Of Tea and Music

Chapter 29: A Normal Week - Thursday

He looked around his quarters once before before heading for the mess hall. Should he change the sheets? But if they did not end up there, then he would have lost that lovely scent that he could still smell. He was not sure what to do. He pulled the covers back, looked at the sheets. They looked clean. He spread the blanket and coverlet back over the sheets, smoothed them down. He would leave the bed as it was, then. Besides, he really needed to give her a real lesson tonight. They had not even touched his ka'athyra on Tuesday. There seemed to be too many choices to make.

***

She looked in the mirror. Was this skirt too short? It seemed like it might be. Had it shrunk? She bent over. Well, her panties didn't show. She guessed it was okay, then. She patted her hair. Why was she fidgety this morning? Time to go eat breakfast.

***

He was half-way through the serving line when he heard her lovely voice, calling out to someone at a table. He stood still where he was, there was no one else in line right now, so he was not blocking anyone. She came around the corner and picked up a tray and then saw him there. A wide smile bloomed on her face. "Good morning, Mr Spock. How are you this morning?"

"I am doing well. And yourself?"

"Just dandy." She slid her tray along the rails, putting toast and fruit and juice on it as she approached him. She stopped just in front of him, so close he could smell her. She was looking up into his eyes and all he could think was that he would very much like to kiss her right now. His eyes flicked up to look over her shoulder. No one there. Before he could even think, he bent his head just enough to brush against her lips and then quickly straightened up. She made a very soft little noise that gave him shivers. Perhaps he had been incautious.

She gave him a look that seemed to say Just you wait. He swallowed. He heard footsteps approaching and quickly turned back to the food selections, adding a bowl of hot cooked grains to his tray and sliding it down the rail. She hesitated a moment and then followed him and they emerged from the serving area almost together, crossing the floor to the table where rest of the bridge crew sat. They sat down at the only two empty seats at the table, right next to each other. He was half-way finished with his breakfast when he felt her cool fingers, walking slowly across his leg. He tensed. She would not. Surely not. The fingers came closer. He froze in place, hardly daring to breathe. He worked very hard at subduing the reaction he was having to something she had not even done yet. She was talking to Scotty, seated across the table, paying no attention to him whatsoever, except for those cool fingers, tantalizing him. On his other side, Sulu asked him a question which barely registered. He swallowed twice before he could get any words out. Her fingers brushed softly against him, just barely touching, then retreated. His temperature rose. His heart was pounding. Yes, he had definitely been incautious - but not this incautious!

He was the last one to rise from the table, walking very carefully, holding his tray in front of him, still working on control when he stepped into the turbolift. He stood straight and tightly controlled, wanting only to get to his station. And then he felt her fingers brush against his, very softly, where his fist was clenched behind him, against the wall. Apology, soothing calm. Nyota, what are you doing to me?

***

Somehow the day passed. He was not entirely sure how. The whole day had been a struggle. He had not been able to look in her direction even once without remembering what had happened at the breakfast table. At shift end he strode off the bridge and went straight to his quarters, lighting the incense and folding himself down to meditate. He did not even go to the mess hall at all. He was still sitting there, struggling for calm, when she entered his quarters. She crossed the room and knelt behind him. She laid her face sideways against the back of his neck, her arms sliding around his chest, her body resting gently against his back.

"I'm sorry, Spock. I won't do that again."

He felt a small spot of wetness on the skin of his neck. He raised his head and turned just enough to enclose her soft cool body in his arms and pull her around into his lap. "Do not cry, k'diwa. It was my fault. I did start it with that kiss. I should be the one to apologize." He brushed her face with tiny kisses, sighing softly. She burrowed in against him, holding him tightly. They sat there quietly for several minutes, neither saying anything.

"It's hard sometimes."

"Yes." He rested his forehead against hers. "Most definitely." He unfolded himself from the floor, carrying her up with him. He crossed the room, seating her on the wooden stool. He took his ka'athyra from padded clasp that protected it when not in use and settled it in her lap. Then he sat in the chair, facing her. "Play your scales for me."

She adjusted her posture, moved the ka'athyra just a bit, positioned her hands, and carefully played the scales that she had learned, starting with the most basic and working progressively to the most complicated. The long, slow rolls of sound were soothing. When she had finished, he nodded.

"You have learned them well. It is time to start on melodies."

She grinned widely at him. "Finally!" Then she gave him a wicked look. "Not that I mind at all what we have been doing during our lesson time."

He quirked his lips up at her. "Indeed." He rose and took the ka'athyra, fastening the padded clasp back around it. Then he turned back to where she sat, lifting her up against him. "And now, please finish what you began this morning before I go completely crazy."

"I didn't start that, you did."

"No, before that."

"Before?"

"Yes, when you came around that corner in your too-short skirt and wiggled at me."

She wrapped herself around him and laughed, raising her radiant face to kiss him softly on his lips, on his cheek, on his ear, making him groan softly at her. "I didn't wiggle."

"But your skirt is too short. Far too short."

"It shrank."

"Please do not wear that one again. I might do something even worse next time."

"Oh, show me what you might do, then." Her voice was very low and sultry.

He walked her backwards toward the bed. "I do not think I will have any difficulty with that at all."