"Umm," Marie vocalised while twiddling her fingers embarrassedly. "I-I didn't..."
"It's fine," Guy said with a light cough. "I understand. You were just excited - no harm done."
"No, I mean-" Marie tried. "I wasn't..."
"Look, Marie, there are at least five years between us. I'm as old as Grace. It's fine," Guy continued his explanation with a warm smile.
Marie eyed Guy's expressions carefully and sighed in relief upon realising that her hasty and impulsive actions weren't misconstrued. She too was quite surprised at her emotional outburst, which took place for the first time in her life. It wasn't an action brought on by attraction; her opinion of Teacher Larks wasn't skewed in that sense. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but the emotions she felt after doing it, albeit for barely a short second, washed her with a sense of comfort and gratitude.
