Her Eyes

Twenty Eight

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I'm not too proud of this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it ^^

Nikolaos was the first to wake up between him and Esmae. His shirtless body hugged the woman in his arms, fading red marks on his back from her nails. He smiled dearly at his girl, peppering kisses on her face.

He glanced out the window and sighed when he saw snowflakes dancing in the sky, their cold, frozen bodies falling slowly and painting the ground white. It was already December, and winter break started a day ago.

Nikolaos and Esmae celebrated in more ways than just eating cake and having a big feast. Those ways left Nikolaos topless, and Esmae curled into his arms, wearing one of his shirts. Marks of love littered their skin, more on Esmae's than Nikolaos', but the leaf's nails were long and scratched his back, leaving a print behind.

"Esmae," Nikolaos whispered, kissing her cheeks and closed eyes softly. She stayed asleep. "My beloved." He showered her with praises and affection until she slowly stirred, her brows furrowing.

She hummed in her sleep, turning her face away, only for Nikolaos to pull her closer and engulf her in his arms. He chuckled, kissing her more and more, hearing a soft whimper slip past her lips. "Xýpna, glykiá mou." His quiet, deep voice sounded like a lullaby, only making the tired leaf fall deeper into her slumber.
(Wake up, sweetheart.)

"Éla moró mou. Open your pretty eyes for me." He squeezed her sides, hugging her tighter and sucking her neck. "Esmae."
(Come on, baby.)

Esmae's eyes fluttered open tiredly; they stung as they met the natural light in the room, and she buried her head in Nikolaos' chest. She groaned, rubbing her hands over Nikolaos' back and feeling the natural dip of his spine.

The Greek man chuckled softly and kissed her head, stroking her hair. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." He kissed her cartilage, whispering in her ear. "It's snowing outside."

Esmae's ears perked at the word 'snow' and she leaned away from his chest, looking at him with tired eyes. "It's snowing?" He nodded, caressing her cheek and plucking an eyelash that strayed from its spot on her lids and instead made it to her cheekbone.

"Would you like to go outside and see it?" he asked, earning an immediate headshake. "Are you scared?" She nodded. "You won't face your fears today?" His voice was partly teasing, but there was an underlying tone of concern.

Esmae huffed, puffing her cheeks, and frowned. "I d-don't like it," she complained. She thought back to the time she was buried under feet of snow in the middle of nowhere when she was a leaf. She was trapped until Spring came along and the sun melted the snow. Even then, she never felt the same and feared winter even more.

He noticed her saddened, wary voice and rubbed her arms soothingly, feeling the tiny goosebumps that littered her skin. "It's okay... but can you try at least once today? For five minutes?" Nikolaos didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want, but if she was going to live with him, she had to get used to the snow.

Esmae bit her lip, contemplating. "Only f-five minutes?" Nikolaos could sense her mind changing and nodded softly, making sure he didn't sound overly excited or enthusiastic. He didn't want to scare her away. "Only five minutes, glykiá mou. I promise."

It was silent between them for a moment as Esmae thought. "Can we have hot chocolate after?" she asked, thinking of a deal. Nikolaos chuckled at her question, yet nodded, agreeing to her request. "We can have hot chocolate and soup afterward. Is that okay with you?" Esmae nodded happily, a small smile growing on her face.