The Professor - Ch. 11.1

October

It was mid-term now and Aurelia had done what she set out to do in Baron’s class - ace all his tests and assignments. As a result, she currently had an A average in his class. At least that’s what it said on the bulletin board outside Professor Weaver’s classroom. The same bulletin board that Aurelia and her classmates were standing in front of right now on that bright autumn morning.

An A. What a way to start the day off, Aurelia said, smiling at the high mid-term grade beside her assigned student number.

Baron assigned them all personalized student numbers during the first week of class. This way they could access their grades at any time via computer and could maintain their anonymity when he posted grades via bulletin board.

“You must have a good grade,” Claude said as he stood beside Aurelia.

“Yes.” Aurelia turned to him with a grin. “That big smile on your face must mean that you got a good grade, too.”

“Yep!” Claude’s smile turned into a full grin now.

“Nuff respect,” Aurelia said, using island lingo that reflected her accolades of his accomplishment. An equivalent stateside lingo of praise would be, ‘You go, boy!’

Claude chuckled at her reply. “Want to go celebrate our good fortune together over lunch today? I got two coupons to an all-you-can-eat buffet and I’m not afraid to use them.”

Aurelia laughed, appreciating Claude’s humor like always as they walked away from the bulletin board towards the door of their classroom. Inwardly she was amazed that he hadn’t given up trying to date her by now. He’d been trying since their freshmen year.

Aurelia might have considered dating Claude once upon a time, if he wasn’t so promiscuous. Smart, witty and handsome as all get out with that smooth mocha skin and those gorgeous chestnut eyes, the tall man had women falling all over him. Claude gladly caught them all.

Instead of falling all over him, too, Aurelia resisted his charms. It wasn’t very hard to do since she was naturally repelled by even the thought of becoming part of a harem. Plus, she liked her men a tad more muscular, though not freakishly packed with muscles like some overachieving bodybuilders.

Another reason Aurelia wasn’t interested in dating Claude was because he was just as broke as her. Although she didn’t consider herself a gold-digger since she enjoyed making her own money, too, and actively tried to do so, Aurelia was convinced that she could do bad all by herself. She’d seen enough of poverty to last a lifetime.

Her parents were poor, their parents before them, and their parents before them. It was poverty that contributed to the death of her father. Trenton Bunting died prematurely due to overwork, poor diet, and no healthcare to adequately manage his Type 1 diabetes.

Nine months after her father died, Aurelia appointed herself as the person to break the cycle of poverty over her family’s life once and for all. She worked odd jobs, studied hard, and only dated guys that were financially secure. If love blossomed within those relationships, fine, but it was not a requirement like financial stability was.

Although Claude would be financially secure one day, the fact that he wasn’t right now was another solid deterrent. Aurelia needed someone that could help her and her family out today or at least in the very near future.

Baron was that man.

Besides being wealthy, Aurelia was genuinely attracted to many other notable things about the professor. Things like his kind heart, understanding nature, and those adorable pink lips of his. She also liked his easy sense of humor. Don’t forget about how great he was in bed.

Aurelia wasn’t going to blow what she could have with Baron to accept a lunch date with Claude no matter how cute he was. No way. No how.

“Before you try to give me another rain check, just remember that we can talk over our upcoming lab project while we eat, knocking two birds out with one stone,” Claude added, as if he knew she was about to let him down easy again.

Aurelia paused for a moment to weigh her options. As long as she kept things platonic, there was no real harm in having a free meal with her new lab partner. Was there?

“All right. I’ll have lunch with you today,” Aurelia told Claude, unaware that Baron was a mere ten feet behind them now as she headed to her usual seat on the third row.

“Finally!” Claude’s grin returned in full force. “I may even leave the waitress a big tip behind this monumental event,” he said, oblivious to Baron’s frown.

I’m still waiting on her, but I guess she decided not to wait on me, Baron deduced, coming to the wrong conclusion about Aurelia once again. Would he foolishly act on that wrong conclusion like before, despite the fact that he still loved her with all his heart?

Unfortunately, Bambi happened to enter the room right behind Baron. Like him, she came to the same wrong conclusion. Suddenly she didn’t want to be Aurelia’s partner in business. Suddenly she didn’t even want to be her friend.

© 2009 by Mi’Chelle Dodson/Suprina Frazier