Unraveling.

“Alright, I don’t understand.” I shook my head softly, staring at the sheet of paper before me. Peter chuckled next to me, pointing the pencil to the equation before me. 

“You made a mistake already.” He said, “Can you find it?”

My eyes scanned over my work again as I let out a frustrated groan. Miles Davis played softly in the background of the small café, setting the tone appropriately. We occupied a two person table in the back. Most of the space was consumed by my math sheets spread out before me. 

Peter had angled his chair so that we sat on the same side. After complaining about the major test tomorrow, he designated himself my part-time calculus tutor. I had to admit, he was helping much more than I would have thought.

“No…”

“Look here.” He circled an area in the middle of the chain of work that fell below the original equation.

My eyes landed on the problem, and I shamefully brought a hand to my face. “Oh my gosh…”

Peter chuckled softly next to me, erasing the error. “Minor multiplication. It’s no big deal, but this is why it’s important to double check your work all the time.”

“I can’t believe I did that.”

“I do it all the time.”

I laughed, playfully shoving his shoulder, “No you don’t! You get hundreds on your tests. You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“Well, duh.” He grinned, “I really do, though. The difference is I don’t take the entire period to finish one problem so I have time to go back and check my work.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know how long it takes me to finish. I usually finish with ten minutes or so left.”

“And those ten minutes could be spent checking your work.”

“Whatever.” I scoffed teasingly. 

Peter handed me the pencil. “Now finish the problem.”

I scribbled down the rest of the problem, realizing it was much easier than my original pathway. Peter watched with silent approval as I finished solving the ridiculous equation, circling my answer. He grinned at me proudly.

 “There we go!”

“Well that makes more sense than what I was going for…”

He chuckled, reaching across the table to grab his neglected coffee. Peter took a sip, checking his watch in the process. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“What?” I asked curiously.

“It’s almost five.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

He nodded, “Think we should maybe start heading back?”

I closed my binder, careful not to bend any papers. Peter took the empty cups to the trash can as I packed my things away. We met at the doorway to leave, walking out in the warm sun. Our footsteps moved in sync as Peter led the way to his car parked in the back. I climbed into the passenger seat.

As we arrived back to my house, I noticed an unfamiliar car sitting in the driveway. Peter chuckled softly to himself, pulling along the curb. 

“I guess our grandmothers are having another play date.” He teased.

“Is that Sylvia’s car?”

Peter nodded, “Yup.”

I opened the door, climbing out. “Would you like to come inside?”

He nodded and turned the car off. I led the way up to my front door. The giggles were audible through the closed door. Peter and I exchanged a glance before we entered my home. The smell of cinnamon wafted through the air, causing my stomach to growl hungrily. 

“Hey, they’re finally back!” Sylvia laughed from the couch in the living room. A glass half full of wine rested between her fingers as she propped her feet on the coffee table before us. My grandmother had her shoes off on the ground, toes tucked underneath as she sat with a similar glass in her hand next to her friend. 

“Are you two having fun?” Peter asked, eyeing up the glasses. 

“Oh relax. We’re much older than you are.” Sylvia rolled her eyes dramatically. 

“We made cookies!” My grandmother said, nodding to the kitchen, “They’re in there if you two would like some.”

Peter grabbed my elbow, pulling me in the direction of the kitchen, “Come on, let’s go get some before my grandmother does anything else more embarrassing.”

I giggled, following as he led the way toward the intoxicating aroma. He shook his head softly, his cheeks colored with just the slightest tint of red.