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Gnossienne n. the realization that someone you've known for years has a private life that you know very little about
OPHELIA SMILED to herself as she dazed off into the blanket of snow that had fallen while she was busy at work. Today was a paperwork day, which she mostly spent in Aaron's office, working on the spare desk and occasionally gazing out the window to see if the snow had thickened any further. Aaron noticed that she wasn't working and smiled, watching as her eyes sparkled as she looked out the window. "Grow up on the beach?" He asked. She was snapped out of her daydream and met his eyes. "No, I just love snow," She smiled, returning to the open files on her desk. His smile widened and he shook his head. Of course she loved snow. Of course he would have to gawk at her staring outside as she looked so beautiful. It was quite distracting for them to both work in his office, but he allowed it. He just wanted to be near her. Then, a thought occurred to him; she had never told him where she grew up. She didn't tell him much about her childhood at all. "Where did you grow up?" She lifted her head to see him still gazing at her. "Nowhere special," She replied sheepishly, turning her nose back into her papers. He scoffed. "What does 'nowhere special' mean?" He chuckled at her ridiculous attempts at hiding her past. "You wouldn't know it even if I told you," She sighed, admitting she wasn't going to be able to continue her work. He shook his head once again. He would get it out of her someday.
Hours later, their paperwork had finally completed. The sun had set but it never stopped snowing outside. Aaron finished his paperwork first, but he didn't tell Ophelia that. He just faked busy until she was ready to leave. "So what's the plan for tonight?" He asked her, closing up his brief case. She still shuffled around some of her files, turning the completed ones into a tray on his desk. "I'm thinking romcom and wine?" She teased, smiling goofily. "Blech. What are you, a middle aged suburban mom?" His face screwed up in disgust. If that's what she wanted, he would obviously provide, but not without teasing her first. "No, but you are," She patted his shoulder and threw her bag over her back. Ouch. "I am anything but suburban," He joked back, following her swiftly out of his office. The team watched them as they approached the glass doors. "Heading out, love birds?" Derek teased, still nose deep in paperwork. "Yep!" She answered cheerfully. "Later, Spence," She ruffled his hair as she passed his desk. He quickly reached up to fix it as he blushed. "Later, Lia," He droned, trying to act annoyed. Truthfully, he loved her teasing antics. "See you guys tomorrow!" Emily added, barely looking up from her files. "Bye!" They called in unison as Ophelia blew kisses to the team. He smiled widely at her as they entered the elevator. She noticed. "What?" She asked, looking up at him. "Just you,"
Her apartment had been decorated since Aaron had last visited. Classy garland and red bows accented the whole space, but no tree. Ophelia felt it was unnecessary, since she had no presents to put under it. She often shopped last minute, so she felt no need to put an entire tree up if she only expected herself to buy and wrap presents a day before Christmas. "When did you have time to do this?" Aaron rarely ever had time to set up a Christmas tree with his son, let alone decorate his entire apartment. "I stayed up late last night," She finally answered one of his questions about something outside of the office. He smiled knowing that fact. What he didn't realize, was the only reason she decorated; to impress him. She knew he'd be coming over and she wanted to give her apartment a bit of Christmas cheer to make it feel more homey. Ultimately, she did it for him.
Later on in the night, when their movie had ended (one of Ophelia's favorites; Christmas with the Kranks) they lingered on Ophelia's sofa, which was conveniently just below a large bay window. Snow still fell, sparingly now, but still just as beautiful. All of the lights were off in her apartment, the only light coming in from the window. Ophelia found herself gazing out onto the city, streets lit up with lamps and their reflection off of the snow. The world was quiet, like everyone was sleeping except the two. Aaron, like he always did, watched her, wondering what she was thinking. She didn't answer, but rather, crawled over to where he was sitting and rested her back on his chest, her head falling in the crook of his neck. She sighed contently as he fixed the blanket to cover her feet. He knew they always got cold, at least he assumed, since she was always wearing fluffy socks. "Ophelia?" Ophelia. She craned her neck to look into his barely visible brown eyes. He was about to say something, which he had now forgotten, given their lips were so close. He acted without thinking and placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips. Strawberry flavored lip balm lingered on his lips after they parted. Before he could pause and think, he leaned into them again, rougher this time. She turned, now straddling his thighs and her fingers intertwined in his hair. "Wait, Aaron," Aaron. She pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ear before continuing. He already knew what she was going to say. "We shouldn't be doing this," She dismounted his lap and curled up in front of him. "Ophelia," Ophelia. "I want to," She relaxed a little, seeing his cautious, yet pleading expression in the light of the city outside. She pondered his words for a moment. "You do?" Of course, why else would he kiss her, but to her, she had been waiting for this moment for the better part of a year; she couldn't believe this was actually happening. He brushed the stray hairs behind her ear again, letting his hand linger on her cheek. She looked remarkable. She looked at him and he knew he would be okay. He hated that, knowing that they were inevitable. No matter how hard he tried to forget the way her hands felt on his chest, or how her strawberry lip balm tasted, he would always fail. She was best for him, perfect, and he could see that every time he looked at her. Most of all, he hated knowing that he couldn't be perfect for her too, what she deserved him to be. "More than anything," He admitted, his thumb rubbing the apple of her cheek gently. She leaned into his hand, pressing it deeper into her soft skin. She was so starved of this feeling, but she couldn't feel like she felt earlier that year. "What does that mean?" She whispered painfully, intertwining her fingers with his and pulling his hand down. "I don't think I'm ready to be official yet," Her expression immediately lightened. "But I want to go further with you, Ophelia," Ophelia. She knew she would take it as slow as possible with him, but even the slightest amount of affection, she longed for. "I do too," She offered a light smile, making the corners of his mouth turn up in response. He was glad he didn't hurt her to a point of no return. His strong arms engulfed her, pulling her onto his lap and into his chest again. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her comparably small arms around him to the best of her ability. He was warm and smelled like his regular expensive cologne. She let his breathing calm her and slowly lull her to sleep in his arms. Aaron glanced out at the window just as she had done before. All was quiet and perfect in their little world.
