Paunariu

Chapter 3

One week passed since. The sound of the school bell echoed through the empty halls as Alina gathered up her papers and prepared to leave her classroom. As she turned to lock the door, she heard a soft knock, and when she turned around, she saw Mihaela standing there, looking hesitant and unsure.

"Mihaela, what are you doing here?" Alina said, trying to keep her voice even, despite the fact that Mihaela avoided her a whole week.

"I... I just wanted to talk to you," Mihaela said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alina felt a pang of disappointment and sadness. She had been hoping that Mihaela would come to her, that they could talk about what had happened between them. But now that Mihaela was here, she felt unsure of what to say.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Alina asked, trying to keep her tone neutral, even though she was the one who started everything.

Mihaela hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I... I wanted to apologize," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "For what happened between us. It was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have kissed you back."

Alina felt a wave of anger and hurt wash over her. Why was she saying these? She was over the moon when Mihaela didn't back away. Her lips felt like heaven.

"Is that it?" she said, her voice cold. "You let me go to you, be all flirty and even kiss you, and then you just walk away without a word even after you kissed me back! And all you have to say for yourself is 'sorry'?"

Mihaela looked down at her feet, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I know it wasn't right," she said, her voice barely audible. "But I was confused, and I didn't know what I was feeling."

Alina shook her head in disbelief.
"And you know now?"
Mihaela went silent. She didn't know what to say. She felt sick and dirty for the fact that she fell in love with a woman. But, at the same time, she had mixed emotions. She still thought that a small part of her loves Alina just like she used to love her husband.

"Mihaela, we've known each other for years. We teach at the same school, we share the same students. I... You..." Alina was trying to find her words, but she started tearing up.

Alina looked up at her, her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I am sorry for doing that and for blaming you even though it's all my fault. Oh Mihaela, I am so afraid of losing you!"

Mihaela felt a sudden surge of compassion for Alina. Despite everything that had happened, she still cared for her deeply.

"Ali, I'm not angry with you," she said, her voice softening. "But I need you to understand that what you did was not okay. You can't just come into my classroom and kiss me like that without any explanation."

Alina nodded, her eyes still filled with tears. "I know," she said. "And I'm sorry. I just... I didn't know how to tell you how I felt."

Mihaela took a step closer to Alina, feeling a sudden surge of warmth between them. Despite everything, she still felt drawn to Mihaela, still wanted to be close to her.

"Mihaela, I care about you," she said, reaching out to take Mihaela's hand. "You may not love me, but I do. I'll forever love you, no matter what."

Mihaela looked up at her, her eyes searching for something. "Do you mean that?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alina nodded, feeling a sudden rush of emotion. "Yes Miha, yes. But I need to know that you're willing to be honest with me, to talk to me about what you're feeling."

Mihaela nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "I am," she said. "I want to talk to you. I want to figure out what this means, for both of us."

Alina felt a sudden surge of hope, of possibility. Maybe they could make this work, after all. Maybe they could find a way to be together, to explore the feelings that they have for each other.