Her Eyes

Thirteen

"Noooooooo," Esmae drawled, clutching Nikolaos' torso, stopping him from moving. He sighed again for the fifth time that morning as he struggled to get past the dining table to the front door.

"Esmae, we talked about this." She knew they talked about it and she thought she would be fine after listening to him yesterday, but what she imagined and reality were far different.

She was scared, scared that she would be left alone again and this time, she couldn't simply fly away with the wind. She would be stuck as a human for who knew how long.

"Five more minutes," she pleaded. It was a phrase she learned from a video she watched about telling time. She now knew how to use it to her advantage.

"No, moró. I'm going to be late," Nikolaos declined, shuffling closer to the door with Esmae clutched to him like a koala bear. She tried to plant her feet on the ground, hoping she would somehow weigh a ton and stop him from moving, but she was light, and Nikolaos was strong; there was no stopping him.

"Please." A whimper left her, but the man ignored it. He had to. No matter how much it pained him to see her sad face, he had to attend his classes for the day. Thankfully, he would be home by three in the afternoon.

He looked at her, her eyes wide like a pleading puppy. "Niko," she said softly, her arms wrapping around him tighter. Nikolaos sighed again, closing his eyes and looking up. "Giatí eísai tóso axiolátreftos?" he muttered before gently pulling the leaf's arms away. "No," he replied to her in the same tone she used, holding her hands with one of his so she couldn't wrap them around him anymore.
(Why are you so adorable?)

He quickly put on his shoes at the front door, still holding her hands, and gathered his belongings before unlocking the front door. "I'll be home in ... six hours. If you wait patiently, I'll bring chocolate," he said, making sure her eyes were on his. "I promise," he promised, finally letting go of her hands and kissing her forehead. Esmae held onto his hand, although not tightly, and leaned into the kiss, standing on her toes.

"... Promise," she whispered. He opened the door, cold air forcing its way through and making her shiver. Nikolaos noticed and cupped her cheeks, leaning closer to her face. "If you're cold, turn on the thermostat, you know how to do that, yeah?" She nodded, "good. I'll see you soon, Esmae." He kissed her lightly, pulling away before her addictive taste made him stay back any more than he already had.

"Goodbye," Esmae said, her voice wavering.

He looked at her once more. She looked so small standing alone in the foyer in one of his sweaters and a short plaid skirt. He hesitated, contemplating if he should bring her with him, but his university was very strict and would catch them immediately. He sent her a tight smile, before closing the door and heading to his car.

Esmae ran to the window beside the door, pressing her face against it and watching as he entered the mobile and drove away.

Once his car disappeared from her sight, she locked the door, remembering what Nikolaos told her the day before. The door should always be locked until Nikolaos comes home and unlocks it himself. She was to never open it, even if someone was knocking on the door for an hour.

She went upstairs to his bedroom, plopping down on the bed, destroying the neatly laid sheets and pillows. She grabbed her phone, unplugged it from its charging station, and looked at the new message sent to her by Nikolaos.

Six hours Esmae.

Right. It would only be six hours. I can wait.

「⸙͎」