Chapter 4: The Shared Secrets

Chapter 4: The Shared Secrets❤️❤️❤️

​The after-school sessions became their own little world. They were Feli’s favorite part of the day. The hum of the classroom and the loud, frantic energy of the school day would melt away, leaving only the quiet rhythm of their work. Feli would grade, occasionally offering a gentle critique or suggestion, and Sangsangi would draw, lost in a world of her own creation.❤️❤️❤️

​Sangsangi's art was a window into her soul. Through her sketches, Feli saw her loneliness, her frustrations, and her small, quiet hopes. Sangsangi drew landscapes that were desolate yet beautiful, portraits of people with no faces, and abstract shapes that Feli was beginning to understand were emotions given form.❤️❤️❤️

​One afternoon, Sangsangi was sketching a portrait of Feli herself, something Feli hadn’t noticed her doing. It was a simple sketch, just her profile as she worked at her desk. It was also unlike anything Sangsangi had drawn before. The lines were soft, and for the first time, Feli saw a gentleness in her work that hadn't been there before.❤️❤️❤️

​"It's nice," Feli said softly, looking over her shoulder. "It’s different from your other work."

​Sangsangi’s face flushed a little. "It’s what I see," she said, her voice barely a whisper.❤️❤️❤️

​Feli’s heart skipped a beat. For the first time, Sangsangi was drawing what was real, what was in front of her. The guard she held so tightly was finally, slowly, coming down.❤️❤️❤️

​"Sangsangi," Feli said, her voice low. "Why are you always so quiet in class? You're so talented, but you never share your work with anyone."

​Sangsangi put down her pencil. "My parents think art is a waste of time. They want me to be a lawyer, like my father. Art is... a secret."❤️❤️❤️

​Feli felt a surge of sadness and anger for Sangsangi. She understood the pressure of parental expectations. "It shouldn't be a secret," Feli said, her voice firm but kind. "It’s a part of you."

​Sangsangi finally looked at her, her eyes welling up with tears. "You're the only person who's ever said that to me."❤️❤️❤️

​Feli didn't hesitate. She reached across the table and placed her hand over Sangsangi's. It was a simple, comforting gesture, one she had probably done a hundred times before with a student. But this time, it felt different. The moment stretched, and the silence was no longer comfortable; it was charged with an unspoken emotion, a quiet, growing recognition of a bond that went far beyond teacher and student.❤️❤️❤️

​The world outside their shared space seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them, a canvas of shared secrets, and the tentative touch of their hands.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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