34

The sun shining through the curtains made me to stir awake.

My body feeling sore and achy.

Then the memories of the night before flooded back to me, making my cheeks burn and my heartbeat speed up.

HOLY SHIT MY PROFESSOR ATE ME OUT.

It made me freak the fuck out and rethink our decisions.

My fucking professor gave me orgasms, that's something you don't hear everyday.

And just thinking of that made me freak out even more.

As I look over my shoulder, she was there next to me on the bed, still asleep.

I took a moment to watch her, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way her hair was tussled against the pillow.

I found myself smiling softly at her.

It's like all the concern and all doubt I had calmed down as I stared at her.

I'm really falling for her?

We're teacher and student, not whatever this.

But fuck she's good at using her tongue.

And fingers.

I quickly sat up, searching for something to cover me.

I was naked under the covers.

But instead, I grabbed the towel from the previous day and wrapped it around me.

I cast one last glance at Daniela, sleeping peacefully on the bed and smiled.

Then, I quietly slipped out of her room.

When I sneaked back into Iris' and my room, she was sitting on the couch in front of the TV. She was watching a James Bond movie, still in her pajamas.

My eyes widen as she turns her head to me.

She looked me up and down, taking in the strange sigh of me only in a towel.

"Before I ask you where you've been, and for you to come up with an excuse. Yes, I know what you and professor did. Yes, these walls are thin. Yes, you are so fucking loud. Yes, I'm traumatized!" Iris said, her eyes big.

My face went up in flames and I freeze.

"I- it's not--" I stuttered out, my voice higher than normal. "I... we--"

"Oh cut the bullshit. I heard everything." She scoffed and tried impersonating me, "Oh Daniela, yes, yes, right there!"

I clench my jaw, "That's not how I sound like." I mutter, my cheeks flashing red.

"No you're right. You sound 10 times louder! Your screams could wake the dead!"

I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

"Stop. Please." I said weakly, looking down to my feet.

"Oh no, it took me hours of listening to ear-piercing screams to be immune to your noise. So I'm going to have plenty fun with this." She jumped up, pointing at me. "You got some explaining to do, Vic. And I'm going to sit down, sip on my coffee, and listen to the very, very details."

Iris and I switched positions. I went and flopped down on the couch as she went to the tiny kitchen to make coffee.

I bury my face into my hands. "I'm never showing my face again, that's it. I'm dropping out."

"Hey, hey, hey." Iris said in a rush, "Stop being so dramatic. I'm not gonna tell anyone, okay? You know, I'm actually supportive of whatever the hell happened between you two. Though, I'm a bit surprised you really did turn out lesbian."

I peeked up at her, my fingers still covering most of my face, "I'm not-- ugh, forget it."

"Just tell me how it happened. You're always so closed off, I'm curious now." She said, as I heard her rumbling around for a mug in the kitchen "Did it just happen suddenly? Or did you have feelings for her for a long time? Give me the juice."

Sigh.

I dropped my hands from my face, staring down at the carpet.

"I don't know. I guess I just... I thought she's attractive..." That's bullshit even for me. "What am I saying? She's so attractive. She's absolutely gorgeous." I admitted, my cheeks heating again at the confession. "But nothing more than that. Well, not until..."

"Until she fucked you."

My face went redder, a choked noise of embarrassment escaping me. "I- You- Why are you like this?"

She laughed, "Because this is too funny and seeing you so red is entertaining."

I buried my face into my hands again, groaning.

"So, are you going to talk to her today? About what happened?" She asked, the humor in her voice replaced by a more serious tone.

I lowered my hands. "Nope, I'm booking a flight back to New York."

Iris rolled her eyes, "You're a coward. You have to talk to her about this. Running away from the situation isn't going to make it go away."

My eyebrows furrow together the more her words sink in. "When did you get so wise?"

Iris gave me a death stare from the kitchen.

I shrugged. "Maybe I'm okay with this being a one-night stand."

"One-night? Oh please, I know you better than that." I heard her sarcastic snicker all the way from there. "You don't have the emotional capacity for one night stands."

She's right. "Whatever, I'm just going to forget about it." I place my hands on my knees, groaning as my stiff body stands up. I stretch my arms above my head. "Let's call up breakfast then go explore the island a little more. And maybe take a nap... I'm exhausted."

"I'm guessing all the screaming tired you out, huh?"

"Shut up!"

After breakfast and freshening up, Iris and I set off to tour the rest of the island.

First, we visited the Temple of Zeus, an ancient ruin that had stood for centuries. We took in the columns and sculptures, and Iris attempted to climb the massive pillars.

We both got yelled at by the tour guide.

We returned to the villa later in the day, a warm glow settling over the sky as the sun began to set.

"I feel like a Greek goddess after all that walking." Iris said, collapsing onto the couch.

I laughed, amused since she looks the complete opposite of a Greek goddess. Her hair is messy, wearing baggy clothes, and lazily spread out on the couch. "Keep telling yourself that."

Suddenly, a card slipped through into the room from under the gap of the door that I spotted.

Iris minded her business scrolling through her phone while I went and pick it up. It was a note that read 'meet me at the beach. Now.' It was written in an elegant style.

From the handwriting I knew it was Daniela.

Immediately, I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket.

I had to think of a quick excuse, but also didn't want to lie to her. "Hey, I think I'm going to go for a small walk on the beach." She's only tease me if I told I was going to talk to Daniela.

Iris didn't look up, yet nodded. "Alright, don't het kidnapped." Her brown eyes were glued to her phone.

"Not planning on it." I mumble, "See you."

With that, I left the room, heading out to the beach.

As I walked, my heart was racing, the memory of the night before playing over and over in my mind.

I reached the beach, the sky tinged with oranges and pinks as the sun continued to set.

And there, waiting for me, she was.

She was standing at the edge of the water, her hair flowing in the gentle breeze.

Even from afar, she looked stunning.

I took in a deep breath, trying to steady my beating heart then walked over to where she stood, my footsteps making soft indents in the sand.

As I got closer, she looked up, probably hearing me, and met my gaze.

There were so many things I wanted to say, to explain, but the words wouldn't come.

Instead, we just stood in silence for a moment, listening to the waves gently crash against the shore.

"Hi." I managed to whisper, not being able to hold a smile back.

"Hi." She said back, a small smile also playing at the corner of her lips.

There was an air of uncertainty between us, and I could tell we were both thinking about yesterday night.

"I'm glad you came." She said quietly. "I wasn't sure you'd show up, after..."

My cheeks puffed out awkwardly, immediately knowing what she was trying to imply. "Yeah, I'm surprised I didn't run away either."

She lets go of a tiny chuckle, trying to ease the tension. "I wouldn't have blamed you."

I stared out at the sea, the waves crashing against the shoreline in a soothing rhythm.

"It wasn't just a one-night stand, was it?" I asked, but then saw her taken aback.

My eyes widen. "Oh no, I mean because like... I-- Iris, she, uh, said I should talk with you about it."

Looking at her now, as her eyebrows furrow down, I regret asking her. "You told her?"

My eyes widen and I took a sharp breath in, not liking the raise of her voice. "No! Not... not really. She kind of figured out on her own." I look down to my hands, nervously scratching at the back of my hand. I mumbled nervously, "By hearing us, I mean."

"Dammit." She whispers to herself, and turns away to compose herself. She thought for a while, running her hands through her hair frustratedly. "This has gone too far." She finally speaks up and my stomach dropped.

"She won't tell anyone, I swear." I spoke fast, way too fast that I stumbled over my words.

Like what I was saying was making things worse, she squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. "That's not really my concern." She pinched the bridge of her nose and I knew I was in trouble.

"It's not?" I chose my words carefully, "Then what is?"

"Victoria," Her eyes met mine again, "I'm your professor. What I did to you... it was wrong. I took advantage of you--"

My eyes widen, "Woah, what? I gave you my full consent. I- I... I wanted that."

"If your dad finds out I had sex with you, he'd kill me. Worse, if Adeline finds out. When people think about a professor and a student, they think the worst about it, that I probably did something without your permission."

She sighs and reaches out to my face, cupping my cheek with her left hand, "You deserve so much more than a fling or whatever that night was. So much more than a one-night stand. But I can't give you that."

What.

I blinked. "So it was a one-night thing?" I said softly, gulping.

She closed her eyes, pain flickering over her face and she lets go of mine, "I'm your professor, and you're my student." She repeated. "It doesn't matter what I want or you want. It's wrong. We can't do this again."

That hurt.

Silence fell between us, now only listening to the waves crashing against our feet. She didn't want to look at me, but I stared her down like a hawk, trying to get a read on her. But I couldn't.

It felt like a rope being held against my throat, preventing me from speaking, "How many times are we still going to do this back and forth?" I whisper quietly, my breathing starting to get uneven.

She then looked me dead in the eyes with a cold glare. "Until you realize this can never happen again."

Till I realize?

She starts it every time!

I scoff, "Woah." I felt tears swelling in my eyes before I nodded slowly. I should've known it was going to end up this way. "Don't fuck with my feelings just because you're unsure of yours, okay?" I try to collect my bearings.

She stiffens, and for some reason, it made me angry.

"I'm going to turn around and walk away. If you don't stop me, I'll leave. Forever. We'll stop seeing each other. I'll drop out of your class." I said quietly, my bottom lip quivering. "Stop me, and I'll stay."

Her eyes soften, but her muscles are still tensed as she looks at me. The silence crept in again, and it was just the waves crashing one could still hear. I waited and waited, but nothing.

She didn't move and inch.

I gave a weak, single nod and turned around. My voice broke. "I understand."

I could feel my heart breaking with every step I took, every grain of sand under my feet.

As I walked away, the sound of the waves faded from my ears, replaced by the sound of my own heart shattering.

It was dumb this feeling, a feeling no student should have for their teacher.

But somehow, it still hurt so much.

I was really falling for her.

My head was kept low as I made my way up, almost reaching the top of the beach.

Then, just as I thought my heart couldn't hurt more, I felt a strong grip on my wrist, spinning me around. I saw a split second of her face before she pressed her lips against mine, and I melted. My eyes closed, hands finding her cheeks. I couldn't help but smile, a warm feeling erupting inside of my stomach.

As we pulled back, we were both smiling softly. Her emerald eyes looked into mine with guilt and she reached out to caress my cheek.

"Estoy tan interesada en ti" She whispers. (I'm so into you)

"But... but you said..."

"I say a lot of things, Victoria." She looked into my eyes. It was like staring into a forest."And right now I'm saying how much you mean to me. I'll quit my job for you."

I frown and shake my head, "No, no. I don't want you to lose your job."

"Good, because I really don't want to." She snickered teasingly, "But I do want to be with you."

My body warmed up at her words, a smile spread over my face that reached my eyes. I bit my bottom lip, finding it quite ironic. "We're in Greece... on a beach... and you're confessing."

"I know. It feels oddly poetic." She said, looking at me with loving eyes-- different eyes from a few minutes ago.

A soft giggle left my lips, but my smile slowly faded. "But, what about the others-- my dad, Adeline?"

"Don't worry about them," she said reassuringly, but I knew she was also a bit doubtful. "We'll be careful. No one will find out. We'll make it work."

She tugged my loose strand of hair behind my ear. All my doubts about this faded once she pulled me into her embrace. Her arms wrapped around me and I clung onto her shirt, holding onto the fabric tightly as I bury my head against her chest.

"Are you sure your friend won't tell anyone?" She asks softly, her chin on my head.

"Iris won't tell a soul."

"Then I trust you." She whispered, pulling me into a kiss.

I leaned into the kiss, my body pressing against hers. We stood there, on the beach, the world around us fading away as our lips danced together.