Her Eyes

Eight

Two bodies slept together, unknowingly tangled. Esmae shuffled in her sleep as she slowly woke up for the day. Her eyes peeked open tiredly and they widened at the state she was in. She was cuddled close to Nikolaos, his arm snaked around her body and her head close to his.

She stared at his sleeping face, reaching her hand out to hover over his features. His dark brown hair was messy and tousled on his head and his brows were relaxed. He looked at peace and vulnerable, far different from the intimidating presence that surrounded him when he was awake.

Esmae sighed happily, glad to see him doing so well after the month of negativity he went through. During that month, he did nothing but lay in bed all day, barely caring for his physical condition as his mental state seemed to descend further down as the days passed.

She didn't know that he had broken up with Nadia, hell, she didn't even know who she was. Nikolaos, on the other hand, didn't expect the breakup between them to hit him as hard as it did. He was always a level-headed guy and didn't react much unless it was important to him.

He and Nadia were extremely close and shared five years' worth of experiences and love, but sometimes they argued because of their distinct differences. Those arguments were small but happened constantly, and soon Nikolaos was seen more as a friend than a lover. The intimate times remained – it seemed to be the only thing that rekindled their love once it began to dwindle. Now that he had come to terms with her sudden departure to Florida, his heart wasn't as empty as he once thought it was. It was consumed with thoughts of Esmae, though she only appeared a day ago.

Nikolaos was never one to get attached quickly. Rather, it took him far too long to get attached to anyone; it took him three years to see his closest friend as a friend at all. There was something different about Esmae. Maybe it was the way she acted giddy and elated without knowing much of anything, or the way she trusted him so quickly because of the way she saw him through the glass, or maybe it was her mesmerizing green eyes that seemed to have him in a trance whenever he looked at them.

Suddenly, while Esmae continued staring at Nikolaos' face, the bell to the cottage rang. She jumped at the unexpected loud noise and covered her mouth quickly before a squeal escaped. Her heart hammered in her chest and fear took over. What was she supposed to do? She didn't want to wake the sleeping man beside her and disrupt him, but she knew she couldn't open the door herself. She understood from the previous day that she was a stranger to his world; an anomaly with no past.

The bell rang again after a few seconds of no response and rang even more as time went on. Esmae panicked silently and began to shuffle around more, hoping to hide away before the person at the door somehow barged in and found her beside Nikolaos.

The man in question groaned at her movement and opened his eyes reluctantly, her eyes meeting his. He saw the worry on her face and scrunched his brows before the ringing bell entered his ears. He rolled over in bed, facing the ceiling, and whispered a curse, rubbing his eyes.

"Esmae, stay here and don't come down until I tell you, okay?" he instructed, getting out of bed and putting on a thin sweater, it had gotten chillier overnight. Esmae nodded slowly, curling into the bed and hiding herself under the covers.

He glanced at her figure once more before going downstairs sleepily and opening the door to end the incessant ringing. His parents stood there, and his mother held a deep frown, her hands on her hips. She didn't nag him like she always did when they met but rather sighed loudly and shook her head. She heard the news from Nadia before she departed and understood how her son would have reacted; she didn't want to add any more stress to his world.

"Kaliméra Nikólaos. Pós eísai?" she asked, looking up at her son with eyes full of pity. Nikolaos' annoyance died down and he stepped to the side, silently allowing them in. They walked to the dining table where his mother placed a few containers of food down and his father went to the clean and empty ones on the kitchen counter.
(Good morning, Nikolaos. How have you been?)