𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃, joseph descamps

𝟎𝟐𝟔. in the cold of december

THE COLD OF DECEMBER ENVELOPS the city, but inside Aimée's room, a comforting warmth reigns. She prepares carefully, even though her mind is troubled by the inevitable tension between her and Joseph. He has promised to behave.

When Joseph knocks on the door, her heart races. He stands there, his cheeks slightly flushed from the cold, hands in his pockets. "Ready for our math session ?" he asks, a stack of books under his arm.

"Yeah, I suppose," she replies, trying to keep her tone detached despite the pounding of her heart.

They settle into her room, the chaos of textbooks and scattered papers creating a familiar atmosphere. Aimée forces herself to focus on the equation in the textbook, but his presence envelops her like a heady perfume, making her both nervous and excited.

She flips through a book. "So, what bothers you the most ? Integrals or derivatives ?"

He shrugs, a smile on his lips. "I'd say both make my head spin. But I guess you're here to help me not drown, right ?"

"Exactly. So let's start with integrals. It's actually simpler than it seems." She leans over the book, delicately highlighting an equation with her finger. "An integral is like a sum of little things that come together to form a whole. Think of it as gathering puzzle pieces."

Joseph listens attentively, his lone eye fixed on her. "And if I lose a piece of the puzzle ? I'm doomed, right ?"

She bursts into laughter. "No, even if you lose a piece, you can still find ways to complete the picture. It's a bit like life: sometimes you have to improvise."

"Okay, let's say I get the idea. But what about derivatives ?"

"Ah, derivatives. They represent change. Imagine you're driving a car. The derivative tells you how fast you're going at a given moment. It's the rate of change."

"So, if I understand correctly, the faster my car goes, the higher my derivative is ?"

"Exactly ! You're on the right track," she encourages. "And the greater the change, the larger the derivative."

"If I solve this equation, it means we're in the same boat, right ?"

"A sinking boat, maybe," she replies, smiling despite herself. "At this rate, we're going to sink."

They start working side by side, flipping through books and scribbling notes. Each time their hands brush against each other, a warmth spreads through Aimée. She tries to concentrate on the equation she's showing him, but her mind wanders.

Joseph, leaning over his paper, seems absorbed, but she can see his muscles tense each time she gets a bit too close. "So, if we take this equation and integrate it, what does it give you ?" she asks, trying to maintain a neutral tone, but her voice betrays a hint of nervousness.

"I don't know," he murmurs, looking away from his paper to meet her gaze. "Maybe a big mess of misunderstandings."

She stifles a smile. She leans in closer, tracing a passage with her delicate finger on the paper. Their hands brush against each other again, and she feels her heart quicken.

"Are you sure you're ready for this ? Because I'm going to need a lot more than a few formulas to get through," he says.

"I'm here to help you. But you need to focus." Her words are serious, but she can't ignore the slight tremor in her voice.

He looks down, his smile fading slightly. "You're really determined, aren't you ?"

"It's necessary," she replies, heart racing, not sure if she's talking about math or what's happening between them. "I can't let you fail."