"Wow," I responded flatly. "That's nice."
"Maybe I deserve some praise?" Kholod suddenly asked tentatively.
I looked up, surprised.
"It's what you're supposed to do." I looked back down at my ledger. "Nothing worth praising."
The light in his eyes dimmed momentarily, then he nodded. "You're right."
Seeing him look so earnest yet dejected, I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy.
"I hope you maintain today's standard."
His eyes lit up.
"I will! Noelle, I'll definitely do better!"
I turned away, not wanting him to see the slight smile tugging at my lips.
That afternoon, Kholod played with Leo's blocks in the living room.
He sat stiffly on the carpet, letting Leo stack blocks on his head one by one.
"Leo, don't mess around..."
Leo giggled and picked up another block.
"Fine, fine..." Kholod surrendered. "Stack away if you want..."
I sat on the couch, organizing accounts while secretly watching them. Leo placed the final block on Kholod's head, then clapped and cheered.
"Ya ya!"
"Pretty impressive, right?" Kholod carefully maintained his balance, afraid the blocks would topple. "Leo's so smart."
I couldn't help but laugh.
Kholod turned his head, and all the blocks crashed down at once.
"Ah—" Leo froze for a second, his little mouth pouting, about to cry.
"Don't cry, don't cry!" Kholod quickly soothed him. "I'll stack them with you again, okay?"
Leo broke into a smile.
Watching them, a strange feeling welled up inside me, and I found myself smiling unconsciously.
"You smiled." Kholod suddenly looked up, his eyes bright with surprise.
"You're seeing things."
"I saw it." He insisted, his voice carrying a lightness I hadn't heard in ages. "You finally smiled at me."
"I was just laughing at Leo."
He didn't argue further, but joy was written across his entire face.
I turned back to my work, feeling my heartbeat skip.
