Break, Repair

Back to a heart broken Enid we go!  Things will be picking up soon, promise!  If you are enjoying it, please leave a like and some comments!  I'd love to know your thoughts! <3

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The glaring light of her laptop was the only thing illuminating the dark room.

Enid sat wrapped in a blanket burrito, only her face and arms poking out so she could continue shoving heaping spoonfuls of cookie dough ice cream into her mouth.

Before reaching her dorm, she had stopped at the small campus grocer and bought nearly their entire supply of junk food.

She must've been a fright, barging in there crying and hauling her cello behind her.

The kind man at the cash register had simply offered her a concerned smile and had given her an employee discount.

That had made her cry even harder.

Her tears had long since dried, but her red nose was a reminder of the hours she had spent crying earlier that night.

She had nearly called Fiona to ask that she book a flight for her to return home.

She could imagine what her father would have said to that, though.

As her tears had faded to hiccups, she imagined him leaning against her doorway like he used to.

"Sunshine, don't be so down. There's so much to smile about. Alright, have your little pity party and get it out of your system, but tomorrow I want you to get up with a fresh heart and mind. Everything is going to be just fine." He'd say before tucking her in and kissing her forehead goodnight.

Her chest ached as she missed him.

She would do anything for one of his tight hugs right now.

Sighing, she clutched her stuffed panda to her instead.

Something in her felt decidedly broken.

The fragments of her little self-pride scattered around her.

She fell asleep that night to the old Looney Toons reruns playing on her laptop.

When she woke in the morning, she took some time to stretch and clear her thoughts.

Fresh heart. Fresh mind.

She picked up the cello case from where she had thrown it last night and sat it gently back in the corner where she kept it.

She took a long shower, letting the hot water ease the knots in her shoulders.

She put on her favorite yellow sweater and tied her rosy hair back in a bow.

When she left her dorm later that morning, she felt like a new girl.

She had a plan.

She reasoned that she must not be an absolutely terrible cellist since the school had given her a full scholarship due to her audition.

Dr. Drewitt was just in a league above any others, so of course he would find her playing subpar.

Enid decided she would go to the advisement center after her classes today to request a change in music instructors.

Someone less distinguished.

That way Dr. Drewitt's genius wouldn't be wasted on someone like her.

Something in her heart ached at the thought of not seeing him again, but she brushed it off as the idolizing she had done over him for years.

It's one thing to be told you're bad at your number one passion.

It's another altogether to be told that by the person in the field that you look up to most.

Shaking off her negative thoughts, Enid made her way toward her Psychology class.

Her coat was like armor, her satchel a shield and her thermos of hot chocolate a weapon as she battled the frigid weather.

Her slightly damp curls did not help with the chills running down her spine.

Though her legs were short, her quick strides got her to the large brick building with time to spare.

Settling into her seat in the second row, she thought back to the way Dr. Easton had held her behind after class two days ago.

It felt like years had passed since then.

It was probably due to the immense amount of change she had experienced in the past few days.

Sipping out of her thermos, she had trouble remembering how to swallow as Dr. Easton entered the lecture hall.

She took a sharp breath as his eyes connected immediately with hers and began to cough as the warm beverage shot down her throat.

With a few slow breaths, she regained a normal breathing pattern.

A quick glance up confirmed what she already suspected.

Dr. Easton was watching her with what appeared to be equal parts concern and amusement.

Wrapping the ends of her sweater sleeves over her hands, she softly wiped across her mouth.

She could feel the blush heating her cheeks as she glanced down at her notebook in embarrassment.

She had to be the clumsiest person alive.

"Are you okay?" His voice called from where he stood behind his desk.

Looking up, she gave a bashful smile and nodded.

He was wearing an inky blue suit that matched his eyes with a matching tie.

He was every bit as intimidating and intriguing as she remembered him being.

For a moment she wondered if Dr. Drewitt had told him about her awful performance.

Embarrassment returned to her with vigor.

Shaking her head, she realized that she most definitely wasn't significant enough to be a topic of conversation.

How foolish of her to think she would be.

A glance around the hall told her that she was still the only student to have arrived.

Which meant they were alone.

She didn't know why that seemed so momentous.

"Enid." He called her attention back to him. "Will you come here, please?"

It was phrased like a question but spoken as a command.

She tried to stop the quivering of her legs as she climbed down a step and walked the short distance to his desk.

He sat back in his office chair and seemed to drink her in with his blue eyes.

Her attention fell to his hands clasped above his bent knee.

They were massive in comparison to hers.

"I'm seeking an assistant. Someone to help with grading and planning. It wouldn't be a very demanding job, it would just require a few evenings spent with me in my office throughout the week to complete this work. If you're interested, I'm requiring that applicants write a brief essay on a psychology concept that I choose. You'll receive extra credit in this course." Her heart skipped a beat with excitement.

At the new experience. At the thought of time alone with him.

Fear and curiosity.

She had never worked before, but had always daydreamt about future internships or positions.

And he had pulled her aside to ask her personally. She wasn't sure why.

"Are you interested, Enid?" Her name rolled off his tongue like honey.

"Yes, sir. I would love to apply." She responded quickly.

He gave her a small smile, something he did not seem to do often.

"I'm thought you would be. You are to research and write about sadism." He said and her smile faltered slightly.

Sadism as in...

Roses blossomed on her cheeks as she blushed.

"O-oh. Um, is there anyway I could have another topic instead?" She asked nervously, her fingers fiddling with the too-long sleeves of her over-sized sweater.

"I'm afraid not." His smirk reminded her of some of the devilish faces that one of her father's suitors had tattooed on his arms.

"Enid, there's also something-" He was cut off by the opening of the door as a rowdy group of students entered the lecture hall.

The smile slipped and his face returned to the usual mask he seemed to wear.

He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"We'll discuss it later." His tone was somewhere between ominous and a promise.

She made her way back to her seat.

Class flew by as Dr. Easton guided them through various difficult concepts, explaining them with real life examples and an obviously vast knowledge in the area.

Enid thought he must be one of the best professors ever to have taught here.

He was strict and ran a tight ship, but he kept them interested and connected with what he was teaching.

As she left the lecture hall at the end of the class, she found herself stuck behind the two girls who sat near her.

"He's just so sexy. I can hardly focus." The brunette said as they walked down the hallway toward the entrance hall.

"I know. Also, Sophie told me that apparently Dr. Drewitt is only teaching one student this year. Some foreign prodigy. What a lucky bitch. I would do anything to get some one-on-one time with that man. He can play me like his cello." The blonde responded with a laugh.

Enid's face scrunched up in confusion.

Only one student?

That would be her then, right?

She pulled out her phone and logged onto his webpage.

It appeared the girls were right, her lesson with him was the only one blocked out on his faculty calendar.

How strange.

Would she be able to switch instructors then?

What if he didn't have a job then because of her?

Her palms began to sweat.

She scrolled further on his webpage and came across a link to an article from the New York Times.

"Alexander Drewitt, Musical Genius, Trades Performing for Teaching"

She found a bench outside and sat down to read the article.

Apparently, the man could play nearly every well-known instrument with incredible talent.

However, his most frequent performances involved playing his cello or violin.

The article ended with a photo of him onstage at a performance.

His violin held in one arm with the bow raised sharply in place with the other.

His sharp jawline and facial structure highlighted by the stage lights.

His eyes were shut tightly, but she knew firsthand how his eyes looked like glowing suns.

She could practically hear the music.

Sighing, she closed out of the page.

Enid doubted she could ever go near the man again without dying of embarrassment.

She decided to put the two hours before her English class to good use by going back to her dorm room and practicing the cello.

Enid was exhausted by the time that two o'clock came around.

A few blisters had formed on her fingers from how tightly she was holding her bow.

She quickly wrapped some small bandages around them before grabbing a banana on her way out the door.

She had missed lunch while playing, but she decided she'd just have extra dinner to make up for it.

Her life felt like it was a constant state of catching up these days.

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I feel you, Enid, I feel you.

Comments fill my heart with joy.

All my love, Sappho ✰