Ophelia raised an eye brow and felt the warm internal glow of honest laughter at his outrageous behaviour. And he was like this with all the James women, it was disgusting. Externally she did give one of her well known eye rolls. As amusing as he was, it only reminded her of the intolerable situation going on between Nathaniel and Ophelia’s niece, Grace. The tension was so thick between the duo that their parents were tempted to lock them in a room together just to get it over with and yet… both insisted that they were just friends. It was exhausting.
                              
“Aren’t you tired of playing yet Nathaniel? Or are you forever the Casanova?”Ophelia asked, referring back to one of the classics they’d discussed in class today. And how it compared to modern takes on love versus lust.
                              
He had a smile on his lips but the look in his eyes wasn’t joking when he replied. “I don’t want to be everybody’s lover Professor. One day I just hope to be one persons truest lover.” He replied and offered her his hand. “Let’s get you out of here, you’re going grey and we both know you need to lie down.”
                              
“I am not going back to Westley’s house, please. And the doctor has nothing more to offer to help with this part of my… illness.” Ophelia had a distressing habit of calling it her death and knew it bothered others so she tempered it to a kinder word.
                              
“My place is too small  for you alone, let alone adding my bulk into it. Where would you like to go?” Nathaniel offered, and even though Ophelia knew he was skipping other classes to chaperone her, she couldn’t bring herself to go to her apartment alone.
                              
So she navigated from the passenger seat of his car, tired enough that she leaned on his body when he wrapped an arm over her shoulders. It was a vulnerable state for her to be in and she hated that there was any witness to this. But Nathaniel had proven that he was more capable of keeping his secrets his own than his promiscuous behaviour indicated, and she knew that for once the state of her health wouldn’t be public discourse. More of her weight was lifted off of her feet when Nathaniel slipped his arm from around her shoulders to around her waist and he took the keys from her hands as she said her apartment number. And he lifted her up and over the threshold and in when her vision finally tumbled into the black and she passed out.
                              
It had been a while since Ophelia had slept in her own apartment, the one bedroom had seemed ominously large and empty when she’d learned her diagnosis last year, but she recognized where she was the moment she opened her eyes. In a pitch black room, she felt at home and it made her feel surprisingly content. Her apartment wasn’t luxurious except for a few touches. She had a faux white fur rug in the bedroom, perfect for sinking her feet into, and the bed was heavy mahogany and covered with silken velvet in amethyst. The apartment was warm, but not unbearably and she could smell chilies cooking. But even though her curiosity was piqued, her body couldn’t follow through. It was demanding more stillness, a chance to just rest and recover. Even though there wasn’t enough sleep in a lifetime to cure this tiredness, Opi didn’t obsess over it.
                              
Instead she promptly started to worry about walking out of the college without at least altering the students that class was cancelled in the afternoon. She was down to teaching only four classes a week, but today had a double. The door to the bedroom creaked open, faint light leaking in but nothing bright to hurt her eyes. The smell of empanditas drifted in and Nathaniel’s face slowly became visible.
                              
“I thought I heard you worrying in here. You and Grace both grind your teeth so LOUD. I called your TA and told her to play catch.” Nathaniel grinned at the mention of the nerdy student that helped Ophelia in her afternoon class. “I have some food that might help you feel better if you think you can keep it down.” He offered, coming over and crouching next to the bed so she wouldn’t have to look up at him.
                              
“I’d like to stop by the bathroom first. I’ll meet you out at the nook.” Ophelia said, wondering if she would be able to get out of this big, comfortable bed under her own power.
                              
Nathaniel must have seen the hesitation in her eyes because he pulled the blankets clear off of her so she wouldn’t have to struggle with them and get tangled. He winked at her as she flushed just the faintest bit pink but he turned his back, standing all the way at the door so that she had the illusion of privacy but he could be there if she needed him. Months ago it hadn’t been that bad, but as the chemo got more aggressive, Ophelia’s ability to bounce back went flat. The brittle happiness of her brother’s family reminded her every day of the sad burden she’d become on those she loved, but somehow her niece’s best friend had managed to never make her feel pitied.
                              
Every step she took forward actually steadied her movements and by the time she reached the bathroom, she was glad that she’d been able to get home safely before she’d had an episode like that. But it was now painfully clear that she couldn’t keep teaching. It broke her heart a little to lose one of the last pillars of what her life was supposed to be like.