We kiss each other, breathe each other, feel each other. It's so intense that I forget where I am, who I am, and why I am.
"Well, please, that's outrageous!" someone suddenly scolds right next to us in English.
We ignore the woman's voice, but she repeats her words over and over. Until, with a heavy heart, I end our kiss.
Beside us, an elderly lady leans on her walking aid. In her hand, she holds a travel guide.
"This is a public park, have some shame!"
Among all the words she says, only one reaches my consciousness.
Public.
I flinch and look around frantically. Damn. What the hell am I doing here?
"Well, there you go." The woman continues to mutter to herself, turns around, and shuffles along the path.
Even though everything inside me resists, I put some distance between Aurora and myself. "We can't do this," I manage to say breathlessly.
Frowning, she pushes herself out of the foliage. "What do you mean?"
A pointed leaf is stuck in her hair. I want to remove it so badly, but I dare not get close to her again. "I will be your teacher starting tomorrow."
At first, she seems not to comprehend, then a distressed expression crosses her face. "What...?"
I clear my throat. "They will expel both of us from the academy."
Her expression turns panicked. "Oh."
Yes. That about sums it up. "It's better if we..." I can't say it, I just can't.
She's frozen. "Si, assolutamente..." she mumbles absentmindedly, fiddling with the ends of her hair.
I look at her meaningfully. "What just happened never happened," I say because that's how we'll treat it. As if we never kissed. We'll forget about it, and everything will be fine.
She nods hesitantly. "But if we..."
I quickly raise my hand. "I wasn't here, and you weren't here," I plead, then tear myself away from her and run away.
She might be calling after me, but as hard as it is, I can't give her any more attention.
Instead, I repeat in my mind what really matters: What just happened never happened. Aurora is just a student like any other.
