Anonymous Drabbles

Dances With Numbers and Lovers

I reach out and scribble something on the board, the scraping of my chalk clear in the silent studio. His music starts up again and in my peripheral vision I can see him giving his best effort for this run of the dance. We've both been working for hours. His body must ache, and my mind is getting tired. These theoretically simple yet practically complex problems keep making me confused. I need a new angle.

His music stops and I look over. I see him approaching me. Silently, he extends a hand, and I know what he wants. I reluctantly give in and he takes us to the dance floor. He plays a upbeat and cheesy love song that we dance to, both of us taking a well deserved break.

I suggest we get something to eat, even though it's late in the day. We step out into the street and make our way to our favorite cafe. We order simple coffees and croissants, naturally. As we collect our order and venture back, a slight drizzle appears, despite the sky being bright and mostly clear. In the rain, the conversation drifts to his dance and in his voice I hear his true and unfiltered love for what he does.

He rambles on and in about his upcoming show and insists I come watch. I just smile and keep listening, not wanting to break his entrancement. We reach the door and he wraps his story up nicely. He hugs me and we press on with our work.

As I work, I think about our outing and what he said to me. Something in my brain clicks and I start writing furiously. I hear his music in the background, a different piece now, and it is almost like the intensity with which we work has matched. His song approached the climax - a huge jump - and as he leaps into the air, I make my conclusion. I step back and look at my work. His dance ends shortly after and he comes up next to me, smiling softly. "I knew that song would help you solve your thing. I always use intense music to help me think. It just works," he whispers. All of our movements are now soft as we pack up.

Both of us satisfied with our days' work, we press forward and walk home. On the way, I start up a conversation about my work, ranting on and on about the beauty of maths, and how once I'd completed the question, how it just made sense. I see him watching, with the same soft smile that I'd had before. We understand each other in this way.

We reach our home and enter with no words. We go to our separate rooms and unwind for a short while. Ultimately our silent agreement to be alone is broken by him marching through my doorway and pulling me tot he couch. He grabs blankets and the remote and finds a simple movie to play as background noise.

I cuddle closer to him, pretending to be cold. We both know it's a lie. He pulls me close, doing the same thing. He presses a soft kiss to my forehead and I melt into his touch. He presses more and more soft kisses into my head and slowly moves down my face. He kisses the tip of my nose and leaves me red. Our eyes fall closed and our lips meet in a soft and loving kiss.

He pulls away first and turns to watch the movie. I place a hand to my lips and look up at him. The soft golden light of the setting sun makes him look radiant and I can't look away. He glances my way and smiles, taking advantage of my staring and kissing my cheek. I grab his face and pull him in for another kiss and pepper his lips and face, full of love and adoration.

I snuggle closer into his side and drift into a peaceful sleep in his arms. He holds me close as he fades into sleep as well, whispering a barely audible "I love you" as our day comes to a close in the early hours of dusk.