Nyota Uhura

The only way Nyota could keep from tapping her foot impatiently was to keep moving. Unfortunately, every moment spent in the diner and not the kitchen was a moment she had to exercise concerted effort not to look at the empty place where Jim should be. She hadn't seen him since Tuesday morning when she'd woken up in his arms. Spending the night was becoming a dangerous habit, but even if they got to spend all of Monday evening together it simply wasn't the same if she didn't get to fall asleep with her head on his chest and his hand in her hair. She was considering asking her father if she could spend all Monday nights at “Anna's,” but her guilt was making it difficult. She still had no idea what to do about the fact that her family could never know, but she couldn't regret a moment of it. She couldn't regret kissing him or touching him or falling asleep in his arms. She couldn't regret that when she next saw him they'd look at each other and smile and know. She couldn't regret loving him.

But Jim was already an hour late to work. She refilled a few coffee cups and collected empty plates before heading back to the kitchen, the restaurant sounding strangely quiet without Jim's guitar. Her father was hanging up the phone, a slight frown on his face. When she asked what was wrong he replied in Swahili, “Kirk isn't coming. Sounds like he's sick.” The words stopped her in her tracks, mind flashing instantly to an image of him standing in the cold without a coat, pleading with her to listen to him because he loved her. Clearly there was a horrified expression on her face, because her father was looking at her with open concern. “I'm sure he'll be all right, princess.”

“Of course. I need to... brew more coffee.” She chastised herself for overreacting, knowing that her family could never suspect just how much she cared or where it was she actually went on Monday nights. The remainder of the evening dragged on to the point that she was certain the clock must be broken, but she found time to make soup. She made a show of eating some of it, then packed the rest to take to Jim. When the diner finally closed, she made excuses that as usual went unquestioned and hurried off to the subway that would take her to the Bronx and to Jim. It was late, but she had to make sure he was all right, especially since it was her fault he'd been out in the cold to begin with. When she got there she dusted the snow off her jacket and rang the bell, hoping he wasn't asleep.

Nyota couldn't wait to get out of the house. The atmosphere had been tense ever since Kamau had come home bruised and bloody on Saturday night. She'd heard him arguing with their father the day before, but went into the room she shared with Sadiki and closed the door, not really wanting to hear anymore. They seemed to have reached a tentative truce, and she wanted to believe that the matter was over, but some part of her knew that even if they could let go of this particular incident this wasn't really the end. It wasn't the first time Kamau's choices had caused tension, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

In any event, she was more than happy to bid farewell to her family for the evening. It wasn't even a lie to say she was going to meet a friend, even if there was no reason to inform her family that she was going to see Jim and he was going to teach her to dance. She shook off the feelings of guilt and focused on the fact that she was finally going to do something she'd been dreaming about since she was a little girl. Dancing with him in the diner was more fun than she'd ever imagined it could be. It simply felt right to move that way to the music, to be held in his arms. She wanted to feel that way again, slightly breathless but completely comfortable. In the process, she knew she'd have the opportunity to learn more about the man whose music spoke to her before they'd even introduced themselves. There was no denying that Jim was unlike anyone she'd known before; she looked forward to him constantly surprising her, and to how much she smiled when he was around. Seeing him always made her day a little brighter.

She tried to ignore the little fluttering in her chest as she got off the 2 subway at the stop closest to his house. She didn't go to the Bronx often, so she couldn't help looking around curiously as she walked to his apartment building, high heels clicking softly on the pavement. They seemed like the right shoes for dancing. When she got to the top floor she took a deep breath, feeling suddenly slightly nervous, and knocked.