Melting the Ice 01

Story by Sophiie93 Elliot glanced up from his desk, just in time to see a lock of long, black hair sweep past his face, carrying a soft, delicate fragrance with it. He secretly watched the girl who had just walked by—the girl he'd been in love with for over a year. Her hair was black, long, and silky. She usually wore all black, a sort of goth/rock aesthetic. She didn't have model-like measurements, but she was curvy enough to catch people's attention, and her red eyes perfectly complemented her red lips and subtle makeup. However, what stood out the most about her was her distant and cold demeanor. Elliot watched her as she walked to her desk on the other side of the classroom and sat down without acknowledging anyone. She took out her supplies from her bag and prepared for class. Elliot, on the other hand, was far from popular. His glasses and general appearance quickly put him in the ‘nerd’ category. If you get to know him, you’d find he has a very sweet heart. It’s a shame he’s too shy to let people see it. “At this rate you’ll never become an architect. I blame Rhea for that” said his friend Seraphine, who was sitting next to him. She was Elliot’s classmate for as long as either could remember, and often had something of a friendly rivalry in their studies. Elliot turned back to his notes. “If anything, she motivates me…” he said quietly, “And please, lower your voice… I don’t want her to hear you.” “She’s… at the other side of the room,” Seraphine protested, “She’d never be able to-” Eliot’s face was scrunched up with worry and he was practically dripping with sweat. Seraphine relented. “Fine… fine… I still can’t believe it…” she said, lowering her voice, “Out of all the girls in class, you had to choose the ice queen?” Elliot sighed. “Don’t call her that… mean nicknames suck.” “You have to admit she’s earned it,” Seraphine said. Elliot caught another glimpse of Rhea as he and Seraphine continued their hushed conversation. “Maybe… I know how she treats others, but sometimes I think that behind that icy exterior, there’s something really warm,” he said, observing Rhea’s red eyes moving slowly as she read her notes. He noticed how she rested her chin on her hand, her expression showing disappointment with the world around her, yet her eyes still held so much determination. “She scares me a little…” Seraphine said. “Oh, come on, don’t you think she’s beautiful?” Elliot asked, looking at Seraphine somewhat disappointedly. Seraphine tilted her head slightly as she observed Rhea. “Well, sure, of course. But even I’m not gay enough to risk the amount of bodily harm a relationship would come with.” “What do you mean?” Elliot asked. “My dear Elliot, you are so innocent sometimes…” Seraphine replied, patting his back, “I can already imagine her stepping on your balls as she holds your leash.” Elliot quickly covered his crotch. “Really?” Seraphine shrugged. “I wouldn’t expect anything less…” Elliot was about to reply when the class teacher entered the room. “For now focus on class and stop wasting time staring at her,” Seraphine whispered with a wink. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The class dragged on for over two hours making Ellitot yawn from boredom. He stretched back in his chair, causing it to creak and draw the attention of a few students, including Rhea. He quickly slumped down, trying to hide, but his eyes kept wandering over to her. For a few seconds, he got lost in the intense red of her eyes until he realized she was looking back. He saw her shrug and turn back around as if nothing had happened. But to Elliot EVERYTHING had happened. He imagined the thousands of horrible opinions Rhea must have had of him. This was the first time their eyes had met, and Rhea was not impressed. It was a swift blow to his self-esteem. Deep down he knew that Rhea would never be interested in a boy like him. “At this rate if Rhea touches your hand, you may just cum on the spot,” Seraphine said laughingly. “W-What?! Sera!” Elliot exclaimed, annoyed, as many of the class shushed in protest of their small talk. They both blushed, gesturing apologies to the students. Elliot didn't dare look at Rhea for the rest of the day. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Elliot got home that same afternoon, he pounced on his bed to draw in the margins of his textbook. Art was a hobby that he dabbled in from time to time and it led him to pursue a degree in architecture and design. Lost in his thoughts, he imagined what Rhea must think of him. He practically humiliated himself in public so she probably thought he was an idiot. Before he knew it, he had drawn a beautiful lycoris flower that he quickly colored in an intense red. He seemed to draw better when distracted. The next day, Elliot stared at Rhea's empty desk. “Hey, Rhea's not one to miss class, right? I mean she’d got the bad girl aesthetic but she's got good attendance,” Elliot said to Seraphine, who was buried in her own notebook. “What are you keeping track?” Seraphine whispered. “Am I right to worry then?” “She should be fine. Let her take a day off if she wants…” “I guess you're right,” Elliot replied, focusing on the class and trying not to think about it. However, as the days went by Rhea's continued absence only made Elliot more worried. Before he knew it, the weekend had come and there was no sign of her. Even more, he had no way of contacting her to find out if she was okay and she hadn’t posted on social media in days. Despite that, Elliot tried to stay positive. He prepared detailed notes summarizing what had happened in class. It could be the perfect excuse to interact with her. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That Monday, Elliot was one of the first to arrive at class, anxiously waiting for Rhea to appear. Seraphine arrived, greeted him, and sat next to him as usual, as the class filled up more and more. Suddenly, the class went silent as if the teacher had entered, but it was actually Rhea. The entire class watched in astonishment as she entered the room with a completely new appearance. She wore her usual outfit, carried her backpack, and maintained her cold attitude and aura, but now she had two identical heads between her shoulders. Elliot didn't know how to process what he was seeing. On one hand, he was relieved to see she was safe, but on the other hand, the Rhea he knew had drastically and permanently changed. As murmurs between students began to intensify, it quickly became clear that most of the students had never seen a two-headed mutant before. Rhea seemed like she wanted to hide from the world as she walked between the desks, looking for a free seat. Elliot noticed how her two heads looked in different directions, considering their options. The few free seats were close to noisy, gossiping, groups of students… except for one right next to Elliot. A cold sweat ran down his back when he saw Rhea's two heads fix on that seat as she headed towards it. Completely paralyzed, Elliot tried to avoid eye contact until she passed by him and sat down at her new desk, sighing. Rhea's typical, soft, and delicate perfume brought him back to his senses. Elliot watched her out of the corner of his eye, seeing how she raised her gaze with both heads, practically shooing away those who were still looking at her with curiosity. Suddenly, her right head fixed on Elliot, noticing that he was looking at her. “What are you looking at? Do you want something?” Rhea said with her right head in a cold tone. Elliot just shook his head. “No, I'm sorry…” “Just what I needed… to be the center of attention,” Rhea groaned. Elliot could hear his heartbeat in his ears from the excitement. Not one to miss an opportunity he took the summary he made and offered it to her, papers shaking and ruffling in his hands. “S-Sorry… I made a summary of last week's classes… in case you want to catch up.” “Uh? Don't worry, I'm not that dumb... I can catch up on my own," Rhea said, all the time speaking through her right head, while her left one just watched the classroom. Elliot just nodded. "I know, I just wanted to make your task easier." Looking ahead, he began to question if there was really something behind that ice wall, or if Seraphine was right. Turning to Seraphine, he noticed she was focused on finishing a drawing on her notes, just to point to it right after: A drawing of a pair of balls with a feminine foot stepping on them. Elliot sighed and decided that the best option was to leave Rhea alone; Maybe she was really too much for him. Soon, the class began. It only took seconds for Rhea to lean toward him and whisper. "Hey, nerd... is the offer still open?" Elliot looked at her in surprise and a little overwhelmed by having two Rhea faces so close and staring at him, while being annoyed that she only seemed to think of him as a ‘nerd.’ Elliot understood at that moment that the ice cap would be much more difficult to melt than he expected.