Her Eyes

Nineteen

Esmae was tired.

It had been two hours since Evangelia and Charis left her and Nikolaos after visiting, and in those two hours, she tried on every item of clothing she was gifted.

From overalls to sweaters, to short-sleeved tops, to long pants and jeans, to hooded jackets and windbreakers. She was sweating after the first hour, but she was having fun at that point and didn't want to stop.

Nikolaos watched her the entire time, clapping when she reappeared in a new outfit and stroked awkward poses that made him laugh. He, too, was tired after the first hour, but Esmae's smile made him stay with her.

There were also dresses and jewelry in the bags. Some dresses were short and hugged the body while others were longer and flowed outward. They reminded Esmae of Princess Tiana. She loved it. Some had sleeves and others didn't, yet somehow, everything fit her perfectly.

She assumed Nikolaos gave his parents her clothing sizes, though he was unaware that they would send gifts to begin with, so when she thanked him, he was confused, but he brushed it off.

Esmae sighed loudly, plopping down on the couch next to Nikolaos, facing his figure. He turned his head to look at her, smiling lightly at her flushed cheeks and panting breaths. "It's tiring, isn't it?" he asked, receiving a nod.

"But you looked pretty in everything you wore," he complimented, her cheeks turning redder, "I think it's a win." Esmae buried her head into the couch cushion and Nikolaos chuckled, loving how shy and flustered he could make her.

He reached over to her, his fingers playing with her loose braids, intertwining in the loops and rubbing her soft hair. An alert sounded from his phone, and he checked it, looking at the notification, his eyes widening. The art gallery was in a day. He had forgotten.

The man was so busy now that his final year of college began, and Esmae's appearance didn't make it any easier. He remembered the words of his professor; he had to be there, and he could bring a plus one if he wanted. His mind wandered to the dryad sitting beside him, her hands fiddling with the ring on his smallest finger.

"Esmae," he called, her eyes locking on his immediately as he did, "Do you remember Professor Houghton?" The woman nodded. "And the art gallery I need to attend?" She nodded again.

"It's set for tomorrow and I am allowed to bring someone else as well. I want you to come with me – do you want to?" Esmae was ready to answer almost immediately, but she stopped herself. Her initial answer would always be yes; she wanted to be with Nikolaos all the time and would do anything to achieve that, but after the confrontation at the library days ago, she started to think more about her decisions.

She didn't like mingling with other people, but she enjoyed going outside and seeing new sights. She was conflicted. "What's in an a-art gallery?" she asked, her voice soft. "There will be pictures displayed by photographers as well as mine and a few paintings as well," Nikolaos explained, liking how Esmae asked him for more information instead of replying as readily as she always did. She never seemed sure when she did so before.

"Y-Your pictures too?" He nodded. Esmae bit her lip, gnawing at the dead skin as she thought. "I would like to go," she finally said, a smile on her face. She wanted to see Nikolaos' photos up close and large and the paintings he talked about enticed her as well.

The man sighed with relief, squeezing her fingers lightly before bringing them to his lips and kissing them softly. "Thank you, glykiá mou," he whispered. If she declined the invitation, Nikolaos wouldn't have complained, but he didn't like leaving her alone with nothing to do while he was away. He would rather have her outside, enjoying the views the world had to offer, though, from her stories, it seemed she experienced a lot more than he suspected.