Love Bound (Student/Teacher) ✔️

Chapter 35

I tried to prompt Cecilia with my eyes, but she brushed me off. It was time to exchange parts. She held the paper, protectively.

Human behavior speaks to me. Body language doesn't necessarily define someone, but it is a tiny give away to how a person may feel.

I was curious to say the least. I watched her face contort, it shifted from a look of reluctance to plain fury.

The thought of reading Cecilia's inner voice increased the need to know..

She raised her hand so fast the air swished.

"Yes Cecilia"

His voice echoed straight through me.

Exhaustion rendered, not even the  supernatural could intervene.

I turned the other way, scared to show a hint of the river in my eyes, that overflowed with emotion.

I've never been there, known the wretched pain of feeling. I used to be disconnected.

"Is it possible to do this individually? It's not working out with us" Cecilia said, but this time she didn't use her usual demanding voice, but a soft, more manipulative tone.

"No" I felt anger seeping from him, I refused to witness another one of his furious sides.

Something happened and it's taken a toll on him. It's not like him, to openly show any sort of expression other than neutrality.

"Exchange parts now." I heard him walk away. I looked to the side to confirm he had left, but I was instantly locked in the intensity of his gaze.
He was seated behind his desk, fingers interlaced.  The way he stared had my soul on fire.
What was wrong with him?

My inner voice informed me to prepare myself. Our planned encounters and conversations are never predictable, but this time, it felt like something would unravel. Something unexpected.

I broke eye contact to keep it safe and calm my heart beat back to its normal pace.

"I won't judge you Cecilia. I won't even comment. I won't share it with anyone or mention it ever" I reassured her.

Cecilia turned to face me. "Never speak of this to anyone" she pointed her finger, to place emphasis on the commandment she made. "Wait. What makes you think I didn't fabricate it?" She raised her eyebrow.

I placed my paper in front of her. "No one can fake a struggle to protect a lie"

She exhaled loudly, succumbing to this. In return, she slowly gave me hers, finding it hard to soften her grip.

"It's ok. My part applies to you as well. What we read stays in here" I touched the side of my eye.

We both lapsed into silence.
I read and reread her words.

The theme encapsulated a form of love but the conditional kind. As I read between the lines, it clicked like the sound of someone pulling the trigger. I put the paper down, seeing her under a different light. She did the same.
It was a new found understanding.

Without talking, Cecilia and I began to write the reflective comparison between the two lifestyles. You could hear the screech of our pencil running rampant on the paper. I kept referring back to her words and critically analyzing the connotations. Looking between her paper and my reflective comparison, I managed to find a similar dot that connected us. We are captives, victims of people that were meant to love us unconditionally..

I didn't hint that I was abused nor did Cecilia. The spiral pattern we lived in had been engraved in every simultaneous word. It was physical and emotional, but we were both inflicted with painful tribulations.