Italian Liaisons

Falling for Ari Melina strode happily through the corridors toward Signorina Givanni’s classroom, whom she now called by her shortened name, Ari. Much to her delight, Ari was having lunch in her room today. Nara, another teacher, was standing close to the desk, chatting with her. Melina’s Italian wasn’t good enough yet to make out what they were saying. “Ciao,” they both said when she entered the room. “Ciao-ciao,” she said cheerily as she brought the object she’d been holding from behind her back into view. Then she handed it to Ari. It was a purple flower she’d picked along the way to the school. “Per te.” She didn’t receive the pleased response she’d hoped for. Instead, the teacher appeared almost mortified. “No, no, no,” she said, then laughed right along with Nara. Melina glanced back and forth between Ari and Nara, completely baffled. Laughing, Nara explained that to give purple flowers was considered an evil deed in Italy. “Oh, I’m sorry! Mi dispiace.” Still laughing, the teachers assured her it was okay as Melina tore the flower up and dumped it into the wastebasket. “I’m sure she thinks it was a nice thought just the same,” said Nara. “Your hair looks cute, by the way.” “Thanks,” said Melina, touching her two long braids. Eyes upon her, Ari let one of the braids slip through her fingers and said, “Lunga treccia.” “Si,” Melina said, “it’s long.” Ari came around to the other side of her desk where Melina could see her colorful skirt. “Bella gomma,” she said, inciting a new round of laughter. “Gonna,” Ari corrected, cupping the sides of her face with her hands and kissing her forehead. “Oh, that’s right! Isn’t gomma eraser or something?” Nara nodded, smiling. “Yeah.” Then she looked at Ari and said in Italian, “Well, back to the usual grind.” “I’m amazed you two can teach the same thing over and over again every day,” said Melina as Nara was preparing to leave. “Yeah, tell me about it,” Nara said before translating for Ari. “Sometimes it gets old.” Now alone with Ari. Their eyes locked. Ari smiled. Melina smiled and felt herself blush. Omigod, she knows I like her! And seems to like me, too! “Mi piace quel colore su di voi,” said Ari. Melina stared at her blankly. “Capisci?” “No, I don’t understand.” “Shhh, no inglese, no inglese.” “Colore,” Ari said, pointing up and down the length of her. “Bene. Mi piace.” She nodded her head approvingly. That was when Melina understood she was telling her that she liked the pastel pink color she was wearing. “Oh, e mi piaci tu di colori scuri,” Melina slowly said, referring to the dark colors Ari often wore. In Italian, Ari agreed they went well with her dark eyes and hair. “Che i capelli?” Melina teased, referring to her short hair. Ari grinned, gave her a playful swat, and class was soon underway while Melina studied at the computer. It wasn’t without losing her train of thought, however, as she remembered the kiss Ari had given her. The thought of it made her want to squeal for joy! When the afternoon break rolled around, Ari tutored her, and Melina found she had a much easier time concentrating on her than on Italian. She trembled at the closeness of the sexy teacher’s body. Ari sometimes rested an arm on the back of her chair, and even that alone caused sweet sensations within her. When they were done, they slowly walked toward the door of the classroom, Ari stressing her need for regular practice in order to obtain fluency. “Mano,” Melina said, holding up one hand. Then, holding both hands in front of her, she asked, “Mane?” “No,” said Ari as they reached the door. She took one of her hands in hers and said, “Mano.” Then she took the other as well and said, “Mani.” Melina’s hands burned with Ari’s touch. She didn’t want the sexy teacher to let go. Their gazes met once again, and this time, Melina knew for sure that Ari liked her. The look in her eyes said it all. The next day started off the same. Ari was in the classroom at the start of the lunch break. She was about to leave it, though, and Melina assumed she’d have to wait outside. But instead, she told her to follow her so that she wouldn’t have to worry about her climbing roofs or getting splinters. She was very happy to follow the sexy teacher. They ended up in a room where Ari cut some large sheets of paper on a paper cutter. Melina went to sit in a nearby chair while she worked, and then she spotted something under the table that the cutter was on. Rising from her chair, she walked over to where the object lay and bent over to study it. Ari noted her curiosity as she reached down to pick up what was a one-dollar bill. It was in Italian currency, of course, but it was money nonetheless. She showed it to Ari. “Oh, da dove questo viene?” said Ari. “I don’t know where it came from,” Melina replied in Italian. “Io non so.” The teacher told her she could keep it, and then they headed back to the classroom. When Melina went to work on the computer, however, it was down. Therefore, she was sent next door to work on Nara’s computer until it could be fixed by the technician Ari summoned to the room. She sat at the back of Nara’s room near a female student who had an obvious attraction to her. Nara observed them periodically through thick, black-framed glasses that made her look more matronly, yet didn’t detract from her good looks. The girl offered Melina a piece of hard candy. She accepted with a smile. A while later, the door to the classroom opened, and Ari came in. She walked over to Nara and whispered something to her. Then she headed to leave, casting a glance at Melina, who was eyeing her expectantly. Another half hour went by, and again Ari came in to whisper something to Nara, and again Melina gave her a questioning glance. Only this time, Melina could see a hint of amusement play upon Ari’s face as she left the room. Shortly afterward, the door opened and Melina looked up to find Ari standing in the doorway. “Ok, now you can come back,” she said in Italian, her only language. Melina hustled to the door, Ari and Nara exchanging smiles of amusement. When it came time for Ari to tutor her, Melina mentioned that she planned to return to the school at 3:30 to audition for the teacher’s party that Saturday night, for which they wanted a singer. “Oh, you’re going to audition?” Ari smiled excitedly. Melina nodded. “They said they didn’t care what language the singer sang in so long as she could sing.” “And you can sing?” “I should hope so. I’ve been at it all my life. I could use the extra money it would bring, so I hope to win.” “I will be here, and so I will see you.” Melina smiled.