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You walk briskly up the hill to follow the group. At the end of the school year, an excursion has been organized in the surrounding nature and you have been appointed to supervise first grade students with Farah and Saul.
It has been several years since you finished your training as a Specialist and you decided to stay in Alfea to teach alongside your mentor and other former students like Marco and Noura.
The many moments you spent with your colleagues allowed you to get closer to them, especially Saul and Farah, who became close friends.
However, this relationship with the headmistress frustrates you to no end, because over time you have developed strong feelings for her, accompanied by an almost magnetic attraction. But you have never dared to admit this to anyone.
You often let yourself daydream, imagining yourself lying on your bed, in her arms, in the little cocoon you would have created for you both. She would cover you with a sultry gaze, placing an infinitely soft kiss on your forehead. That's how you imagine your ideal relationship.
You continue walking, silent. A cool wind caresses your skin, making you shiver. With the thick clouds covering the sky, it's no wonder it's chilly.
Quietly, the whole group climbs the slope, taking care not to slip in the mud, the result of the last days' rain. The plan is to have a picnic at the top of the hill, and you don't want to eat with dirty hands or soil on your trousers.
Suddenly, a heartrending scream startles you. You turn around in surprise: a young fairy with amber skin and long brown hair has slipped into the mud. She is slumped on the ground, holding her ankle and moaning in pain as her friends look on helplessly.
You rush to her aid and examine her ankle. At the front of the group, you hear Saul's voice telling the students to stop.
You crouch down beside the teenager and remove her shoe, then her sock, to check that her ankle is not too swollen.
"Are you in pain? How much would you say on a scale of one to ten?" you ask her gently, palpating the lesion.
"About four, it's bearable, I didn't feel it crack," the student answers as she calms down, taking deep breaths.
At this point Farah gets to you with the first aid kit, which she hands to you, her eyes seeming to probe your soul. You thank her and take the kit, trying to hide your discomfort, your cheeks on fire. You really didn't think she could make such an impression on you, and you don't want the students to notice anything.
"I'll tie a bandage to keep your ankle from being damaged any further," you explain as you take the necessary items out of the kit.
The girl nods and smiles, reassured. Once her sock and shoe are in place, you resume your ascent and let her lean on you so that she has more facilities climbing the hill.
In the distance, you can see Farah turning around from time to time to give you a furtive look. Is she seducing you? Or is she just making sure her student is doing well?
You finally reach the top, where you take your lunch off your bag. The young fairy decides to join her friends, and you do the same with your two colleagues.
"To be honest with you, Y/n, I felicitate you for earlier, one of my students got hurt and you didn't hesitate for a second to help her. You had the right reflexes to reassure her, and that proves once again that you more than belong among us," Farah congratulates you by putting her hand on your arm, very proud of you.
You feel a rush of adrenaline at her touch, completely subjugated, and you find it increasingly difficult to hide your confusion. That warm hand on your arm, lightly gripping it, is so intoxicating that you get hot flashes.
"It's normal, any of us would have done it," you reply, blushing.
What a catchall phrase! Of course they would have done it, it's really the kind of sentence you say when you're uncomfortable and don't know what to say.
However, it remains undetected, and you start to unpack your lunch. It's big sandwiches with a choice of fillings. Farah also takes a box out of her bag and opens it in front of you.
"I cooked marble cake last night, tell me what you think!" she exclaims happily as she offers you a piece.
The scent of chocolate cake wafts up your nostrils and smoothly tickles your sense of smell. You are about to compliment her but Saul takes you aback, very excited about tasting it.
"Your cake looks very appetizing, and it smells divine!"
You frown and sigh inwardly. As much as you like your colleague, you've noticed lately that he's often in the same place as Farah. And above all, his gaze is not that of a friend, but of a man in love. The problem is that he hasn't understood that you were in love with the fairy, and maybe it's time for him to know that.
After eating your sandwich, you take a bite of cake. It's soft, chewy, with a subtle chocolatey taste, subtle like the cooker.
"I feel like I'm biting into a cloud, Fa, I've never eaten a cake this tasty," you admit, smiling in delight.
She looks up at you and stares intently.
"I knew you'd like it, with your hearty appetite," she jokes, charmed.
She's not wrong, it's true that you're a bit of a gourmand and you like good food, but for the moment, Saul starts to draw attention to himself again by asking for her recipe, devouring her with his eyes.
Exasperated, you glare at him with a grunt. If only they knew how you feel about her...it would surely be easier. Or not.
You watch your former teacher's hand. Slowly, it slides towards the hand of the woman you love. This is too much, you have to intervene, otherwise your chances of being the chosen one might suddenly collapse, and then there is no turning back.
"Shouldn't we get back on track?" you question in a shrill voice that betrays your annoyance.
You immediately regret having asked this question, but fortunately none of them notice it, leaving you with what little dignity you have left.
"It's a bit early, isn't it?" Saul retorts, his eyebrows furrowed.
Farah stands up and shakes her long grey raincoat.
"Yes, but I'll check on Maïssa first."
She walks away from you to join the small group of fairies the teenager is part of, and Saul turns his head towards you, both surprised and unnerved by your attitude.
"Can I know what you're playing at, Y/n?" he scolds you in a harsh tone.
Apparently he doesn't like what you just said, and you decide to tease your friend, even though deep down you just want to yell at him: "She's mine!". But it's not in your best interest to do so, because you might lose them both.
"I don't think this is an appropriate situation to try and seduce Farah, anyone can see you," you reply with a smirk. "And you know how rumors fly among young people their age."
He freezes for a moment, stung, but isn't dissuaded.
"I think I'm old enough to judge that for myself, unless you're jealous, of course," he responds with a mocking laughter. "Farah's a person in gold, I'd understand you, you know."
Ugh, you didn't expect that kind of answer. Your friend's comment makes you uncomfortable and you shrug with a sigh.
"I just wanted to warn you, that's all, then you do what you want. Besides, it's up to her to choose who she wants to have a relationship with."
He keeps gazing at you with an amused expression, not very convinced, and you end up standing up in turn. Your anger at him has not subsided, you keep in mind that in addition to being a friend, he is also a rival. The excursion ends without a word between the two of you, in an icy ambiance.
*********************
Later that evening you decide to knock on Farah's office door. She usually finishes some tasks in the evening, and you would like to ask her about Maïssa...and also to spend some time alone with her, without anyone around.
When she allows you in, you find her sitting at her desk, her hands in the paperwork, her head up, a big smile on her lips. Her pupils, meanwhile, are as bright as the sun.
"Ah, there you are, Y/n, what brings you here at such a late hour?" she says cheerfully.
You step forward shyly, still captivated by her charisma and magnetic aura.
"I've come to see how Maïssa is doing."
Okay, that's not the only reason you're here, but you can't see yourself admitting that you want to spend the rest of the evening alone with her, that would be too direct, and it could ruin your relationship.
"I talked to her earlier, she's fine, and she asked me to thank you for her," she tells you, getting up from her chair.
Her smile suddenly fades and her face takes on a worried look.
"I've noticed that you and Saul were quite distant this afternoon, did something happen while I was away?"
You shake your head, a little reluctant to tell her about your little argument.
"I made a comment to him earlier with no intention of hurting his feelings, and he took it hard," you inform her, no longer daring to look her in the eye.
You hope that your answer will be enough for her, but deep down you know that it won't be, because Farah is quite curious.
"About what?"
She said this with a pained look on her face, as if this comment had got to her directly. Could it be that she has feelings for Saul and not for you?
"A gesture he had towards you, and some glances, which I thought were a bit inappropriate in context, because I thought any student could have caught him," you explain, blushing with embarrassment.
You are really awkward to tell her about this, but you are unable to lie to her. A relationship based on lies cannot be healthy.
"So Saul would have feelings for me," she laughs wryly, her face lit up again by an amused smile.
"Maybe, and since we were in public, I figured things could have gone wrong if someone had seen something," you nod, lowering your head, refusing to reveal the real reason for your remark.
She continues to move closer to you, and you are now only inches apart. The tension is palpable, you have no idea of her intentions. With pursed lips, she places her index finger under your chin and forces you to lift your head.
"How do you think things should be?" she questions, stern.
You answer in a low voice, impressed to see her so close to you.
"I don't know..."
Without a word, without you expecting it, she cups your face in her hands and captures your lips with passion. Inside your body, there are fireworks, you're all upside down. What is going on? Is Farah Dowling really kissing you? Or is it just a dream?
You pinch yourself discreetly to make sure it's all real. Her lips are indescribably soft, you feel as if your souls have finally found each other, and her warmth gradually envelops you. This feeling is wonderful, you've been waiting for this moment for so long, and you wish you could stop time so that it would never end.
She pulls away slightly, looking mysterious, continuing to stare at you.
"Like this?" she whispers in a suave voice.
You want only one thing: kissing her until you're breathless, and melting into her.
"It's possible..."
Eager for her touch and her love, you return to the assault of her lips, your fingers caressing her neck, but she finally pulls away.
"Not so fast, Y/n, you seem quite greedy...come to my suite instead, we'll be more comfortable," she offers mischievously.
Wow, you didn't expect that, she wants to invite you to her place, and the tone is unequivocal: you're not going to play cards.
You can only accept, your heart leaping with joy. She has chosen you, when she could have chosen Saul, whom she has known longer than you. But relationships can't be controlled.
As if she had read your mind, she kindly says to you:
"Don't forget that jealousy is a bad thing, Y/n."
You both chuckle and discreetly leave the office to finish the evening in her suite.