This is Us

Chapter Four

Because I had a day off the next day, I sat reading a book in Erik's office while he graded exams. We had the door shut so students wouldn't come in and bother him. It was a lot of work to try and get the exams graded by the beginning of the next week, he had told me, which is why I chose to read a book quietly.

I watched him as he worked, making his way through a stack of hundreds of exam packets. It seemed like such tedious work. I could understand why it wasn't his favorite thing to do. However, watching him do it was mesmerizing. He was so focused, so... in his own little world. I don't think he even noticed that after a while I was simply watching him. 

Three hours into grading he sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his eyes. 

"I suppose I had hoped for better results," he admitted.

"That bad?"

"Eh... could be a lot worse, just could have been better as well. Unfortunately, I only teach lectures, so who knows what they're getting in lab."

"Are you saying this can't possibly be your fault?"

He shot me a cocky smile.

"Oh, of course! Has to be somebody else's fault."

I rolled my eyes.

"You're a handful sometimes, you know that?"

"I do. You wanna go get coffee? I could use a pick me up?"

You can make it right here," I reminded him.

"Yes, but I could use a less healthy pick me up. The kind that's loaded with sugar and unnatural flavoring."

I just laughed and shook my head.

"Of course. Let's go."

We walked across the lawn, through the snow, hand in hand. It wasn't too deep for this time of year, surprisingly, but that didn't mean we wouldn't get blasted with a blizzard with in the next few days. Weather in the Midwest could be unpredictable, especially in the winter.

The snow soaked through my boots, which were clearly made to look cute rather than actually be functional. The cold bit at my poor toes, but if Erik was feeling the same, he didn't show it, so neither would I. I was always just happy to be with him, no matter the circumstances.

We continued into the building and down the hall to Starbucks. It was a Friday and the end of exam week, so the buildings were all relatively empty. Luckily, this meant no line for coffee. Erik and I strolled right up to the front to order our drinks, and then we grabbed a booth in the back and sat down.

"Aside from chilling at your place before we head to my parents, is there anything else you had in mind that you'd like to do?" I asked. "I figure I should ask now, because we both know what we'll be walking into soon enough."

"I was thinking we could go ice skating."

"What?"

"You heard me. Ice skating. You said you always wanted to learn."

"Yeah, but... now? Tonight?"

"Soon, yes."

"Why soon?"

He shrugged.

"I think you should learn before we forget about it, or before you chicken out."

"Excuse me?" I laughed, though, so he'd know I wasn't mad.

After all, I probably would chicken out if he didn't just make me do it soon. I was sure I was going to fall on my ass several times, and I wasn't looking forward to the pain. Erik just smiled.