear.

Time passed without her noticing it, and when she became aware of it, the clock struck one o'clock. The two hours were already gone. By that time she would be having lunch with her friends. She just sighed, not being able to be mad anymore. The current problem was what to eat.

She went down to the kitchen. While peaking inside the fridge, a revengeful and playful thought crossed her mind. What if she burned down his kitchen accidentally as she tried to make lunch. It would be entirely his fault. He unjustly locked her in and she had to eat. It was always him or Amanda the ones to cook; he knew it was an impossible task for her.

Clearly it was just a mindless fantasy to add some humor to her own thoughts. She wouldn't do something like that. If anything, she was more careful with his belongings than with everything else.

There was no use on thinking more, no matter how many ingredients she found she would never be able to make a complex meal. She would have to conform with ham and cheese sandwich, like many other times, at her house, because her mom wasn't someone who would care about having her daughter well fed, so she was used to the easiness of ham and cheese, although lately, she had been spoiled. Amanda was great at cooking but it was Filip who made the most delicious dishes making her feel utterly dissatisfied with a simple sandwich.

After she finished eating and cleaned the dishes, she found the emptiness of the apartment suffocating. She could almost hear her heartbeats among the silence that consumed the place. And it scared her, it scared more than she would have thought. Fear suddenly roaming through her whole body, her fingertips getting cold and anxiety filling her mind.

She walked slowly, up to the second floor, feeling aghast by the echo of her footsteps on the wooden flat. Sitting next to the fire again, she grabbed her phone from the place where she had left it and after turning it on she dialed his number, only to be startled by the vibrating sound on top of a desk behind her. There, next to the laptop was his cellphone.

She gulped looking down at her shaking hands, feeling lost, and hating the sensations that were filling her. It was getting more and more intense, now that she found herself cornered in the loneliness. The last couple hours had being occupied with her rage, the fire and then when she calmed, she got more aware of the fact that he locked her and the claustrophobia started crawling on her senses.

As a last resort she picked his cellphone and searched through his contacts. Amanda could help her, she knew she would do it, and if she weren't so desperate Fay wouldn't bother any person for such futile matter, but it was deadly dread what she was feeling, and Amanda had keys of the apartment. Unfortunately, she couldn't find her number, he didn't have it.

Fay sat down again, tapping her foot on the floor; the silence was like thousands of ghosts drifting around her, the slightest breeze making contact with her skin made her jump to look around like a maddened person. It was paranoia, delusional thoughts of sounds and things that weren't actually there.

With slow and erratic movements she reached for the laptop and turned on the music. Picking something soothing and soft, something that made her forget about the quiet, non-existing sounds that reached her ears. She then plugged the speakers and heard how the music filled the entire space around her, deciding on the spur of the moment that what she needed was a deafening volume, so she wouldn't be able to hear even her own thinking. She turned up the volume to its maximum.

The girl sat on the middle of the room as the tune surrounded her, Four Seasons by Vivaldi. It wasn't quiet anymore, all the stillness deflected away as she tried to concentrate on every flowing note, on the striking of the strings joining together on a smooth and elegant melody.

She inhaled deeply through her mouth, settling her raising heart, letting the air reach her brain so she could think more lucidly. Its effect was almost cathartic, although it only lasted some minutes, then her head turned all over the place with harsh movements, to see nothing. It was probably just some static electricity traveling through the air, which she was aware of due to her sensitive senses. All of that, caused by the anxiety that created irrational delusions inside of her mind.

It went on like that for about thirty minutes, her eyes shifting from one spot to another, not being able to find complete tranquility. Until in the middle of Winter, her eyes snapped to the spot next to the stairs, finding a figure standing straight there, looking at her. She gasped, backing away, though she was far enough. It took her about ten seconds to recognize him.

Filip observed all her gestures. Her hands flat on the floor, her chest swelling with heavy breathing, her watery eyes enlarging as she looked at him, and the size of her pupils reducing as her mind processed his familiar face.

She looked like a small animal lost in fear before its death. The boy didn't dare to make a single movement or sound; her sole frightened image scared him and at the same time sparked some hidden emotions from the back of his mind, in which he didn't want to think.

From her lips escaped a small sound, it was a soft cry of relief that he didn't catch over the music.

Standing up, she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He embraced her as their bodies collided, loosing balance and reaching one of his hands behind him to the wall, for support. He then leaned against it and fell onto the floor slowly with her in his arms, his face buried in her hair and his hands feeling the echo of the sobbing on her back.

They stayed there quietly, comforting each other. She was sitting between his legs, her face hidden on his neck, her breath caressing on his skin smoothly. The music ended and the silence came back, but she didn't even noticed, it was just him and his warmness providing consolation to her heart.

He was lost in thought about how much he could hurt her before breaking her apart or before she realized she didn't deserved it. But it was true he couldn't live without her, without her sweetness. How could he not love her with every fiber of his being, when he caused her pain and yet she ran to him as if he were the greatest thing that could happen to her the same moment he came back? She was the greatest thing in his life, and he still was stupid enough to make her cry.

He knew it would be like that, he always knew it. And he didn't care if he was fiend, he didn't care if he was meant to decay in hell; but dragging her along with him, was beyond all evildoing, it was a repugnant thought that made his heart cringe in pain, causing him to tighten his hug around her delicate shape.

After a sigh she drew back, creating a small distance between their bodies, looking up at his eyes "I'm tired" She spoke in a whispering voice.

He ran his fingertips through her face, touching her half-closed eyelids, her cheeks stained with dry tears and her red, tender lips "I'm sorry" He said while leaning his forehead against hers. Then, running a trail of kisses from the corner of her eye to the corner of her mouth, he repeated "I'm sorry" And she smiled shaking her head, it was all forgotten.

"Don't leave me alone again"

After everything he demanded from her, and that was the only thing she asked, which was somehow absurd because that was the last thing he wanted to do, get apart from her.

He stared down at her, deadpan, and it was the kind of earnest stare that she wasn't able to hold for long, making her heart quicken. She nuzzled against his chest so she didn't have to look into his eyes.

"No, never…" He closed his eyes as he drank in her sweet scent; it was silky and intoxicating, almost addictive, like it was enough to live. He sensed her arms around him and his whole body wished for that moment to never end. There could be an entire universe out there and the only thing he needed was her, her utter and absolute perfection, the smoothness of her flawless skin, the warmth of her lips and the sparkle of her heart.

She shifted slightly and her breathing was becoming profound and heavy, she was falling sleep. He pressed his lips on her forehead "Fay, open your eyes, you should sleep in the bed"

She mumbled some incoherent words and blinked through heavy eyelids. A smile appeared on his lips.

"Let's go" He uttered in a low voice.

"I wanna stay here" She said stubbornly, raising her head a little to gaze up at him through her lashes.

He chuckled at her childish behavior. How could be that she was already okay with him. She was mad, really mad when he left her; he saw it perfectly clear in her eyes. Now she was acting as if anything happened, as if she was happier than ever just by being there with him.

He sighed "You're supposed to be mad at me" He stated with a doleful expression, her brows knitted together as if for one moment she didn't understand what he was referring to.

"Oh, I'm…not" There weren't many things she could say to explain herself, she knew it was irrational. Actually, everything about that day was irrational, his and her behavior, and mostly, her fear. But even if everything was unfounded, if their actions and feelings may seem foolish to any normal person, she already accepted it, loved it. And he still couldn't understand, blinded by her naivety he still thought she didn't comprehend where she was standing; when in reality, she had already embraced all the craziness that being with him represented.

"But…" She said as her fingers twisted fidgety with the hem of his jacket.

"Yes?"

"You were…all freaked out by this dress, yet you chose a short dress to the dance thing"

There was a silence that seemed longer that it took, and she didn't dare to look up. The last thing she wanted was to trigger another fight.

"That's because that day I won't be leaving your side at any time"

She blinked at him, a gleam of joy reaching her eyes "So…that means you're going with me?"

For the whole last week, all she had being trying to do was to convince him of assisting to the event with her. And she was actually starting to give up, because it truly seemed like there was no way of changing his mind. And at the same time, that was his subtle manner of persuading her of not going, so it had been a constant passive battle in which each of them tried to induce their idea in the other.

"There's no helping it I guess" He said finally, admitting his surrender.

She squealed in happiness, throwing her arms around his neck once again.

It had been a week since the dress incident and she just couldn't bring herself to tell her friends all the truth. But the typical 'it was just a stupid fight' worked well enough, and it was more truth than any excuse she could have thought up.

And the after effects were actually quite satisfactory. Filip was being really compliant with her, so even the dress issue wasn't a problem anymore. However, after one week delay, Petunia was at the verge of a panic attack. It was almost comical how Fay could compare her psychotic symptoms with her friend's outburst because all the pretty dresses were going to disappear from one day to another. It was basically an obsession, which made Fay wonder if there wasn't anyone completely sane around her.

So after the shopping was done, the calm returned and Petunia was able to breathe again, visibly pleased.

"Fay…" Petunia said her name as she sipped from her blueberry milkshake. She was leaning against the rail, the bag containing a pretty black and blue strapless dress hanging from one of her hands as the other was occupied with the cup, her eyes moving around absentmindedly from the illuminated ads to the highlighted offers in the stores.

"Yeah?" She was sitting on a bench with Gili, taking a rest; although the day hadn't been as chaotic as she thought, and the choosing of the dresses had been quite simple too; her friends knew well what they wanted and Filip helped her with her decision, so it was easily done.

Petunia didn't say anything else so she looked up at her side to find blue sparkling eyes staring down at her. A strange uneasiness traveled through her body as Petunia's lips curled into a playful smile.

She shoved Fay to move with her hips, making room for her to sit next to her friends.

Gili knew way too well that tone of voice, it was going to be torture for Fay, but when Petunia used it, it always turned out in a rather interesting conversation so she stared attentive at what she was going to say.

"You can't really expect me to think nothing has happened between you and your lovely boyfriend?"

Fay frowned a little, since a couple of things didn't sound correct on that question. And it wasn't the sly tone she used at pronouncing the word lovely, which wasn't a surprise, given that her hate towards Filip was more than tangible. Strangely enough, it was the boyfriend which didn't fit in Fay's mind, feeling it completely foreign from her vocabulary. If there was the need to name their relationship, she guessed it would be that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, it was like an unwritten rule, though she wasn't sure if one of them was supposed to ask to the other for that kind of commitment, since she had never been in love, let alone being involve with someone to that extend; and if that was the case, nobody asked the question, and she didn't feel the need for it either. The other thing was the course of the conversation; she thought they weren't going to wonder any more about the fight, it was old story; there was nothing else to say.

She sighed "I told you it wasn't a big deal"

Gili let out a little puff then cupped her mouth with her palm when Fay turned to look at her with a puzzled expression. She giggled and shook her head at Fay indicating she shouldn't pay attention to her.

"I wasn't talking about that…" Petunia said turning to face the oblivious red haired girl sitting at her side.

"Then what?" Fay asked impatiently. No wonder Gili got mad every time they laughed at her.

"I was talking about sex" The word lingered on her tongue longer that it should, echoing in Fay's mind and making it as clear as possible. She looked at her side taken aback by the twist in the topic as her mind put the pieces in place, realizing what her friend was talking about; apparently the word sex didn't unchain any direct meaning for her.

"Oh…" She nodded a little, still in the middle of a slow process "Wh-what?" She suddenly reacted, her face becoming redder as her eyes grew larger.

"Well?" Asked Petunia casually.

"Nothing's happened" She hurried to say while looking down and fiddling with her fingers. It was a subject completely out of her comfort zone.

"Nothing at all?"

She shook her head while gazing around, afraid that someone would listen to their conversation, it would be truly embarrassing.

"But you're always at his place" This time was Gili's high voice that reached her ears, implying that just that fact was proof enough of how much their relationship had advanced.

"S-so what?"

"So what? Well, at least he must have tried something" Petunia answered using a soft and full of curiosity tone of voice. She wasn't trying to be rude or to intrude in her life, but she found fun in that kind of topic, and she wanted Fay to trust them more.

"It doesn't have to be like that" Her thin voice replied almost too low, making her think they probably didn't hear it.

"She's right…" Gili affirmed after a pause "I mean, how long have you being dating, probably one month or so…I wouldn't rush things either" She looked at her side with her usual wide green eyes, Fay just nodded at her in approval, what else could she say, she hadn't thought about that before.

"That's true, but it's not about the time, is about how they act, you've seen them, they don't act like the innocent high school sweethearts but like a recently married couple" Petunia let out a chuckle and her words only confused Fay more. Gili shrugged; for her, they appeared to love each other, nothing else, she wasn't as keen with people's behavior as Petunia.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I don't know, it's like…I can't deny you seem to like each other, but, it's more…intimate"

Fay bit on her index finger while frowning at the floor. She couldn't image how they looked like being together in front of other people, but she found it just ordinary, like any other couple would behave, she had even seen it and there wasn't much of a difference. The most obvious thing was that they held hands, but she had seen many couples doing the same and even more.

Seeing she wasn't getting any response, Petunia spoke again "And I'm not talking about the making out or anything like that…" She said, as if she had just read her mind "but the way you behave with each other…maybe that's what people call chemistry"

"I-I don't get what you're talking about b-but…it's true that nothing has happened" Said Fay still not daring to look up.

She knew there had been more than a couple of heated kisses, and maybe he crossed some boundaries a few times, but that was about it, the situation never ended in more than a simple kiss and his teasing.

"So you sleep in different rooms when you stay at his house?" Asked Petunia mockingly while wearing a wide smile on her lips.

"N-no…we do sleep together" The read haired girl turned her stare to one side, finding Gili looking at her with wide eyes, then to the other, to see Petunia who just laughed, seemingly surprised "B-but that's all!" She voiced in a higher tone than she intended.

"Wow…so the guy actually has a good thing about him" Petunia said arching her brows a bit in awe since she had him in the worst concept.

"Is that good?" Fay asked a bit amazed that it changed Petunia's perception of him.

"Sure, it's because he respects you…and doesn't press you to do anything. You know, guys always do things like that, and it's annoying that most of them only think about satisfying themselves" She stared at the floor while placing the empty cup and the bag at her side and then turned to look at a pair of genuinely honest and big amber eyes "Though I feel kinda sorry for him" She said pursing her lips, holding her smile.

"Wh-why?" Asked Fay, finding Petunia's expression somehow funny, causing her to laugh.

"I'm just joking" She said lively, throwing her arms around her neck, hugging her and rubbing her cheek against Fay's "You're so cute that I want to squeeze you"

All she could see in Fay's eyes was a pool of a pure and authentic soul, and if he truly loved her, she could understand how he felt, and maybe justify a little, though just a little his overprotectiveness, however, it still remained in a possessive kind of attitude on his part. Fay was fragile, it was her most evident feature and what would make any person to adore her, so having the responsibility to make her happy must be hard for him. Even so, she still didn't like many things about him.

"He-hey!" Fay whined as she giggled.

Gili laughed joyfully along with them, staring up at the illuminated ceiling and squinting at its light. She wanted to support her friend too, but not wanting to add more pressure into her, she secretly was afraid of losing her, afraid that he would take her away from them.

It wasn't much of an advance but I hope you liked it :3

Until next chapter!