mariaa

Daylight in the classrooms always made Maria appear stern and unapproachable. The chalk on her fingers, her hair pulled back into a bun, and the cool tone in which she explained the material. But at night... At night, Maria became different. A leather jacket instead of a blazer, heavy boots, and her trusty bike, on which she would fly away from boring lectures and endless notebook marking.

That evening, she stopped by the embankment just to smoke a cigarette and look at the water. The roar of her engine was still echoing off the walls of the buildings when she spotted a lone figure at the parapet.

Varya. One of her quietest and most thoughtful students. The one who always sits in the back row and stares out the window as if she knows more about the world than her textbooks tell her. Now Varya looked lost, clutching her backpack, the lights of the night city reflected in her eyes.

Maria hesitated before approaching. She knew she was crossing an invisible boundary, but she couldn't simply drive away. She approached slowly, still wearing her leather gloves, and stopped a few meters away.

"There are fifteen minutes left until dorm curfew, Varya," Maria said quietly, her voice softer in the night silence than it usually was during class. "I don't think you'll have time to walk."

Varya shuddered, slowly turning around. Seeing her teacher like this—on a huge black motorcycle, with her hair down and a daring gaze—she was momentarily speechless.

Maria nodded towards the passenger seat and handed over a spare helmet: — Get in. I'll take you the shortest way. Just hold on tight, I don't like driving slowly. Varya accepted the heavy helmet, her fingers trembling. She clambered awkwardly onto the seat, and Maria abruptly revved the engine. The jolt made her cry out, instinctively leaning forward. She grabbed Maria tightly around the waist, clutching the cold leather of her jacket. Through her clothing, Maria felt the warmth of the student's hands and the ragged breath against her shoulder. The boundary between them blurred in the instant their bodies pressed together.