Page 82 of Hannah.
And just like that, everything is good between us again.
The garden is quiet, and Hannah holds my hand the entire way through the winding paths. The air smells crisp and clean, the trees rustle, and every so often, a bird calls overhead. Hannah points out a frog in the pond and stops to stare at the remaining flowers, her eyes bright. She’s in her element, and she’s happy, and it makes my own spirits soar.
“I wish I could bottle this up,” she murmurs as we sit on a stone bench in the center of the garden. A waterfall cascades quietly to our left. It’s a beautiful, peaceful little spot. Hannah rests her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes, humming happily. “Fall evening, floral notes on the breeze, a charming noble here to escort me…it’s nice.”
“I could bring you here anytime you’d like,” I tell her. “Or somewhere similar. You name the place.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she replies, opening her eyes, thick, sooty lashes obscuring them as she looks up at me. “I have a feeling that anything will do, so long as I’m with you.”
We kiss, slow and indulgent, and Hannah’s mouth is so warm, so perfect, and it sends a ripple of desire through me. This girl is going to be the death of me. I push her hair behind her ear, and she catches my hand in hers, threading her fingers through mine like she’s done so many times this evening. It’s as if she’s afraid if she lets go of me, I might disappear.
I havenointention of disappearing.
“So what's the plan, Johan?” she murmurs and squeezes my hand. “I know we’ve established that we want to give this thing between us an honest go of it, but I’m still nervous. Can we hash out the details? What happens when we go back to Cambridge?”
This is a loaded subject. I figured we'd talk about it more on the drive back home tomorrow evening, but if she wants to have it now, I'll humor her. “We have to return to the real world, is what.” When her spine goes stiff, I continue quickly. “Which just means we need to cool things off at least for a few weeks.Outside of my apartment, at least. In public, we're still teacher and student. And…ah…” I rub the back of my neck, supremely uncomfortable. “Astrid will have to be told eventually.” Hannah goes so still that she might as well be a statue. Poor thing. I knew this would be one of the hardest parts. “Don’t panic, darling. I’ll be the one to tell her. I’ll explain how much you’ve defended her and how much you value her friendship. It might take time for her to accept it, but she’s a reasonable girl. I’m sure you two will find your way back into each other’s good graces soon enough.”
Hannah relaxes a few degrees and leans back on the bench as the wind plays with the loose pieces of her hair. “Okay. Okay. That sounds…well, not good. But it's the best-case scenario, all things considered. Though it will be hard to pretend that we’re just acquaintances in class now.”
“Yes, but as much as I know you love being a troublemaker, let’s keep everything quiet for the time being.”
Hannah laughs, the sound carrying lightly on the breeze. “Okay, Professor.” Then her eyebrows furrow, and she looks at me seriously. “Will we be able to spend time together regularly? Or is that too risky?”
“I’m sure we can manage it, at least occasionally, when we're not around other people, at any rate.”
Hannah nods, and I can almost see the wheels in her head spinning as she considers our options. “Inside your apartment, though…” Hannah scoots closer to me, and her free hand slides up my thigh, making me tense up. “If I happen to walk around the town and accidentally end up in front of your building and ring your buzzer….”
I snort. “Hannah….”
“You'd welcome me in and offer me tea, right?” She bites her lips and bats her eyelashes, and it's the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Hannah is all innocence, and yet, not. She’s playing,teasing me, and it's working. “And then, who knows what might happen from there?”
“Oh, I think we can make a pretty educated guess.” I smirk, looping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to me.
“We could be…quiet,” Hannah says, pressing closer.
“Liar. You can't contain yourself,” I whisper. “And neither can I.” Giving up a few degrees of my restraint, I indulge in kissing her deeply, cupping her jaw, and tilting her face so it’s at the perfect angle to slide my tongue into her mouth and tease hers. Hannah whimpers and she's practically in my lap. I can feel the heat coming from between her thighs, and I’m certain that if she were to run her hand over the front of my slacks, she'd find me painfully hard and ready.
Pulling away might be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it has to be done. If Hannah and I are going to survive the next few weeks, we have to control ourselves, and right now is not the time.
“Later,” I promise her. “For now, let's enjoy this.”
Hannah settles back on the bench, her cheeks pink and her lips swollen from my kisses. She looks thoroughly debauched and utterly perfect. “Fine. You’re right. Something tells me your unmovable scruples are going to become annoying, though.”
“Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I'll make it up to you.”
Hannah grins and nudges her shoulder against mine. “Good. Now, is there more to see?”
As our impromptu date continues, the Portmeirion Japanese Garden unfolds before our eyes, a hidden sanctuary of tranquility nestled amidst the vibrant Welsh landscape. Cherryblossoms sway gently in the breeze, their delicate petals painting the air with a soft, ephemeral blush.
“Feels like we’ve wandered into a fairy tale, doesn’t it?” I remark, a grin playing on my lips and my arm around her hips as we turn to walk down a winding path.
Hannah chuckles softly, her eyes bright with amusement. “Yeah, just waiting for the woodland creatures to start singing.”
We intertwine our fingers once more, silently agreeing to leave the heavier talk behind and just live in the moment. The air is filled with the sweet fragrance of blossoms, mingling with the earthy scent of moss-covered stones. Each step we take seems to bring us farther away from the complicated reality that we actually exist in.
“Think this place has a spell to make time stand still?” Hannah sighs, glancing around at the idyllic scenery.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it does,” I reply, gently squeezing her hand.