Hecate's lips thinned, and her eyebrows raised. She had the distinct look on her face as if she were trying to determine if she were being mocked.
"You love me?" Hecate repeated slowly.
Ada nodded patiently.
"I thought you would have figured that out by now, Hecate," she said with merriment playing in her eyes. "Everyone else has."
Hecate's eyes widened at this.
"Then why have you never told me—" she began.
"Well, I couldn't have my Deputy Headmistress thinking I took advantage of her for personal gain, now could I?" Ada replied seriously. "I am still curious, however, as to why you felt the need to resort to using forgetting powder on me."
Hecate shrugged with what she hoped would appear as nonchalance.
"If I love you, what business is it of yours?" she answered with a sly smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Ada chuckled. Leave it to Hecate to quote a literary master at a time like this. Ada would not press her for more. There would be other times for talking, and it would do no good to frighten Hecate away by pushing her to say more than she was ready.
Ada's fingers reached out and smoothed Hecate's hair, allowing her fingers to linger in the silky waves. Hecate swallowed hard and dared to take a step forward. She knew Ada would wait for her to make the first move. Still, Hecate was hesitant, even as she moved to caress Ada's cheek with the back of her fingers, enjoying the flush of color that blossomed there at her touch. Then, as if pushing herself out of a daze, Hecate moved forward to meet Ada's lips in a soft kiss. Hecate relaxed against her, making a small sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan that stirred a fluttering in Ada's stomach once more. As their lips parted, Hecate took a deep breath and rested her forehead against Ada's.
"I should let you rest, dear," Ada spoke in a low voice.
Hecate bit down on her lip and nodded, not speaking the thought that she no longer had much interest in resting. Ada's warm hand giving hers a firm squeeze sent a shiver down Hecate's spine.
"Goodnight, Ada," she spoke reluctantly, letting go of her hand slowly.
"Goodnight, my love."
The End
The quote "If I love you, what business is it of yours?" is by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.