Bound To you

Chapter 11

Apple scent filled her nostrils. It was so close. She felt utterly addicted to that essence; she would go far to say it was the best she had ever had the pleasure to smell and, right now, she knew it was impregnated on her body.

Because of that, ELI refused to open her eyes. Her body felt so cozy pressed against the other beautiful form, her hand firmly clutching the brunette’s waist. They were lost in their own world, laying in Rika’s bed, cuddling. ELI just wished this moment would last forever.

After a few more seconds of enjoying Rika’s shape curved into her own, the blonde sighed, feeling defeated, knowing that she would have to let go of her teacher, one way or another. The rain had stopped and only Rika’s breath could be heard in the silent, dim-lit bedroom. ELI wanted to stay but she would be risking going against her grandmother’s rules. 

But wake up Rika? Seriously, did she really have to do that just to keep Granny happy? Even in the dark of the room, ELI could see the tender, relaxed features of her teacher. She looked incredibly peaceful with a slight smile on her lips. However, she knew if she wished to be allowed to see Rika again without Granny looking over her shoulder, she really had no choice but to wake her, say her goodbyes and go home.

She placed a light peck on Rika’s cheek and stood up carefully, trying not to make any noise. She walked to where her clothes were, now completely dried, and put them on. She washed her face in the bathroom and found Rika’s hairbrush sitting on the unit. She decided to use it to correct her messy bed hair. Afterward, she went back to the fancy bedroom where the brunette was sleeping so peacefully, just like when ELI had left her.

The blonde sat down on the edge of the mattress on the side Rika was laying and gently gripped her shoulder. In response, the brunette mumbled something incoherent and kept her eyes closed. ELI gently shook Rika’s shoulder again, and the brunette finally opened her chocolate, sleepy eyes.

“ELI,” Rika murmured low as she looked at her student. “What time is it?” She sat straight up and primped her hair as best as she could without a mirror.

“It's time for me to leave,” ELI said sadly, a weak smile on her face.

Rika bit her lower lip and nodded, standing up. “Okay, I will walk you to the door, then.” The blonde nodded in response and followed Rika out of the bedroom.

After their journey to the door, ELI picked up her backpack resting on the floor and turned to face Rika. Oddly enough, she was still only wearing the silky pyjama shirt and black lacy panties. ELI couldn't avoid checking out every curve, dip and unclothed skin of the drop-dead gorgeous body one more time. In that second, ELI wished she could feel her hands skim over the soft warm skin of the toned curvaceous thighs, just one more time before she had to leave.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation, Miss Swan.”

ELI smiled. “Thank you for inviting me,” Rika returned the smile and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, I'm sorry I woke you. I wished I didn’t have to, but I just didn't think it was fair to leave without saying anything.” ELI bit her lower lip, feeling excited for a goodbye-kiss.

The brunette nodded. “It's okay. I’m glad I have the chance to say goodbye, Miss Swan,” Rika said, mimicking ELI’s lip bite with an extra sexy twist that had the blonde’s legs melting.

Sighing deeply, ELI suddenly started feeling uncomfortable not knowing how to do this so-called ‘farewell’. It felt utterly excruciating for the blonde. She didn't know what to do, even if Rika’s smile was mind-glowingly sexy right now. In fact, it made it worse. She felt completely unsure what to say because she just didn’t want to go.

“Oh, ELI! You didn't even eat the apple turnover we made!” Rika said randomly as if she'd remembered the most important thing in the world.

“I can’t believe I never got to taste your apple turnover!” ELI answered in the same tone and huffed in discontentment.

“Do you want a slice to take home with you?”

The girl nodded, gratefully and happily. “Of course I do. I’m dying to taste your apple turnover.”

The brunette chuckled and said, “Stay right there. I will be right back.” She winked at the blonde and started walking towards the kitchen.

That wink only added to the desire to stay as well as the wobbly feeling in her legs. Patiently, ELI waited and then Rika was back with a plastic container with apple pie inside. ELI’s mouth watered just by looking at the dessert, feeling the incredible smell.

“Thank you, Rika,” ELI said, putting the sealed tupperware inside her backpack.

When she looked ahead, she saw that the teacher was making eye contact with a light sparkle in her eyes. She seemed to be utterly lost inside the blonde’s eyes. And it didn't take long for ELI to get lost inside chocolate irises too. ELI craved to stay. Rika seemed to want her to stay. But unfortunately, it was not possible. Not now, at least.

“So I… I better go,” the blonde said a little unsure, pointing to the door behind her.

“Goodbye, Miss Swan,” the teacher said with a small smile.

ELI cleared her throat at what her body wanted her to do. s**t. She seemed to not have any control of any part of herself. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she controlled her impulses and asked first instead of just doing it, “Um... Can I kiss you before I go?”

Rika rolled her eyes, releasing a low chuckle. “And since when you ask permission to kiss me, ELI?”

The blonde shrugged playfully and approached the brunette to kiss her. It was a gentle kiss but also very desirably steamy at the same time. Their tongues tangled and they enjoyed what seemed to be their last kiss. ELI expected so much that she could never foresee it being so. She didn't know how things were going to be from now on, and she was completely afraid of what might happen. ELI wanted to be with Rika as much as she could because she felt that if she didn’t pay attention for a moment, she would lose Rika easily.

“I’ll see you at school, Miss Swan,” Rika said, and ELI took a deep breath, reluctantly pulling away from that beautiful woman.

“See you, Rika.” 

The brunette opened the door and ELI left, her heart slowly clenching against her chest.

 xXx

Sunday morning, ELI woke up because Ruby was screaming her name, like always. She swore Ruby was becoming her own annoying alarm clock. Her friend began complaining that she only went out with Rika and that she was forgetting about her. Well, that was kind of true. ELI was so crazy about Rika that she had been spending less time with her best friend.

“Okay, Ruby. You’re right. I haven’t spent much time with you. I promise we will hangout today. What do you want to do?” The blonde asked with a robotic voice, raising only her shoulders and leaning on her elbows on the bed.

“I want to go out with you, ELI. Just the two of us! We need to catch up!”

“Yeah, you’re right, we really need to do that. In fact, you’re actually the one who needs to tell me things!”

The brunette nodded, admitting defeat while being a little embarrassed. “So, how about a walk in the park?”

One hour later, they were already at the park close to the school, walking around and enjoying the bracing breezes of that sunny day. They had just bought a slurpee each, taking the opportunity to ‘cool off’ even more while talking.

“So, tell me more, blondie! I’m dying to know how your ‘relationship’ with the history teacher is going.” The girl made quotes with her fingers and laughed at the not funnyface ELI did in response.

The blonde put a spoonful of Slurpee in her mouth and said, “First, we do not have a relationship. We are just discovering ourselves.” The brunette friend arched her eyebrows. “Well, technically, I am discovering myself, but I don't know about Rika.”

“What do you mean you don't know?”

The blonde shrugged. “She never told me if she is gay or not.”

“Uh, it stands to reason that she is a lesbian, ELI. She is kissing you!”

“Not necessarily, Ruby. She may just be... discovering herself, just like me. Or she might be bisexual. Bisexuals do exist, you know?”

“Or she might be a lesbian,” Ruby said matter of factly.

The blonde laughed and nodded, although a bit uncertainly. “Well, I don’t know. Labels don’t matter to me, actually,” ELI explained, biting her lower lip as she remembered her heated kisses with her teacher. “I’m also having a great experience with Rika.” She gave a suggestive wink to Ruby just to provoke her friend.

“Experience, huh? So your fling with the history teacher is just an experiment for you, ELI?”

“What? Of course not!” ELI protested, while Ruby crossed her arms and looked at the blonde inquisitively. “Well, I honestly wanted it to be just a fling,” she finished the last words with a low voice, not wanting to admit to her friend her deepest feelings.

“ELI Swan,” Ruby started. “I never thought this would happen someday.”

“What?” ELI asked feeling confused.

“You’re in love.”

ELI took a deep breath. She really, really wanted to protest and say that she wasn't beginning to fall for Rika. But she couldn't lie to herself. Not anymore.

“I guess that's why you have never really liked any boy before,” the brunette added, watching ELI carefully.

“Well, I tried to like them. I guess I just didn’t.”

“Kissing most of the boys at school can be considered an attempt to like them? Maybe, but not a very effective one,” Ruby said, and the blonde shrugged in response. “ELI, do you still feel attraction towards boys?”

“No, I-I don’t like them at all. I feel disgusted by most of them all the time. Especially Killian and his stupid attitude,” ELI said, rolling her eyes.

“All right,” the brunette made a thoughtful expression. “ELI, what if Rika isn’t a lesbian and she is just messing with you? What if she hurts your feelings?”

“Why would she do that? She’s the one who thinks I’m messing with her. And that is obviously because I am her student and she is my teacher. It’s complicated. I didn’t realize how forbidden this was until she told me yesterday. She was freaking out! I got so scared that-”

“Wait, she told you all that?” Ruby asked with surprise.

“Yes, I was so scared that she was going to end what we have.”

“And what exactly do you have with her?”

“I don’t know, I just… I’m in love with her. You know that. I just want to be with her like… all the f*****g time. Jeez, love is so complicated!” She touched her forehead and started massaging the upcoming headache.

“Oh, blondie. You have no idea.” They stayed in silence for a moment, until Ruby asked again, “ELI, what is like kissing a woman?”

“You mean, what is it like kissing Rika Mills?"  ELI smirked mischievously.

“She is the only woman you’ve ever kissed, so really, I’m implying Rika as well.”

“I just think the only woman I want to kiss is Rika Mills,” she finished with a look full of overbrimming love, making her friend laugh.

“If you say so…” Ruby smirked and continued, “So tell me, what is like kissing Rika Mills?”

“Amazing, incredible, wonderful! I've never kissed anyone like her...” ELI paused and looked at her friend who had a mischievous smile on her face. “But it’s not only the kisses that are good… we do more uh… stuff.” ELI’s lips quirked up while remembering her make-out sessions with Rika. Again.

“What? You had s*x?" The brunette asked showing a shocked expression.

“No! Ruby, no.” ELI smiled baffled by Ruby’s line of thought but added, “Well, not yet.” The blonde yelped when her friend suddenly slapped her on the arm. “Holy s**t, Ruby! That hurt!” She said caressing her bruised skin.

“Holy f**k, blondie! You are so naughty!”

“Of course not. We didn't do anything else than... making out.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said wryly. “I bet by the time Granny called you, you were f*****g her.”

ELI incredulously looked at her friend. “I didn't f**k Regi-”

She stopped talking when she was interrupted by Ruby pinching her arm really hard. ELI almost whimpered but froze when she saw who was in front of her.

Rika Mills.

Rika f*****g Mills.

Holy mother of Jesus.

“He-hey,” the blonde stammered, smiling awkwardly due to the situation. Imagine if Rika had heard what ELI had said... Oh, my God.

“Oh, Em-ELI?” Rika muttered out her surprise and turned to Ruby. “And Miss Lucas… Nice to see you girls here.” She smiled politely.

“Hello, Miss Mills!” Ruby greeted with a smile of her own.

“Oh, hello again, girls!” Zelena said, making ELI and Ruby realize that she was also there. “What a coincidence to meet you here,” she continued. “My sister was just telling me how yesterday was-”

“Zelena,” Rika snarled, glaring at the redhead woman.

“You’re ELI, right?” Zelena asked, ignoring her sister as she pointed a finger at the blonde. 

ELI instantly felt her face turning red and suddenly wanted to stick her head in a hole. She swallowed hard and replied reluctantly, “Yes. Why?”

“My sister speaks highly of you,” Zelena commented, ignoring Rika’s glare on her.

“Oh…” she muttered, glancing between Rika and her sister. “She does?” Rika looked like she was about to kill Zelena with her bare hands. And the blush on her face just added to the murderous look she had.

Shit. ELI didn't know if she would cry of shame or if she’d smile and try to discover what Rika had said about her to her own sister.

“Uh, sis, I'll leave you alone with your favourite student.” Zelena popped out a kiss on Rika’s cheek and left, pulling Ruby with her as if they were best friends and loved to talk to each other. ELI knew that Ruby would be very pissed with her later for letting Zelena interrupt their girl/sister talk.

Silence settled for a moment between them, until ELI broke it, her voice demonstrating how embarrassed she was feeling. “I can’t believe I found you here right now.”

“Me neither.”

“So… You were talking to your sister about me?”

Rika rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself, Miss Swan.”

ELI laughed. “I’m not flattering myself, I’m just… Zelena said so.”

Rika sighed, her cheeks burning up again. “My sister is my best friend. I talk to her about everything, but she is very obnoxious and doesn’t have any boundaries, apparently.”

ELI laughed again, forgetting her shame for a moment to get closer to Rika. “Do you… uh, wanna taste my slurpee?” The blonde extended her frozen cup towards Rika and received a denial in response.

The brunette took a deep breath before asking, “What makes you want to drink coloured ice?”

“Because it’s delicious, Rika. Why don't you try some?”

“Because it doesn't look good.”

“Don't judge a book by the cover.”

The brunette snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I'm judging a slurpee, not a book.”

“Fine, I have an idea,” ELI said and quickly grabbed Rika’s hand, pulling her towards a hidden corner of the park, covered by the shadow of a big tree. “Rika, I will give you two choices,” she said as she leaned in closer to the teacher, making her back touch the trunk of the tree.

“Oh, really?” The brunette teased with a smirk.

“Do you prefer to taste the slurpee like normal people or do you prefer to taste it in my mouth?”

Rika rolled her eyes again, but her smirk wouldn’t disappear. “And what will you do with me if I don't want to do either of them?”

ELI pondered for a second, but then said, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yes, because I know you will choose the second option,” the blonde said, keeping her smirk intact.

“Oh,” Rika let out a chuckle. “Since when do you know me so well?”

In a fast movement, she felt the collar of her jacket being pulled hard as her mouth crashed into soft lips. ELI felt Rika’s tongue exploring her mouth, tasting the sweetness of the slurpee. That drove her completely crazy which meant she couldn’t hold back a low groan.

When did she imagine that she would be kissing Rika Mills against a tree in a park?

Their bodies were pressed firmly together as Rika sucked ELI’s tongue deliciously which caused her to completely lose the sense of where she was. The only thing she could focus on right now was on Rika and the warm shape of her body, essence and amazing tongue. It didn’t matter if they were in a park and how the grassy fresh fragrance of the air made this moment even better. They were making out against a f*****g tree. This was something ELI never envisioned happening with her history teacher.

Rika stopped the kiss abruptly, but kept the blonde’s mouth near hers, almost glued.

ELI quickly questioned, “What do you think? Is it good? Delicious? Amazing?”

“It’s good,” Rika answered, biting her lower lip. ELI’s eyes dropped to that talented mouth, desperately wanting to kiss Rika again. “You kiss amazingly well, Miss Swan. In fact, quite deliciously, but I can't say the same about the slurpee.”

“Oh,” she murmured, feeling a little bit surprised by the compliment. In a fast movement, ELI felt a grip on her hip and suddenly she was the one pressed against the tree as the teacher started kissing her again.

That sudden action made her breathless and her legs turned into jelly due to the feeling of Rika kissing her so passionately — and, let me remind you, against a treein the park.

The brunette dropped the blonde's collar and smirked at her. “I don’t know what feels better: your tongue or your body pressed so firmly against mine,” she whispered huskily into ELI’s ear and the blonde felt her heart race and her stomach being attacked by fluttering butterflies.

A shiver ran through her spine as her eyes closed just to hear the amazing huskiness of Rika’s voice so close to her. The teacher leaned back and started gazing deeply into the blonde’s green eyes. f**k. ELI completely forgot how to speak. Her mouth gawked to mumble something, but she sounded unintelligible even to herself.

“Can you even remember your own name, dear?” Rika playfully questioned, her smug smile telling the blonde she already knew the answer.

Confounded, ELI found herself unable to respond. A silence passed between them with the chocolate eyes observing her, causing Rika to chuckle and then walk away. Trying to breathe properly, ELI followed her immediately like a trained dog.

Walking beside her, ELI had the chance to look at that beautiful face and realize how much in love she was with this woman. Everything she did, it thrilled ELI. The blonde was afraid of the consequences of feeling this crazy, forbidden love, but at the same time, she knew for sure that her teacher liked her back — well, at least a little. And that was enough for now.

ELI clearly didn't want to be far from Rika for too long. The blonde felt that if she left Rika alone for long enough, the brunette would think that all the kisses and moments they shared were in vain.

And in the midst of so many thoughts and ideas, ELI came to a conclusion. Or better, a plan: she would do everything possible in her power to prevent Rika from being able to forget her even for one day…

xXx

Day 1: Monday, 5:40 pm

ELI was in front of Rika’s house holding the tupperware previously filled with the amazing turnover Rika made. The blonde knew it was a silly reason for her to return to the teacher’s house, but, unfortunately, she hasn't been able to think of a better reason to start with her plan.

The door suddenly opened and Rika was there, smiling tenderly and with a curious expression on her face.

“Good afternoon, Miss Mills!” The blonde smiled flirtatiously. “I came to give you this.” She extended the tupperware towards the brunette.

“Oh!” Rika took it and smiled. “Did you like the apple turnover?”

“I loved it! It’s the best apple pie I've ever had in my entire life!”

The teacher laughed. “I’m glad you liked it, Miss Swan.”

“That turnover is magic, seriously. Ruby and Granny loved it too. They barely left enough for me.”

The brunette's eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, dear, that’s a lot of compliments. Thank you, ELI.”

“You deserve it, Rika. Trust me.” The blonde approached the door jamb, getting closer to the brunette. “Oh, I think I still have the taste of your turnover in my mouth. Would you like to try some?” She wiggled her eyebrows, causing the brunette to laugh aloud. 

That laugh was like music to her ears. God, she was so incredible.

“Again with the taste-testing, Miss Swan?” ELI shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Want to come in?”

“I'd love to, but I have to warn you that I can't be here for too long. Granny has been picking on me since Saturday. I think she will only let me go out properly again after I turn eighteen.”

Rika rolled her eyes. “Nobody told you to be irresponsible and not tell your grandmother where you were going,” she said authoritatively.

The blonde bit her lower lip, crossing her arms. “Yes, you're right. I should have told her something.”

The two were silent for a while, but not an uncomfortable silence. They were staring at each other’s eyes finding themselves deeply lost in an ocean of emerald and brown.

“Do you want hot chocolate?” Rika asked, gesturing to the kitchen.

“If you have cinnamon, yes please.” The brunette rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen to prepare the hot chocolate. ELI followed her and sat on the stool in front of the counter.

While she waited for the hot chocolate to get ready, Rika asked a question that made the blonde sweat from nervousness. “Tell me what your plans are.”

Shit. Did Rika discover that she was purposely doing this whole ‘plan’ thing to see her every day after school?

“Plans? What plans?” She feigned indifference.

“For your birthday, dear. It’s on Saturday, isn't it?”

“How do you know my birthday is on Saturday?” ELI asked curiously.

“I just… know.” The teacher avoided eye contact with the girl, which made ELI even more curious.

“I’ve never told you the exact date. How do you know, Rika?” She crossed her arms, gazing intently at her teacher.

Rika let out a breath and said low, “I read your school file when we met.”

“You read my file? I thought the only people who read student’s files were those working in the office, not the teachers.”

Rika rolled her eyes while stirring the chocolate in the milk. “I was just curious. Do you have a problem with that?” When she turned to look at her student, ELI was smiling from ear to ear.

“So you were interested in me, huh?” ELI asked in a suggestive tone. f**k, she couldn't stop smiling.

“I didn't say that,” a serious tone replied. Trying to look serious, actually.

“You said you were curious. It's almost the same thing,” ELI said, but the brunette just shrugged and approached the counter placing the chocolate mug down with force behind it.

The teacher turned her back to ELI and began staring at the empty kitchen. Her arms were crossed, and by the fast movements of her shoulders, ELI realized that Rika’s breathing was choppy which made her think she was nervous.