✨Seeing in the Dark✨

🌹 Chapter 18: Opus 18🌹

Thunder rumbled overhead, a long and lethargic tone that continued to roll for several minutes. It faded away into the distance and the pitter-patter of the rain against the roof overtook the quiet evening once more. The rain continued peacefully for several minutes, a steady drum that led the chorus of nature.

Ciel looked up as a bright flash of lightning filled the room, making the lights flicker briefly. He turned another page in his book, forcing himself to focus. He started to jot down some notes when a sharp crack had his heart in his throat and the windows shook with the ferocity of the storm. A sigh escaped his mouth and he tried to focus on the equations that littered the pages but the onslaught of rain made it difficult to concentrate.

Absently, he tapped the pencil against the thick textbook and stared out the window. The rain came down heavier, forming miniature vertical streams on the pane. He traced the design with his eyes before looking at the clock. A long, suffering sigh escaped him when he realized only a few minutes had passed since he last checked the time.

With a groan, he pushed away from the desk and wandered into the kitchen. It wouldn't ease the restlessness but hopefully taking a small break from studying would help him focus a bit better. He poked through the refrigerator before settling on some Jell-o he made earlier in the week. The colorful red mass wiggled at him and Ciel jabbed at it with a spoon.

Snickering, he hummed the jingle to the Jell-o commercial as he carried the dessert back to his desk. Another bolt of lightning filled the skies outside and a clap of thunder echoed its bright flash.

"Sebastian would love this weather," he muttered to himself and cut out a small square.

His eyes flickered to his phone but it remained silent. It was only seven in the evening and he had at least an hour more before it would ring. Ciel sighed again and dragged his book closer to him. Sitting and staring at the phone for ages wouldn't make the time go by any quicker. As much as he didn't want to study new equations, it was for the best.

Ciel took another bite and started to write down more notes. The rain kept a steady beat for him, punctuated by claps of thunder and bolts of lightning that helped keep him focused. His pencil scratched against the paper, solving the equation given in his book. The familiar numbers and patterns soothed his mind until he slipped into an easy pattern.

It wasn't that he found the subject material boring, but the scheduled call from Sebastian in an hour had his mind wandering away from his notes. Their busy schedules kept them from talking as much as he wanted but Ciel would take what he could get.

Several months had passed since he last saw Sebastian in person. Summer had bled into fall and winter loomed on the horizon, and each day that passed made the yearning grow stronger. Ciel couldn't wait until he could see Sebastian again. When he left in early August, he worried that the distance would create a rift between them – one that gapped large and wide until they could no longer reach what they once had.

But Sebastian made every effort to keep the relationship they had and in turn, Ciel returned the sentiment. Not that it made things easier and Ciel missed the steady presence of Sebastian in his life. Work and school kept him busy, and made it impossible to talk every few days. At best, they could talk twice a week, and Ciel clung to those calls.

Sebastian teased him, saying he sounded like a lovesick girl, but Ciel could hear the longing in Sebastian's voice. Still, despite knowing the difficulties they would face, Sebastian remained adamant that Ciel return home and go to the college he wanted. Now, several months into the school year, Ciel knew Sebastian had made the right choice.

He enjoyed his classes and professors, and even working as a teaching assistant wasn't horrible. It ensured that he knew all his materials and kept him refreshed on things he learned as an underclassman. Going to the college near Sebastian's apartment wouldn't have given him the same satisfaction and Ciel knew he would've ended up disliking the situation after a while.