Nathalie didn't move.
She stood at the edge of the sidewalk like someone who had broken her own rules without fully understanding why. Her eyes were locked on Jasmine — unguarded, vulnerable, almost pleading. The sight hit Jasmine so hard she forgot to breathe.
Lisa reacted first. She pushed her chair back sharply, rising to her feet.
"She wasn't supposed to follow us," Lisa muttered, voice low and shaking with disbelief. "What the hell is she doing here?"
Jasmine stood slowly, her pulse pounding so loudly she barely heard her own voice. "Lisa… wait."
But Lisa was already stepping toward the glass door, fury and confusion swirling in her expression. Before she could reach it, the door pushed inward.
Nathalie entered the café.
Cold air swirled behind her as she crossed the threshold, shoulders tense, breath uneven. She walked toward them with measured steps — not confident, not composed, but determined in a way that made Jasmine's heart twist painfully.
The barista stiffened behind the counter, sensing the tension. The entire café seemed to shrink around them.
Nathalie reached their table and stopped, leaving a respectful distance, as though any closer would break something fragile.
"Jasmine," she said, voice quiet but steady. "I needed to make sure you were safe."
Lisa's laugh was hollow. "She is safe. With me."
Nathalie didn't flinch at the hostility. Her eyes remained on Jasmine. "I know. That's why I came."
Jasmine swallowed hard. "Nathalie… why?"
"Because," Nathalie answered softly, "I felt something was wrong the moment you walked away. I tried to convince myself it was just fear. But it wasn't. It was instinct. I needed to see you with my own eyes."
Lisa stepped between them. "You're crossing a line."
Nathalie finally turned toward her. "I'm aware."
"Then why follow us?"
"Because I care," Nathalie replied simply. "More than I should."
The admission landed like a dropped match in a room full of open flame.
Lisa's breathing quickened, her hands curling into fists. "Do you hear yourself? You're her teacher. You're under investigation. And you came after her anyway?"
"I came as a human being," Nathalie said, voice trembling. "Not as a teacher."
Jasmine moved around Lisa, placing herself between them.
"Stop," she whispered. "All of you. Please."
Lisa exhaled shakily. Nathalie lowered her gaze, shame flickering across her face.
Jasmine took a step closer to Nathalie. "I told you both I didn't want to lose either of you. But this— following me off campus— it puts you at risk."
"I know," Nathalie murmured.
"And you still came?"
Nathalie's eyes lifted, impossibly soft. "Yes."
Jasmine felt something collapse inside her — a quiet barrier she had been trying to keep intact.
Lisa ran a hand through her hair, pacing a short, jagged line. "This is insane. This is completely insane."
Nathalie inhaled shakily, gathering the last of her composure.
"I'm not staying," she said. "I just needed to see her. To make sure she wasn't falling apart somewhere alone."
Jasmine's throat tightened. "I'm not alone."
"I know," Nathalie whispered again. "That's why I can leave."
The words were meant to reassure, but they cut Jasmine open.
Nathalie stepped back toward the door, the cold wind brushing her hair as she reached for the handle.
But before she opened it, she paused.
"Jasmine."
Jasmine lifted her head instantly.
Nathalie's eyes shone with something raw and heartbreaking. "Whatever happens next… don't let the academy decide who you're allowed to be or who you're allowed to care about."
Lisa stopped pacing.
Jasmine froze.
And Nathalie seemed to realize what she'd said — the weight of it — but she didn't take it back.
She simply added, voice softer:
"You deserve to choose your own heart."
Then she opened the door and stepped outside, the winter air swallowing her silhouette as she disappeared down the street.
Silence filled the café.
Jasmine felt her knees weaken and sat heavily in her chair. Lisa remained standing, staring at the door as if unsure whether to chase after Nathalie or collapse from everything she'd just heard.
After several long seconds, Lisa whispered:
"She's in love with you."
Jasmine's breath hitched painfully. "Lisa…"
"No," Lisa said, turning toward her, eyes filled with grief she could no longer hide. "She is. And you know it."
Jasmine stared at the empty doorway, feeling the truth pressing against her ribs, suffocating and undeniable.
Lisa's voice cracked. "And the worst part is… I think you're in love with her too."
Jasmine didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Because silence was already the answer.
Lisa stepped back as if struck. Her jaw trembled, her eyes glossed with tears she fought to contain.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."
She wiped her face with trembling fingers.
"I said I wouldn't leave you. And I won't." Her voice broke. "But Jasmine… I need you to be honest with yourself. With both of us. Because this—" she gestured to the door Nathalie had just walked through "—isn't going away."
Jasmine pressed a hand against her chest, as if trying to steady a heart spinning beyond her control.
Lisa sat down slowly, exhaustion settling over her shoulders. "Finish your tea. Then let's go back. Because whatever happens next… it's going to change everything."
Jasmine lowered her gaze to the table, breaths uneven, pulse racing.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
She didn't know what the academy would decide.
She didn't know how to navigate two hearts colliding around her.
All she knew was simple, terrifying, and absolute:
Nothing would ever be the same after today.