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The incessant ticking of the clock grated on the nerves of the German student, amplifying the atmosphere in the lecture hall packed with 40 fellow students, all in a race against time to complete their English exam final.
Stella eased back into her seat, meticulously proofreading her essay, painstakingly ensuring that not a single mistake marred her work. Letting out a weary sigh, she glanced up and found herself locked in Lizzie's unwavering gaze.
A playful eyebrow arched on the brunette's face, eliciting a mischievous smirk from Lizzie. Their eye contact broke abruptly as a small alarm chimed from Lizzie's phone.
The entire class observed as Lizzie erased the bold "ten minutes left" on the whiteboard. "Five minutes remaining," the blonde declared, her voice carrying over the room, prompting anxious faces to scan their surroundings, seeking reassurance from their peers.
Lizzie froze in her tracks, spotting Stella still reclining in her chair, nonchalantly twirling her pen. The absence of urgency in Stella's demeanor concerned the blonde.
Approaching Stella from behind, Lizzie leaned over her seat, trying to catch a glimpse of her neighbor's work. Whispering, she inquired, "Are you finished?" Stella met Lizzie's gaze, nodding with a wide grin. The blonde hummed as she collected the three papers from the brunette's desk, swiftly skimming through the paragraphs. "Where is your conclusion?"
Panic washed over the brunette as she stammered, "Conclusion? I wasn't aware we needed one." Lizzie pursed her lips, continuing her inspection of Stella's work.
"Might I suggest reading the whiteboard, El," Lizzie murmured quietly into Stella's ear, leaning down to place the papers back in front of her.
The German student's eyes caught sight of a small paragraph, previously unnoticed, which detailed the requirement of a 150-200-word summary. "I can't possibly complete that in five minutes!" Stella stressed, watching as Lizzie chuckled softly to herself. "Four minutes, to be precise," she corrected, striding away.
As the time neared its end, the professor instructed everyone to submit their papers to Lizzie's desk before leaving. The entire class complied, except for Stella, who remained fervently engrossed in her writing. Lizzie sighed to herself, commencing the task of stapling all the pages together to avoid misplacing any work and allowing the German student a few extra minutes to finalize her work.
Five more minutes elapsed, and Lizzie observed Stella exhausting her supply of paper. Stella turned over a page only to discover it had already been written on. Looking up, she found Lizzie perched on her desk, legs crossed, closely monitoring her progress. With a touch of sarcasm, Lizzie quipped, "Having trouble, Miss Peryl?"
Stella's nervousness caused her to chew on the inside of her cheek, as she stuttered, "Um, no." Lizzie reached for a blank sheet of paper from the adjacent stack, pushing herself off the desk. Placing the sheet before Stella, Lizzie was met with a grateful expression. "Danke."
The utterance of that small word brought a wide smile to the blonde's lips. "Just so you're aware, this is highly illegal," she cautioned, pulling out a chair and settling beside Stella, who resumed her work with renewed urgency.
"Oh yeah? More illegal than our relationship?" the brunette retorted sarcastically, observing Lizzie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at her sly remark.
"You're lucky that you're cute," the exasperated blonde replied.
"That's me," the brunette concluded her sentence with a period, signaling the completion of her task. Stella released her pen, which clattered loudly upon striking the wooden desk. Massaging her hand with the other, she seethed as a sharp pain coursed throughout her fingers.
Concerned, Lizzie asked in a kind tone, "Are you alright?" She gently retrieved the girl's exam from her grasp.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Bee," Stella responded with an affectionate smile. Rising from her chair, Lizzie extended her hand to Stella, pulling her up with a playful force. The sudden motion caused the brunette to collide with the blonde's figure, and Lizzie instinctively wrapped an arm around Stella's waist to pull her closer in. Wide-eyed, Stella found herself taken aback by the unexpected embrace.
"Elizabeth, I-" A voice interrupted their moment, causing the two to hastily separate. Mr. Lapio, perplexed, looked back and forth between them. "Ms. Peryl, please spare Professor Olsen and I a moment," he requested.
Stella's fearful gaze darted towards Lizzie, hesitant to leave her side. Sensing her concern, Lizzie whispered reassuringly, "It's alright. Meet me in my office tomorrow morning." Suppressing her urge to lean in for a kiss out of habit, she merely nodded slightly, conveying her agreement to the brunette. Stella slowly walked out of the room, looking back at the blonde with an unsure expression.
"What do you need from me, Paul?" the blonde snapped, her annoyance palpable at being interrupted in her own lecture hall.
"Are you and Stella in a relationship?" the man accused, provoking Lizzie's cold eyes to shoot daggers at him.
"How dare you! I would never. Ms. Peryl simply stumbled, and I caught her as a kind gesture," Lizzie lied, defending herself as she walked past him, placing Stella's papers into the stack of exams.
"I doubt that. All the teachers knew you were trouble when you first started. People like you have no regard for rules," the man spat, his words watched carefully by the analyzing blonde.
"...people like me?" Lizzie questioned.
"Rich, famous, too consumed with creating an image that you're superior to the rest of us," the brunette explained, prompting the blonde to fix a piercing stare upon him. The man's gaze faltered under her intimidation. Lizzie sighed to herself, slowly walking over to the door and closing it.
Returning to the man, Lizzie scrutinized him from head to toe before speaking in a calm tone. "Mr. Lapio, I realize you come to work every morning, to a job you despise, only to earn a salary to pay your child support to a woman who left you for another man." She held his gaze firmly as he opened his mouth to object. "You brought my personal life into this conversation, so don't even try," she warned, causing him to reluctantly listen to her words.
"I assure you that I am nothing more than a teacher to Miss Peryl, and she is nothing more than a student to me. If you have a problem with that, I can't find a fuck to give, to be brutally honest with you. So go scurry back to whatever hole you crawled out of before I inform the board that I caught you sleeping in your office since you have no home to return to. I genuinely pity you," the blonde raised her voice, her eyes icy and serious.
"I-um- Goodnight, Mrs. Olsen," the man cleared his throat, hastily exiting the room.
The blonde let out a deep breath as she surveyed the empty lecture hall. She couldn't continue like this any longer.
The weight of exhaustion settled upon Lizzie's shoulders as she stood alone in the silent lecture hall. The confrontation with Mr. Lapio had drained her spirit, reminding her of the countless battles she fought to maintain her dignity and professionalism. She couldn't bear the constant scrutiny, the insinuations, and the assumptions that accompanied her position as a successful and well-known figure in the academic world.
With a heavy heart, Lizzie gazed around the room, once filled with eager students seeking knowledge. It had been her passion, her calling, but now it felt tainted by the shadows of suspicion. The thought of continuing under such scrutiny, of defending her actions and intentions, felt like an unbearable burden.
A single tear welled up in Lizzie's eye, its presence a testament to the emotional toll she had endured. She longed for a reprieve, a sanctuary where she could simply be herself without the weight of expectations and judgments. As her gaze landed on Stella's empty seat, a flicker of longing passed through her, a longing for simplicity and a connection untethered by rules and regulations.
Lizzie made a resolute decision. Tomorrow morning, she would seek solace in her office, hoping that Stella would join her as promised. Together, they would confront the challenges that lay ahead, defy the limitations imposed by others, and find refuge in their shared connection.
Taking a final, determined breath, Lizzie turned off the lights in the lecture hall, leaving the space in darkness. The door closed behind her, signifying an end to the battle she had fought within those walls. It was time to embark on a new chapter, one defined by authenticity, love, and the courage to embrace the forbidden.
Stella exuded an aura of worry as she clutched her books tightly against her slender frame. The new morning had brought nothing but a series of unfortunate events for the young woman. First, there was the mishap of spilled coffee, followed by the washing machine devouring her favorite top. And to top it off, the wind playfully tousled her previously tidy hair, causing her to stumble.
Knocking on Mrs. Olsen's office door, the brunette hesitated, wondering if she had arrived too early. A voice beckoned her to enter, and Stella's face instantly brightened as she opened the door. Inside, she found the blonde sitting comfortably on a reading couch, engrossed in a small novel. Stella closed the door behind her, abandoning her bag by the entrance and carelessly dropping her books nearby. "My goodness, what a morning I've had," the German grumbled, dramatically collapsing onto the couch next to Lizzie.
"Mm," replied the blonde, too captivated by her book to pay much attention. Annoyance flickered in Stella's gaze as she looked up at the woman, hoping for Lizzie's undivided focus.
Lizzie's concentration shattered as her book was snatched from her hands, swiftly replaced by Stella who settled herself onto Lizzie's lap. The blonde gasped, her slender fingertips grazing Stella's hips, as the softness of her warm skin was felt through her tight top. "Notice me," Stella urged, lifting Lizzie's chin, causing their galaxy-like eyes to lock.
A wide, adoring smile spread across Lizzie's lips as she watched Stella pout cutely. "I'm sorry, baby girl. I didn't mean to ignore you," the woman apologized, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.
A bright pink blush painted Stella's cheeks as she leaned forward, resting her head on Lizzie's shoulder, embracing her in a tight hug. "It's alright, I forgive you," she reassured.
The blonde's fingers meandered along the brunette's back and hips, gently caressing and comforting her with each stroke. "So... I wanted to talk to you about something," Lizzie whispered, and Stella responded with a soft hum.
"Okay," Stella encouraged.
"I've been offered a job, and I've decided to take it, and..." Lizzie trailed off, her words mingling with the warmth emanating from Stella's presence.
"And you're leaving, yes, I know," Stella finished the sentence, leaning back slightly to observe the perplexed expression on Lizzie's face. "I watched your interview."
"Oh, and are you alright with it?" the blonde inquired, watching a gentle smile grace Stella's lips.
"Of course, my bee. Acting is your passion. I'm genuinely happy for you," the brunette affirmed, planting a tender kiss on the blonde's lips.
Lizzie bit her lip, her smile widening uncontrollably, surprised by Stella's supportive reaction. She had anticipated disappointment from her departure.
"Once I graduate, we can finally be together," Stella enthused, and Lizzie nodded in agreement, her excitement mirroring Stella's.
"What aspirations do you have for after graduation?" the inquisitive blonde asked, her curiosity piqued. Stella pondered for a moment, humming thoughtfully.
"I'm not entirely certain. Perhaps an editor, speechwriter, or teacher—something along those lines," the girl replied nonchalantly. Lizzie nodded gently, her gaze drifting downward to observe Stella's lips as they moved.
"Um, how about music? You have a deep love for it," the blonde suggested, her voice filled with genuine interest. Stella's gaze dropped slightly, displaying a hint of hesitation.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready for that," Stella confessed, feeling a surge of anxiety in her chest at the mere mention of it. Lizzie frowned at her words, sliding her hands down to rest on Stella's thighs.
"I hate seeing you so upset. If you're anything like I believe you are, I know that music serves as an escape for you. Avoiding it for too long will only exacerbate your situation," the blonde attempted to persuade Stella, but the brunette remained motionless, fixating her gaze into the woman's emerald green eyes as she spoke.
"I can't, Lizzie. Every time I consider it, I'm reminded of her. I can't pursue it without her," the brunette cried out, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry," Lizzie panicked, gently wiping away the moisture from Stella's face before enveloping her in a tender embrace. "I love you," she murmured.
"Me too," Stella sniffled, breathing in the comforting scent of Lizzie as she wrapped her arms around the woman once more.
"You love you too?" Lizzie chuckled, and Stella offered a faint smile.
"I do," Stella replied, chuckling softly to herself.
"You're such a goofball," Lizzie remarked affectionately.
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