Her Eyes

Eleven

Rain hit the windows of the cottage, light tip taps and pitter patters sounding as the drops slid down. Dark clouds covered the sky, making the 8 AM morning feel more like 4.

Esmae rustled in bed, waking up to the sound of the rain. She snuggled deeper into the blankets and warm comforter, feeling around for Nikolaos and snapping her eyes open when his presence was missing.

She looked around the dark room, only the small mushroom light illuminating her surroundings. His side of the bed was cold and the blanket they shared covered her fully.

"Nikolaos?" she asked the emptiness, hearing nothing in return.

She got out of bed quickly, stumbling as she did, and paced around the room. She pressed her ear against the bathroom door, not hearing anything, and moved to the archway that led to Nikolaos' office room. She saw the blue light of the computer shining and could hear the keyboard clacking as someone tapped away. That someone being Nikolaos.

Quickly, Esmae rushed to his side, slowing down when she found him sitting behind his desk working.

Nikolaos turned around, noticing her quiet presence, and smiled endearingly. "Good morning, Esmae," he greeted, taking her hands and pulling her closer.

"G-Good morning, Nikolaos," she returned, feeling whole again.

"It's raining ... outside," she continued, wishing to talk more. It was hard to speak, although everyone around her made it seem so easy. She had nothing to talk about, nothing she liked – or at least thought she liked – and her vocabulary wasn't the best.

Nikolaos smiled at her efforts. "It tends to rain a lot during this season. The wind is strong too," he conversed, playing with her smaller fingers unconsciously.

"What are you doing?"

"I have a few assignments I need to complete before classes begin, I was finishing them today," he explained, glancing at his screen partially.

"... Is it hard?"

"For the most part, no. Currently, I'm studying calculus – it's mathematics." Math was always easy for Nikolaos. He understood the equations quickly and knew how to apply them in any situation given to him. He was gifted in the subject.

"Can I watch?" Esmae asked hesitantly. Was she asking him too many questions? Would he say no? Am I annoying him?

She didn't fully understand annoyance, but she learned it from the movie they watched nights ago, slowly growing aware of herself and her actions. Nikolaos noticed her wariness but didn't comment. "It's not very fun, but if you want to, you can," he said, turning to the screen in his chair and pulling Esmae along with him.

He sat her on his lap. Her bare legs met his sweatpants. Esmae melted into his warm embrace, looking around his desk. There were papers around. Most were filled with numbers and equations she couldn't begin to understand. There was a thick textbook as well, though it was untouched.

Nikolaos rested his chin atop Esmae's head, peering at his assignment over her. He leaned closer as he began to work, pushing Esmae closer to the desk unintentionally.

Silence enveloped them once again, Esmae watching the man working quietly. She didn't understand what he was doing, but she still traced the pencil in his hand as it wrote steps to solving derivatives and differentiation.

An hour passed and during that hour, Nikolaos finished his Calculus assignment; Esmae clapped lightly every time he got a question correct, smiling at the green check mark that covered the screen when he submitted his answer. He chuckled at her actions, his hand going to wrap around her stomach, squeezing it warmly.