"So, you teach?"
"Yeah, I teach," replied Merlin. "Pre-modern World History."
"Ah, so you're dealing with all the freshmen then," said Freya, pausing to sip her drink. "That must be fun!"
"Yeah, it's a blast!" said Merlin, his face contorting momentarily into hysteria, as he thought back to his most ridiculous students. "They keep me young, let's put it that way."
"Sounds more like they'll turn you senile. I saw some of the faces you were making," she said, mimicking some of Merlin's facial reactions from the hour he spent grading.
Merlin smiled coyly and said, "Sounds like you were watching me quite closely." He kept a mischievous eye on her and raised his brow quizzically as he drank his cocoa. Freya blushed at the implication of his words. "Well…" she said, tucking her wavy brown hair behind her ear with a nervous smile, "I couldn't help myself. You were too funny."
"Admit it, you think I'm adorable," said Merlin with a wink before joining in on her laughter. Her cheeks flushed softly as her laughter faded into a soft smile. "Very," she admitted, "even if you do keep laughing at my expense."
Merlin grinned widely and apologized. "How can I make it up to you?"
"Hmm," said Freya, tapping her fingers on her cheek as she thought. Merlin's grin turned into a small one as he thought how nice it would be to hold her hand in his. "Got time to take a walk through the art gallery upstairs before it closes for the night?" she asked. "There's a rather nice collection this month."
"Sounds wonderful," said Merlin, offering his hand to help Freya out of her seat. Freya's face flushed again when she noticed the gesture, and took his hand. They walked in silence to the gallery, but stole innocent glances at one another as they walked through the throng of students trying to get to the café before their meal plans shut off for the night. But neither Merlin nor Freya took much notice of the crowd's frantic mood, each focusing instead on the way one glanced at the other, becoming lost in unspoken admiration as the noise of the crowd turned into a muffle, and then nothing at all.
They had forty-five minutes before the exhibit closed. The paintings all turned into a blur of colors in Merlin's memory. The only thing he knew was that Freya was the most beautiful creature in the room. As they walked through the exhibit, they spoke shyly of classes and plans for Christmas break, and occasionally pretended they were art connoisseurs when they came across a particularly interesting piece. "So which painting is your favorite here?" asked Merlin, glancing around at the different artworks. His eyes followed Freya as she looked around and walked toward a scenic piece, her heels clicking with importance as she stepped across the hard wooden floor. "This one," she said, her gaze fixed on the painting. It showed a cabin by a lake at sunrise secluded in the mountains. "It reminds me the most of home," she said softly.
Merlin looked at the painting, admiring its warm colors and the tranquility of the scenery. "Home looks lovely," he said finally, glancing back to her suddenly when she said, "It was."
"Was?" he asked.
"My family died," she explained. "There was a terrible fire years ago. I've lived my aunt and uncle ever since."
"I'm sorry," he said, putting his arm around her for support.
"It's alright," she said lowly. With a wistful smile, she said, "I have fond memories from there and of my family. It's different, my parents both being gone, but I try to be happy. I know they would want me to be."
"If it's any consolation, I know what it's like to lose a parent," said Merlin. "I didn't really know my father until I was about nineteen or so.—My parents divorced when I was young, and Dad traveled for his work; he was in the army," Merlin explained. "We started spending more time together during his last leave. He was injured, and helped take care of him, and for a while it seemed that part of his life was over. But, he decided to do one last tour before retiring for good, and he didn't come back that time."
"Now I'm sorry," said Freya quietly.
"Thanks," said Merlin as Freya rested her head against his shoulder. They didn't know how long they spent content in each other's company or staring at the painting still. The longer they looked at the sky's morning hues, the cabin in the woods, and the serenity of the lake, the more natural it felt that the cabin was their second home, each other's arms being their first.
"Everybody out!" called a voice, startling the couple. "Gallery closing in 5 minutes!" called the campus security guard, who grimaced with frustration as he looked for the gallery key in a large ring of campus keys.
"Shall we?" asked Merlin, offering his arm to Freya.
"We shall," she answered with a soft smile, allowing herself one last proper glance at Merlin's deep blue eyes before they left the gallery. The library was too crowded to find a table to continue their studies, so Merlin offered to walk her back to her dorm. Freya accepted, and both made sure to slow their pace in vain so not to lose a precious moment of each other's company. Merlin couldn't help but stare at Freya, who glowed angelically in the winter moonlight, Christmas lights twinkling all around. Merlin kept an arm around her waist after Freya slipped on some black ice; Merlin caught her just in time to prevent her fall and told her he would not let her go for anything.
They both regretted when they reached her dorm building, but could not drag out the good-byes for long with the expected snow starting to fall, the wind creating a stronger crisp in the air.
"Good night, Merlin," said Freya, hugging herself in vain against the cold, wishing they didn't have to part ways.
"Good night, Freya," returned Merlin, his eyes transfixed and stunned by the glow of her dark brown hair and eyes in the moonlight. "Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow? I'll make sure to have some peppermint hot chocolate waiting for you if you say yes."
"That sounds lovely," said Freya. "Eight o'clock?"
"Eight o'clock," he confirmed, his heart fluttering. He kissed her there in the moonlight, and rested his forehead against hers as they each caught their breath. "Good night," she whispered again, kissing him one last time before she walked inside, stealing one last glance at him before running up the flight of stairs to her room.
"Good night, Freya," said Merlin to himself, smiling, then leaving when he was sure she must have made it to her room. Freya made it just in time to her window to watch him leave. She laughed as he fell clumsily from the black ice on the ground, then let her curtain fall back as his silhouette disappeared into the darkness of that night. As she lay in bed, her fingers grazed where he kissed her. Her last thoughts before falling asleep were of him, her Merlin.