This time, I got no solid excuse for uploading late. I had more than enough time, but simply couldn't manage to bring myself to write anything. It may have something to do with the fact I have gone off script in the last chapter. The kiss actually wasn't supposed to happen until later, but I felt bad uploading after a month only to have nothing interesting happening, so I included it. That left me at loss on how to proceed further, hence this chapter taking three weeks.

Well that's not entirely accurate either, It took three weeks to force my lazy ass to actually start writing, the entire chapter was written this very day, and as a result, is about half of the normal wordcount - I do apologize about that

While she would never admit it, Lena loved watching romcoms. She herself didn't quite know why, she intellectually knew most of them were badly written C-rate movies tailored to appeal to lonely middle aged women, yet she could just not resist watching. Perhaps she subconsciously relished the carefree atmosphere of unconditional love, something she never got to actually experience in her own life. Maybe it was just her taste in movies in general. Be that as it may, those types of movies were her guilty pleasure.

The thing is - when the main characters finally come together and kiss, the screen would usually fade to black, eventually making way for a timeskip where the couple was already married for ten years, and fondly reminiscing about the past while tucking their children to bed.

One small detail Lena suddenly realized was, that the movie never actually showed what took place between the two scenes, like it was somehow expected that a kiss would automatically constitute a smooth established relationship, no questions asked.

Lena was about to learn that reality was another beast altogether.

When she thought of a kiss, she would usually imagine a highly intimate moment, where the two people slowly closed the distance, and gently connected their lips.

Suffice to say, it didn't go as smoothly as Lena imagined.

Instead of some drawn out moment of romance, she lunged her head forward, smashing her lips against Amélies. She immediately winced in pain as their noses crashed - the result of her not tilting her head to the side. She still pushed through, managing to catch the corner of Amélie's lips with hers.

This is where the wild makeout-session was supposed to start, except it didn't. Lena kept her mouth pressing against Amélie, who herself was too shocked to react. She didn't open her mouth, she didn't move. For a while, they just stood there, mouths touching, but stationary, like some dolls in a children's play.

For a moment, Lena remembered the times where Hana jokingly offered her to try out kissing. While she was fairly certain the girl was just teasing her, perhaps she should have taken her up on it, then maybe she would know enough to not make a fool of herself like she did now.

Of course, that brief moment of shock could not last. She didn't actually close her eyes, so she could clearly see the way Amélie's own widened.

She suddenly felt two hands pushing her away, thought with remarkably little strength. Breaking their awkward kiss, Lena finally got a good look on her face.

The stoic and clam mask Amélie would usually wear was gone, instead replaced by a mixture of expressions, ranging from shock to surprise. The woman known for her constant cool head stared at her, dumbfounded, jaw hanging open like she just witnessed a holy miracle.

"Lena…. what are you doing?"

Upon hearing those words, Lena's haze shattered in an instant, the reality of the situation hitting her with full force.

She just kissed Amélie.

"I-I…"

Lena desperately sought for something to say, some way to convince Amélie that she didn't mean what she just did, that it had been a silly mistake, one both should just erase from their memory. But at that very moment, Lena's mind was completely empty. All the cogwheels running in her brain frozen solid, her mouth kept closing and opening, but no words came forth.

In the absolute silence that commenced, the only thing Lena's hazed mind could focus on was Amélie's intense gaze. The way the sharp amber eyes bored into hers made her unable to look away, equally captivated and paralyzed by the wide range of emotions flashing through the dark yellow orbs, vanishing and changing before she could properly decipher them.

Eventually, they settled back into normal, and Amélie looked to her again, her usual facade back in place. At that moment, Lena knew she failed.

"Lena…"

She didn't wait to hear the rest. Turning her back, she tore her wet eyes from the woman in front of her, sprinting up the stairs before Amélie had any chance to stop her. The half emptied mug of tea and a fresh trail of tears painting the stairs were the only things left in her wake.

-/ /-

It took several tries for Lena to open her door, her vision being blurry from the tears forming in her eyes. When she finally did. She smashed the door closed, before rushing to her bed, sinking her face into the pillow. For a while, she just stayed there, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.

"Fuck, why did I do that?!. I was so close, so close to…. But I had to fuck it up, everything I have worked for so far is in pieces. I bet she hates me now, she has to…"

A short knock on the door ended her inner monologue

"Lena… are you there?"

She pushed her wet face further into the pillow, as if it could somehow hide her from the woman standing in front of her room.

The knocking grew in volume and intensity. "Lena, I know you are there... Let's talk about this"

"No! Just go away!"

Her doorknob rattled as a hand on the other side of the door attempted to open it, but it remained locked, while Lena laid on her mattress, wet from the girl's tears

After a few unsuccessful attempts, the metallic sounds stopped, leaving the room in agonizing silence, safe for the sobs coming from the brown haired girl.

"Is she gonna kick me out ? Oh god, I don't wan-I can't go back, I would rather.."

Sharp screeching sound made her head snap to the side as Amélie Lacroix hauled herself through her window.

The situation she was in momentarily forgotten, she looked to the woman currently rolling on her floor with a shocked expression "D-did you just climb the wall and through my window ?"

"Of course, I am not going to kick open my own doors, do you know how much they charge for a good lock these days?"

Absurd, that seemed to be the only word accurately describing the events currently unfolding in her room .

It did not last long however - the moment their eyes met, both were remained the weight of the situation.

Lena broke the eye contact first, turning her gaze to the floor, attempting to cover her sobbing face with her palms, only for the tears to drip through her fingers.

"I am *hick* so sorry, I didn't mean to, please, I.."

Lena's jaw closed as she felt a warm hand land on her shoulder. She looked up to Amélie, who was wearing a complicated but not unkind expression.

"It's okay, I am not angry at you Lena, I was just… bit surprised, that's all."

Lena's trembling hand wiped away the tears from her eyes as she stared at her teacher "B-But I kissed you"

"Well ehm, yes you did, but.." Curiously, Amélie broke the eye contact, looking away for a few seconds before resuming "But I don't blame you for it, I mean, you are a teenager, with the hormones doing their thing and you living with me, I figured a mistake like that can happen, you shouldn't worry about it too much, it would be unfair to hold it against you."

"Mistake" Even if Lena didn't expect Amélie to return her feelings, it hurt, for her to simply swipe it aside and act like it was some foolish case of her thinking with her crotch… But it gave her a convenient excuse, way to just forget about all of this and move on…

"It wasn't a mistake.." Lena whispered under her breath, more to herself than anyone else.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Shit, of course she would pick it up. I just need to tell her it's nothing, repress my feelings, and move on. That would be best for everyone…."

"It wasn't a mistake!"

Lena's tone was surprisingly resolute, at least as much as it could be after crying for the past few minutes.

Amélie looked to her questioningly, and every instinct told Lena to back off, and steer the conversation elsewhere. But - this was something that had to be done.

"It wasn't a mistake...", she repeated, this time bit quietly but with no less determination "...I didn't do it because hormones, or anything like that, I-I…" she felt her voice breaking "..I like you, I always did, how could I not after everything you did for me"

"Lena…"

She pushed on "So yeah, I have feelings for you. I know you don't feel the same, but.. I don't want you to think this is just some shallow attraction from my side, I honestly want to be with you.

She saw the hard shock in Amélie's widening eyes as she took in her words. For the second time this evening, Amélie Lacroix was left speechless. In fact, the utter surprise radiating from her features seemed even more intense than when she kissed her, Lenna really didn't know what to make of that.

When the shock finally wore off, Amélie was left with a strange expression. Was it sadness, remorse? It occured to Lena that she never actually saw Amélie sad, then again, the circumstances today were pretty unique.

"Oh my little Lena, how much you have grown…"

She felt the grip on her shoulder tighten, drawing her further into Amélie's side. Lena immediately leaned into her.

"I appreciate it, I honestly do. You are an amazing girl-amazing woman, and I found myself greatly enjoying the time we spent together. It was the first time since the war when I felt this… free, I don't quite know why, but just your company is enough to lift all the weight from my shoulders, that adorable carefree demandeur of yours made me feel things that I thought were lost forever…

"But?" Whispered Lena

"Yes, there's always a but, isn't it" Amélie chuckleded, though there was no cheer in her voice.

"You idolise me Lena..." the girl felt Amélie's hand move to her head, her long slender fingers caressing her brown locks "...but you are too pure for someone like me, you should find some normal girl to be happy with."

"I don't want some normal girl, I want you - you are the only one I could be happy with!"

Lena started at Amélie unfalteringly, it was probably her vision being still hazy from the crying, but she could swear there was a faint trace of pink on Amélie's cheeks.

"Oh my, you are quite the smoothtalker, keep at it, and you will have women falling head over heels for you in no time."

"So-"

Amélie cut her off before she could continue "But regardless of that, I can't return your feelings, even if I wanted to. First off, there's quite a significant age difference between us.

"Eleven years isn't that bad, it's pretty normal between married couples!" Lena shouted defyingly.

"That may be, but in case you forgot, no matter how close we have become, I am still your teacher. If I entered romantic relationship with you, I wouldn't just be fired, it would likely result with a prison sentence"

"That-" Lena bit on her words. She wanted to say it didn't matter to her, but the image of Amélie being fired or even imprisoned just because she couldn't hold back her feelings filled her with dread.

She looked away, the fire in her eyes suddenly gone.

"You see Lena, this isn't something that could work. I understand how you feel, and I too care about you immensely, but that's why we can't do this…"

Lena stayed quiet, only pressing her face further into her chest. Amélie felt something wet on her shirt.

She let her cry, pulling the sobbing girl closer.

When she finally detached from Amélie's arms, the sky was already growing dark. "Alright, I-I get it… I am just gonna get some fresh air."

And just like that, she walked out of the room, leaving Amélie Lacroix sitting on her bed. It took a while until Amélie finally rose up from the wet sheets, leaving the room and heading downstairs for some much needed tea, hoping it would disperse the thoughts still lingering in her mind.

"I wonder, did I do the right thing..?"

-/ /-

Victory

The big blue text covered most of the screen, announcing yet another won game. Not like it ever said anything else, reflected Hana, wearing a smug grin as she observed her opponent angrily bitching in the chat.

Like a master pianist playing at his debut, she straightened her back, cracking her fingers and slowly bringing them over the keyboard

Git gud scrub lol

She reached for her cup of instant noodles, gulping them down like a shot of vodka. They were already cold, and lacked any texture, but - they tasted like victory. Wiping her mouth, she queued for another game, leaning into her custom chair to avait the next unfortunate soul that would be pitted against her.

Lena loved to complain about her eating habits, annoyed that despite the fact she lived almost exclusively off junkfood and soft drinks, she still somehow retained a perfectly fit figure.

Well, the world isn't fair, and genetics even less so. It's not like she would complain, especially when she seemed to land on the good side of the genetic lottery. It was likely due to the fact that her mother was a model, passing on her good genes was probably the only good thing the woman has ever done for her.

On the other hand, maybe she ought to be more thankful to her father, after all, he was the one who was successful enough to make a world class model his trophy wife.

Her thoughts were cut short as she heard loud ding, signalling that someone was in front of the door. Swearing,she got off her chair, walking down the ornamented marble stairs.

"Is it the door salesman again? The fact I live in a mansion doesn't mean I will waste money on whatever defective toaster they are gonna offer this time…"

The tall oak door slowly creaked open "Do you have any idea how late it is, I already told you that… The words froze on her lips, finally recognizing the person standing in front of her.

It was Lena, but that wasn't really all that shocking, it was more about how she looked like. The usually cheerful girl looked like she was run over by a truck - her brown hair was messy and sticking out, the shirt wet and loose. But by far the worst was her face, Lena's eyes were red from crying, same as the baggy skin underneath, all that while wearing a positively distraught expression, one Hana definitely didn't associate with her happy-go-lucky friend.

"Hey Hana, I know it's pretty late, but… do you think we could talk?" Lena asked with a weak voice, as if fully expecting her to shut the door.

Hana grabbed her hand, practically dragging her inside, hauling her onto the sofa before gripping her shoulders, bringing her face a few inches from of her own.

"Jesus christ Lena, what happened to you!? Are you alright?"

"Heh, is it that obvious ?"

"Fuck Lena, what do you think, you look just survived a plane crash, what the hell happened?"

The bare concern so apparent in Hana's face made her feel both better and worse. Before her friend could get any more worried, she decided to spill the beans.

"Well, I… kinda confessed to Amélie."

"Like confessed-confessed?" Hana asked in disbelief

"Yeah, I kissed her and told her how I felt about her…."

"Damm, just, wow. I am guessing it… wasn't well received?"

"Of course it wasn't, she-she told me it wouldn't work, that I should find someone else, that…" her voice breaking, the brown haired girl began sobbing, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I cant believe I have been this stupid, I fucked it all up Hana, just when I started getting through her…"

Two small hands wrapped around her back, as Hana pulled her into a hug. Lena immediately relaxed into her embrace, leaning into her, pressing her head onto her shoulder. "There there Lena, it's gonna be alright, everything is gonna be alright" It wouldn't be, Lena knew it, but she still allowed herself to be pulled closer, quently sobbing into Hana's chest.

Hana gently rocked her back and forth, her long brown hair blending with Lena's into a mix of dark brown as their cheeks pressed together. Lena's sobs were quiet, her sorrow already losing most of its edge after confronting Amélie. Now she just felt a dull sense of sadness, less intensive but equally painful. "You did nothing wrong Lena, things will get better, I promise" Hana kept whispering comforting words into her ear, like she would with a toddler. It didn't really matter however, nothing she could say would have made a difference anyway, so Lena simply listened to the gentle tone of Hana's voice, pressing herself deeper into the warm embrace.

She didn't know how long it lasted, and Hana didn't remember either, but at the end of it, her top was drenched in tears.

When Lena finally pulled away, she wore a small but honest smile.

"Thanks Hana, really I-I needed that. Stuff is pretty bad right now, but at least I know I can always count on you."

"You bet, so if you ever feel like shit again, come over, we will sort it out together"

"Ha, aren't you just trying to lure me here to molest me?"

"Well you are the one getting touchy-feely with me. You will have to try harder than that to seduce me"

Both girls giggled

"Hehe, I will do my best. I probably should be going though."

"You can stay over if you want, I don't mind housing you for a while"

"Thanks, but I don't want Amélie getting worried. Plus this is not something I can run away from."

"Alright, jeez, since when did you become this mature…"

As Hana walked her to the door, she stopped to say her final goodbyes. "So ehm, thanks for everything… She suddenly turned back, pulling Hana into one last hug. Just before she let go, Lena gave her a little peck on the cheek. "See ya Hana, thanks for being a good friend."

and slipped outside, leaving Hana frozen in place.

When she saw Lena disappear from her view, Hana brought her hand up, rubbing her cheek at the place where Lena's lips touched it.

"Yeah…. You are welcome

I don't feel very satisfied with this chapter. the length is one thing, but I could also flesh out certain scenes more. Simply put, it's pretty apparent I wrote it in a single day. At the same time however, I really wanted to upload as soon as possible.

Expect a new chapter - eventually.