That first day of class, she'd been late. Only five minutes, but late nonetheless, and on the first day of class too. Not usually the way to make a good first impression. When she opened the door, every pair of eyes was immediately on her – including his. She was petrified, but she managed not to falter and made her way quickly to a seat at the very front of the hall. She sat down with all the grace she could muster and met his, the Vulcan's, gaze straight on. Their eyes locked for just a moment, and then he broke the spell by looking back at the class and continuing his lecture where he had left off. She didn't hear a word of it. She couldn't shake the intensity of those eyes. Dark as coal, deep as oceans. Not cold, though. No, not cold at all.
Uhura found herself spending all day anticipating xenophenology and Spock's eyes, Spock's voice. Still, she excelled and remained at the top of her class. One day after class he caught her arm and asked her to stay for a moment. Her heart leapt and seemed to lodge somewhere in her throat. She was sure he could hear it, every beat roared in her ears. When they were alone, he complimented her on her excellent work, and then asked if she would have lunch with him. She thought that she'd be too tongue-tied to speak, but instead she found herself having one of the most stimulating intellectual and philosophical conversations she'd ever had. It was all so natural, and the longer she looked into his eyes, the more she felt the warmth of his soul.
The first time he'd kissed her, she thought she'd melt. As an officer and a teacher he had quarters of his own. She'd have happily moved in with him, but he would tolerate no improprieties – real or perceived. Though it wasn't against regulations for a professor to be involved with a student, he would tolerate no appearance of favoritism, so she remained in the dorm with Gaila. Occasionally she spent the night with him, and she inevitably returned with a dreamy smile. Gaila was just dying to know who she spent her nights with, but she had to be satisfied with Uhura's knowing smile and her vague statement of 'oh, just a guy'. She was happy, but sometimes it was hard. She would walk around campus and see couples holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other. She knew, in her head, that he would never say those things to her, that it was against his nature. But still, she often felt a pang of sadness for all those words unsaid.
Today Spock had asked her to come to his quarters in the evening, after all the classes had let out. She was frowning slightly as she walked the path through the lush grounds to the officer's quarters. Such a request was uncharacteristic for him, and she wondered what he could possibly have in mind. She arrived and rang the door chime. The door slid open, and there he was, wearing the black shirt that she thought flattered his slim physique so well. She entered, and saw a small cake sitting on the table, complete with candles.
"What's this?" she asked. He raised one eyebrow and said
"Is it not customary among humans to 'blow out the candles' on one's birthday?" she could only nod. She started toward the table, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him. Softly he said
"Nyota…" he hesitated for a moment. "I love you." She was stunned. Then she threw her arms around him, and tears of joy slipped down her cheeks.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I could ask for no better gift." As he held her, there appeared on his lips the faintest hint of a smile.