Her Eyes

Twenty Six

*Click, clack*

Nikolaos worked on essays from college on his computer in his office room, his reading glasses on as he read through the text on one side of his screen and created an analysis on the other.

He'd been sitting there for hours since early morning as he was dedicated to getting it done before noon.

Esmae came into the office shortly after he began, missing his presence once she woke up. She stayed at her desk, practicing more writing and sketching in a small sketchbook Nikolaos gifted her the day before. She liked drawing with pencil but preferred the bright and pretty colors that came with painting.

The sound of the pencil against the paper was hypnotizing though.

The leaf sat there for a while, sketching leaves and foreground before moving on to the man sitting only a distance away from her. She started with his side profile, tracing his jawline and being particular with the shape of his ear. She made sure to keep his distinct nose and shade the shadows produced on his face along with the light from the computer screen. His hair was slightly tousled on his head, but the curls were shiny, clean and, neat, falling past his ears and partly covering his brows. A haircut was needed soon.

When she was satisfied with her small sketch of her partner, she decided to leave him to his devices quietly and slipped away from the office unnoticed, the man too entranced with his work.

She placed down her sketchbook and pencil in the corner of the bedroom by the window haphazardly and looked out the window. It was raining again, and it was bound to be cold, but for some reason, Esmae wanted to go outside for just a moment and connect with the nature that she saw as a new home.

The dryad glanced at the archway leading to the office and bit her lip lightly, pondering. Only for a few minutes.

She went to the closet, sifting through the clothes inside and finding a long skirt to cover her bare legs. A simple shirt covered her torso area. Without caring much for her hair, which cascaded down her back elegantly, Esmae skipped down the stairs to the first floor and headed down one of the many halls of the cottage to the back door that led to the patio she once saw.

There, she could see the sky more clearly. It wasn't as dark as it tended to be some days, but the clouds covered the sky, reigning yet another day, and they let their tears fall to the ground, feeding the grass that waited patiently to be hydrated.

The wind wasn't harsh and was rather kind. It didn't knock on the windows and walls of the sturdy cottage like it usually did and headed to the forest instead to bother the trees and play with their children.

Esmae stepped outside barefoot, feeling the wet patio ground beneath her feet and, wiggled her toes, looking at them. The rainwater didn't bother her much as she started to get wet from the light raindrops. She was used to feeling the cloud's tears taint her skin for years.

Another thing she thought was funny about humans.

They ran from the cloud's tears like it was acid, scared of getting wet. Esmae, on the other hand, felt nostalgic in the weather as she was reminded of the times she spoke with her siblings long ago, telling and listening to stories as it rained to distract herself from the heavy drops that weighed down on her once light body.

She walked forward until she was in the middle of the clearing surrounding the cottage. It was all owned by Nikolaos, so she wasn't worried about strangers suddenly intruding on her tranquil moment.

The dryad closed her eyes and faced the sky, leaving her arms spread open as she allowed the tears to fall onto her skin. One drop after another, her skin grew wet with rain. She smiled at the fresh, moist air that entered her lungs, keeping them alive and spun in circles, her clothes getting drenched.