Her Eyes

Thirty Four

4 A.M.

That's the time Nikolaos woke Esmae up. It's the time she was reluctantly pulled out of bed, forced to shower, and bundled up in heavy clothing. She was nodding off, still exhausted from being woken up so early.

Nikolaos, on the other hand, buzzed around the cottage, grabbing last-minute items and checking that all the necessities they needed for the airport were in check. He inspected the appliances in their home once more and sighed, finally deciding that everything they needed was with them.

He glanced at the stairs, seeing a drowsy Esmae sitting on one of the stairs by the middle, her head leaning against the wooden banister with her eyes closed, nearly falling asleep. Nikolaos chuckled softly and went to her, crouching to her sitting height and holding her nose.

Esmae's brows narrowed and she huffed, letting out a loud breath as he blocked her airflow. Her eyes snapped open, and a pout landed on her lips, making Nikolaos smile softly. "Come on; we have to go or else we'll be late. You can sleep in the car and at the airport when we're waiting for the flight."

He ran his fingers through her hair, rubbing his thumb over her cheek slowly. Her eyelids were heavy and wished to fall shut, but she fought them off for as long as she could and stood from the stairs, taking Nikolaos' hand in hers.

"I thought you said the flight was at seven... why do we have to wake up so early?" she asked, whining softly. The Greek man chuckled and led her down the stairs slowly to the foyer. He held her from behind as she put on her shoes lazily, making sure she didn't stumble and collapse.

The little leaf always struggled to wake up in the mornings. Even more so now.

"It will take nearly an hour to get to the airport and we have to be there early or else we risk the chance of missing our flight. I know you're tired, glykiá mou, but that is the way the world works. You must be early or else you risk being late," he explained softly and handed her suitcase to her. There was only one suitcase for the leaf. She didn't have much besides her clothes and her large dumpling that she stuffed inside with great effort.

She would apologize to it later.

Esmae grunted at the reply, understanding but not happy about the current situation. She realized that many things were necessary which she didn't like.

"Do you have your passport?" Nikolaos asked. In response, Esmae pulled her passport out from her deep sweatpant pockets, showing it to him quickly before tucking it back in. He smiled at the thing and put a long, thick scarf on her, making sure she was warm enough before the cold and snow was invited inside.

Nikolaos noticed the lack of enthusiasm that accompanied Esmae's tiredness and he pinched her cheek lightly, smiling as she looked at him with slight confusion on her face.

The adorable thing.

"Stay awake for a bit longer, moró, okay? You'll get to sleep very soon," he promised her as his hand trailed down from her cheek to her now gloved hands which kept her dainty fingers warm.

Esmae nodded, letting out a hefty sigh and clutching the handle of her white suitcase with one hand. There was a small trinket of an orange and flowers dangling from the zipper. Nikolaos bought it for her along with the suitcase weeks ago. It was a very exciting purchase for the dryad.

With his large suitcase and carry-on bag, Nikolaos opened the door to the cottage after turning off the lights. The strong morning wind pushed through once the smallest crack was made with the door and Nikolaos shielded Esmae from the blast as he stood in front of her.

"Follow close behind me, alright?" The leaf nodded quietly and held onto Nikolaos' coat pocket, pressing her body against his. She learned to like the snow a bit more after experiencing the fun it could bring, but it didn't take away from the fear that crept through her heart whenever it snowed heavily.