Invisible Strings

Chapter 12: Borrowed

"Probably," Hannah agreed, but she didn't move either.

Isadora smiled at that, shifting to stretch her legs. "It is Friday," she said, her tone deliberate. "No classes tomorrow. You could... stay at mine. If you wanted to."

Hannah glanced over her shoulder, pretending to think about it, though her eyes already said yes.

"Oh, I don't know," she said, feigning a sigh. "That might be... against the rules, Professor."

Isadora raised a brow. "Since when do you follow rules?"

"Since I started liking my teacher," Hannah said before she could stop herself.

That earned a quiet laugh. Isadora leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair behind Hannah's ear.

"Then it's a good thing your teacher's terrible at enforcing them."

Hannah laughed softly, giving in with a tiny shake of her head. "Fine. But only because I don't want you getting lonely."

"Of course," Isadora said, utterly deadpan. "Purely selfless of you."

Their laughter faded into the hush of the evening. That kind of hush that meant comfort, not distance. The kind that said this was becoming something real, even if neither of them dared name it yet.

Isadora's quarters were dim except for the soft golden light of the lamp over her piano. Hannah curled up on the couch, tucking her knees beneath her chin while Isadora fussed in the kitchenette.

"You're quiet," Isadora said after a moment, glancing over her shoulder. "Hungry? We both skipped dinner." She said as she was grabbing all sorts of food because she was at least starving.

Hannah hesitated. "I'm okay," she said, her voice small.

"You're sure?"

"Mhm."

Something in the answer made Isadora pause. That careful tone Hannah used when she didn't want to be asked again. Still, she grabbed a couple of things anyway: two bowls, a loaf of bread, a pot of soup she'd made the night before.

"Soup's not negotiable," she said lightly. "Doctor's orders."

"You're not a doctor," Hannah murmured.

"I'm a teacher. Even scarier." She whispered playfully as she sat down next to Hannah, setting the food down.

That earned her a tiny smile, but Hannah still looked unsure as she accepted the bowl. She stirred it for a long time before taking a sip from her spoon, then another, only managing half of what was there. Isadora noticed, of course she did, but didn't say anything yet. She just reached over and brushed her thumb over the back of Hannah's hand.

"You don't have to worry," Isadora said softly.

Hannah blinked, caught off guard. "About what?"

"About what happens next. About after school." Isadora's voice was gentle but certain. "You're not going to go hungry again. Not while I'm around."

For a long moment, Hannah didn't say anything. She just stared down at her soup, watching the faint ripples fade. Not while I'm around. The words wrapped around her chest like a blanket. Soft, protective, but underneath that comfort was the quiet ache of disbelief.

People always said things like that. You're safe now. I'll take care of you. I won't leave you. They always meant it, too. Until they didn't. Until the day they realized she was too quiet, too strange, too broken to keep around.

So she smiled because it was easier that way and nodded. "Okay." She mumbled because there wasn't much else she could force herself to say.

Isadora's hand squeezed hers once before letting go, the simple warmth of it making something in Hannah's chest ache even more.