"I wonder if he's ever tried color coding?" thinks Emily dreamily, chin in hand as she watches Micah across the table. "His system is clearly indexed. Maybe, because his method involves spreading out his materials, he thinks color coding would be redundant."

Micah, completely oblivious to Emily's musings, picks up another card. He is studying for his board certification exams. Across his entire end of the table is a system of neat stacks of note cards which he methodically picks up, studies, and then moves into new piles. Emily has always been proud of her own card system, but she finds Micah's method to be equally meticulous and impressive, if not quite as mobile.

On the first night she had kept him company while he studied, he had misinterpreted her look of awe as he began pulling his study materials out of his bag and carefully arranging them across the table.

"Look, I know there's probably a fancy app that would save me a lot of time and materials, but I've been at this long enough to know what works for me, and I've found that writing all the note cards is half the process" he had explained defensively.

Emily had quickly reassured him that she was impressed, and then proceeded to brag about her cards. To be honest, she had been slightly disappointed that Micah hadn't seem more interested in her perfected system. Still, she has added "meticulous study habits" to the mental list she is keeping of traits she loves about him.

Tonight she has become caught up in using Micah's facial expressions to monitor how his studies are going. He looks at a card, flips it over, and his brow furrows. He got it wrong. He puts it in the third stack on the left.

On the next card, his jaw relaxes. It's an easy one. He puts it in the first stack on the right.

On the next card, his eyebrows go up slightly. He got it right, but he must have thought he had the wrong answer.

The next card brings a slight tug at the corner of his mouth. He's smug about that one.

He's frowning again. This must be another hard one.

She is studying him so intently that it startles her when he glances up suddenly and meets her gaze. He looks at her quizzically for a moment. Emily feels herself beginning to blush. "Aren't you supposed to be reading up for your big surgery with Dr. Bandari?" he asks her pointedly, putting down the card in his hand and picking up the next one.

It's true. A stack of books and an open medical journal lie on the table in front of her, but she hasn't gotten around to taking any notes yet.

Micah notices this as they both glance at her side of the table. "So, exactly how long have you been sitting there just watching me study?" he asks suspiciously.

Emily didn't even know she was capable of blushing more.

"Sorry." She says completely flustered and embarrassed. She grabs her pen and the surgical book at the top of the pile and begins flipping through the index. "I guess I got distracted" she chokes out lamely. She realizes moments later that Micah has not yet gone back to studying. Instead, he is staring at her, his face equal parts amusement and disbelief.

"I know this isn't the greatest way to spend our time together…" he starts.

"No!" says Emily quickly, interrupting him. "This is fine. Board certification is a big deal. You need to study. And I need to read about tomorrow's surgery….which... I am doing. See?" she holds up the section she has just located in the book she is holding.

Micah reaches out across the table and places his hand palm up until Emily puts down the book and places her hand in his.

"You don't have to sit here with me, especially if I'm going to distract you. At this point in your residency, assisting on a difficult surgery is a big deal. There'll be other opportunities for us to spend time together."

"I miss you" sighs Emily. "At work, I miss you. I know you said Dr. Bandari likes me more than I think she does, but some days it seems as though I can't do anything right. You are still the better teacher."

Micah smiles, still holding her hand. "It's just the way she is. You'll get used to it eventually. But for the record, I miss you too."

Emily takes a deep breath and pulls her hand away. "I want to try again." She says determinedly. " I promise to study my books instead of you this time."

Micah looks at her in consternation. "You were STUDYING me?! Exactly what about me were you studying?"

Emily feels the blush coming back. "The point is," she says, practically burying her head in her reading material, and hoping she doesn't actually resemble an ostrich, "we both have work to do, and this little chat has been long enough".

She manages to get through a full page before her eyes drift back to Micah's face again. This is going to be harder than she thought.