Hermione walked to the door with her swollen, bruised knuckles and a glass of milk. "I bought you that airtag for a reason, Ginny," she rolled her eyes playfully expecting her roommate to be on the other side of the door after once again forgetting her keys. Only when she opened the door, Ginny wasn't standing there. She looked out at and saw Bella in her tux, wearing a cloak covering her face. She was smiling at her with a strange look on her face. Hermione realized what she was staring at and slowly put her glass of milk on the table by the side of the door. She quickly tried to fix her hair and wipe some of her smeared makeup away but she winced at the pain in her hand. There was no saving her current look. She was sure she looked a mess but the pain coursing through her hand reminded her that she didn't care. She brought her hand up to her chest, nursing it. "Can I come in?" Hermione looked up and saw a small smile playing at the corner of her lips as if she was actively trying not to smirk. She nodded and moved aside so the older woman could enter. "Thanks," she said as she took her hood down. Hermione stared as her Professor closed the distance while she reached up, licked her thumb and swiped it across her upper lip, "you had some milk," she smiled and then took a step back.
"Hi," Hermione finally managed to squeak out, her cheeks blushing from the thought of her former lover wiping milk from her lip.
"Hi."
"What..."
"How's..."
They both started their next sentences at the same time resulting in more nervous laughter and silence. "Would you like a cookie?" Hermione finally asked, trying to break the ice and ease the mounting tension filling the room. Bella nodded and watched as Hermione walked over to a bin full of cookies, returning and handing her a chocolate one. "Mrs. Weasley made these at Christmas and she wouldn't let me leave without enough to feed a small army. They are quite tasty though don't tell her but your baked goods are more delicious."
Bella took a bite of the cookie, "it's pretty good," she said after swallowing. "I see why you needed that milk though. These cookies are pretty rich." Hermione walked over to the door and grabbed her milk off the table and placed it in front of her Professor. "Thanks," she reached down, bringing the glass up to her lips and taking a sip. She saw Hermione staring at her and couldn't resist, "do I have a milk mustache that you are dying to clean off?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "that's not fair and no you don't. Apparently I'm the only one of us doomed to wear a milk mustache."
"Well I personally think you looked cute with the mustache. And when have I ever said that I was a fair person?"
"Bella," Hermione sighed. "What are you doing here?"
"I don't know," Bella put the cookie down and walked away from the kitchen towards the living room. She ran a hand through her mane of curls. Bella pushed her glasses up to the top of her and pinched the bridge of her nose. There was so much that she wanted to say to Hermione but the moment she saw her all rationale and logic went flying out of the window and was replaced with an overwhelming need to kiss the younger woman. The playful banter was too easy to slip back into. She wasn't sure why she was there and said the first thing that came to her mind, "you left."
"I did."
"Why?" It was a simple question that Hermione was hesitant to answer. "Is it because you already assumed that I had moved on and started a new relationship with the woman you had just punched out who was bleeding on the floor?" She saw the grimace cross her student's face, "yes I'm not stupid Hermione. Hurt. But not stupid."
"Hurt?"
"I made my intentions very clear."
"Pardon?" Hermione scoffed, "I didn't know that you leaving me in the middle of the hallway and getting on a plane was supposed to symbolize anything other than you leaving."
"How about the part where I said I told the Dean I wanted to quit," Bella all but shouted. She turned away from Hermione and walked over to the window, looking outside. After a moment, she spoke with a calm voice, "look, Hermione. I didn't come her to fight with you." She turned and faced the younger woman whose eyes were welling with tears. "I came here because we clearly have things we need to hash out and I want to do that with you. We both deserve it. Don't you think so?"
Hermione nodded and she moved to take a seat on one of the chairs folding her legs underneath her body. She chewed on her lower lip, not sure who was supposed to speak first. Afraid that if she started talking, the tears she had been holding would rush from the floodgates. She cleared her throat, "umm."
"I'll start," Bella gave her a soft smile. "But before I begin, do you have a first aid kit?" She told Bella that it was in the bathroom so she stepped away momentarily coming back with the kit. She shed her cloak and squatted down in front of her student. Hermione tried to curb the blush that was forming on her cheeks from seeing Bella in her tux jacket with nothing underneath it. She cursed herself internally for her natural reaction. Bella only smirked slightly, "now now, pet. It's okay to look but I believe that's what got us in this mess in the first place. Hand?" She asked and Hermione held it out flat as best she could against her quad. "Does it hurt?"
"Only a little bit," she winced when Bella picked her hand up to examine it. "Okay. I lied. It hurts terribly."
Bella nodded and put her glasses back down on her nose before getting a few cotton swabs and antiseptic to clean the cuts. "She was my assistant," Bella said looking up after wrapping a layer of bandage around her disinfected hand.
"Was?"
She nodded and added a second layer of bandage. "She was good for nothing except pissing me off really. I only had to hire her because the person meant to do the exhibit with me backed out. Can't imagine why she would back out but I was left in an awful predicament."
Hermione bit her lip, "she fancied you."
"I know."
"It was a very satisfying punch."
Bella chuckled, "wish I would've seen it first hand. I fired her."
"Good," Hermione smiled. "She wanted to sleep with you. I'm pretty sure that's why she took the job."
"I'm not stupid, Hermione. I just needed someone to work for me through the run of the show. I'll handle the rest of it myself or get Cissy to help me if I find myself in need." Hermione nodded and watched as Bella brought her knuckles up to her lips and kissed them, "there all better." Her blush came back as Bella got up and returned the first aid stuff to the bathroom. When she was coming out she was saying, "Christmas Eve... I asked you to leave my room because I was so offended that you thought I had already moved on." She saw the look of sorrow in her students eyes, "I'm not looking for an apology. I get very defensive when my character is judged by someone whom I care deeply for." She took a seat on the couch sitting kitty corner to Hermione's chair. "I've been around a long time and I've entertained my share of ladies but I've never cared for one as deeply as I did," she met Hermione's eyes, "as I do for you and it was just a little jarring to thinking that you thought I'd shut my feelings off so fast."
"I was upset with you. For many reasons," she saw her Professor grimace but not look over. "I just didn't understand why you left," she waved Bella off when she looked like she was going to interrupt. "I know you had to get the pieces for the exhibit but we didn't even get to talk. You just left. You ignored my texts and calls. All I got from you was very professional emails sent to me and the Dean. Then I see you at Christmas and you are busy on the phone with some woman. What was I supposed to think? I felt like all the wind was knocked out of me on repeat for the last month."
"It was not my intent to make you feel that way but you weren't alone. This has been a miserable month for me as well. I was hopeful that you'd still want to do the exhibit together and we would get a chance to talk but then you sent that message saying you wanted out. I figured that was it. Then," her cheeks blushed, "I saw you snuggled with Dora and I wanted to kill her."
"There's nothing there."
Bella cut her off, "I know. I asked Dora. Instead of getting drunk and accusing you of moving on." She looked over and saw the hurt cross Hermione's face, "sorry that was uncalled for."
"No," she shook her head. "You are right. That was stupid of me. I don't get that drunk often and Dora just kept producing these flasks and I was already so uncomfortable being there in the first place so I thought what the hell. Honestly, I'm not even sure where the flasks were coming from."
Bella's deep throaty chuckle stirred something in Hermione but she was desperate to fight it, "Dora will always have flasks. Be careful around that one. She's nothing but trouble."
"Noted," Hermione smiled. "Can you tell me what happened with the Dean? I think I get it but I need to hear it from you. I was left in that hall just pulled apart and I need closure."
"You want closure?"
Hermione shrugged, "is there another option?"
"Honestly, I don't know the answer to that question," Bella sighed. "The Dean said we couldn't pursue anything while I'm still employed. Makes sense I suppose so I told her I wanted to quit. I was prepared to walk. I don't need the job. I was doing it as a favor to Minnie. I told her that I'd rather pursue our relationship." She saw the girl perk up, "but then she reminded me that I'm under contract until the end of the year. If I walked, legal actions would be taken against me. If that would've happened then our relationship would've been made public and I would run the risk of your name being dragged along with mine. I don't care about mine. I'm set, honestly. But," she sighed again. "I couldn't take the chance that your name would be destroyed before you even had a chance to begin. You mean more to me that a sexual relationship so for the sake of your future, I had to let you go." She turned to look at Hermione, "and believe me when I say, walking away from you that day was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."
Hermione spoke so quietly that Bella could barely hear her, "I told you that I'd wait."
Bella nodded her head, "yes. I know. But in that moment, it almost seemed harder to be around you and not be able to be with you than leaving. I guess I did what I thought would be the easiest for both of us and for that, I apologize. I was wrong."
"Well," Hermione bit the inside of her lip. "You aren't my professor anymore and I'm being assigned a new Professor to finish my TA this year. I didn't sign up for Museum Studies 2."
"I saw that but it doesn't really change anything. I have a feeling that the policy holds true for all students and professors whether or not I'm directly teaching you and I highly doubt that you nor I want to have another conversation about us in front of the Dean."
"Not especially, no."
"So," Bella rested her head on the back of the couch.
"So..."
"Sneaking around is out of the question. Someone reported us to the Dean so I'm guessing there is someone out there who isn't happy with either you or me and they are the reason she found out. If I had to take bets, I'm going to guess it was that pizza delivery boy."
"Ron? He's not smart enough to know who you are."
"No," Bella laughed. "But the Dean didn't say us by name, just that there were reports of a student and teacher sneaking around. He knows who you are. It probably wouldn't take a smart woman like the Dean too long to put it all together."
"I'll kill him," Hermione fumed.
"That's the spirit, pet."
"Should I say something to him?"
"It's probably not worth it plus we aren't 100% sure it was him."
Hermione was playing with her fingers, obviously nervous and anxious with the situation, "so what do we do about us? Honestly, it's been shit without you and I don't want to lose you from my life."
"So what do you want to do about this, pet?"
"Well," Hermione smirked, "you are the one who walked away so I vote that you have to come up with the plan. It's only fair."
"What's fair about that?" Bella pushed her glasses back onto the top of her head.
"Fair to me."
Bella rolled her eyes, "do you really want to wait?" She saw Hermione nod, "so we wait. If we still have feelings for each other at the end of the school year then we can revisit the whole dating thing," Bella sounded so uncomfortable as the words came out of her mouth.
"Okay," Hermione agreed, "but what about until then?"
"Well... we could try to be friends."
"Friends?"
"Yeah. You have plenty of them. People with whom you text, talk to, hang out with on a daily or weekly basis. We just won't have sex."
"So," Hermione scrunched up her face, "friends without benefits."
"Precisely."
"I thought you don't have friends."
Bella laughed, "I don't but I'd be willing to make an exception for you."
"Maybe we should set some ground rules. Boundaries?"
Bella raised an eyebrow, "afraid your libido will take over and you might start panic snogging me in public?"
Hermione laughed, "yes and no."
"Tell me more about this snogging..."
Hermione's cheeks flushed, "Bella... stop. The teasing. That can't happen."
"Spoil all my fun then, pet," Bella crossed her arms over her chest which Hermione noticed accentuated her already voluptuous cleavage. "No teasing. I can't promise it'll stop all together but I'll try. What else?"
"We should probably avoid alone time together."
"Again with the snogging," Bella chuckled. "I can control myself, pet. Im perfectly capable of being in your presence and not just attacking you."
"Okay addendum to the last clause," Hermione chuckled, "No being alone together when you are wearing outfits like that."
Bella looked down and smirked, "oh so being alone together is a you thing and not a me thing. Seems you are the one who can't control themselves. Got it," she flashed her a big cheeky grin. "So, four months until I'm released from my position."
"Are you going to renew your term at the university?"
"What a stupid fucking question," Bella looked over at Hermione who had moved closer to her as they were talking. "Uh, pet," she swallowed when she got a good look at the dress Hermione was wearing. It hugged her in all the right places. "I think you are breaking some of your own rules right now."
She leaned closer, inches away from Bella's face. "If I had known that our last time together was going to be the last, I would've cherished it more."
Bella's eyes flitted from her lips up to her eyes, "me as well." She could feel the younger woman's breath against her own lips and she let out a shaky breath, "fuck. I think I should go." She pulled away from Hermione and stood up. "We will work up to being alone together I guess," she let out a nervous chuckle.
Hermione followed Bella as she grabbed her cloak, threw it on and walked over to the door. "Friends can hug."
Her Professor stopped and turned around, her perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised, "oh is that so?"
"Quite frequently."
"Well in the spirit of friendship, I'd hate to break traditions," Bella smiled as she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around the younger woman, tucking her head in her neck and inhaling. She felt Hermione sigh into the hug and relax her own body, arms snaking around her neck, pulling her in closer. Bella felt Hermione's fingers playing with the baby hairs at the back of her neck and the action caused an involuntary shiver to ripple up her spine. "Fuck," it came out a little too breathy for Bella's liking, "I've missed this, pet." Hermione murmured "mhmm" as she turned her face towards Bella's neck. Bella felt her lips press against her throat but Hermione didn't kiss her. Bella squeezed her arms around the girl once more and said quietly, "I think I should head out."
Hermione sighed, releasing her hold, "okay."
Bella took a step backwards but reached down and grabbed Hermione's hand, "thank you for coming to the opening." She leaned in and placed a kiss on the side of Hermione's mouth. "Do friends do that as well?" Hermione shook her head no. "Oh well. I better be going then. Four months. That's not long at all," she sounded almost hopeful.
"Four months," Hermione sounded pained as she reached out and placed the hood of Bella's cloak on the top of her head, shielding her from any prying eyes.
"At least we have goals now," she saw the quizzical look looming on her student's face. "You know. Being in a room alone together and hugging without wanting to rip each other's clothes off. It may get easier."
Hermione laughed, "I doubt that very much. Goodnight then."
Bella turned the doorknob and looked back over her shoulder, "sweet dreams, love." Bella slipped out of the apartment almost as quickly and mysteriously as she had entered. Hermione smiled a genuine smile for the first time in weeks. It wasn't exactly what she was hoping for but four months wasn't all that long. Surely they could remain civilized friends until the end of the term. Hermione rolled her eyes, who was she kidding? The next four months were going to be a nightmare to say the least.