The Professor - Ch. 11.2

“Whew!” Claude said as they settled into his black pickup truck two hours later. “Professor Weaver was brutal today. He just wouldn’t stop with the questions. You seem to get the brunt of them. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Aurelia lied, forcing a smile upon her face. She was anything but fine after that two-hour class. She’d felt almost interrogated by Baron’s barrage of questions.

What in the world had gotten into him today? Aurelia hadn’t seen Baron’s face that flushed since the night they…well, since that night.

And Bambi. What was up with her today? She seemed so distant. She’d barely made eye contact with Aurelia during class, had left before it ended and never returned. And she wasn’t even answering her cell phone.

“Yes, you are very fine,” Claude flirted, spring boarding off Aurelia’s last statement.

She genuinely smiled this time. “Stop flirting and start driving, mon. We only have an hour before our next class. We need to use that time to eat and discuss whose going to be responsible for what in our lab project.”

“Still just as focused as ever,” Claude noted, looking impressed by the woman who hadn’t bothered to join any sororities or clubs in her quest to just focus solely on her education.

“Focused is the only way I know to be,” Aurelia replied, although she was having a harder time of it today with all these distracting thoughts of Baron and Bambi. Mostly Baron.

“Even so, there’s nothing wrong with letting your hair down every now and then,” Claude said, finally starting up his truck.

Let my hair down, Aurelia echoed internally, squeezing her eyes closed as those words triggered a memory. A very sensual memory concerning a certain wig.

She’d forgotten all about that wig until now. It had been her favorite, too. How could something like that have slipped her mind? And for so long?

Blame Aurelia’s wig faux pas on the fact that she’d only used it for dance performances, hadn’t needed it lately because she’d switched professions, thus causing the wig to slip from her mind. Dig a little deeper and an even greater truth will be found.

That truth: Aurelia found it hard to remember anything beyond Baron from that night.

She remembered how he kissed her, touched her, and especially how he made love to her. She also recalled how enthralled he was when she did the same things to him.

“You all right over there?” Claude asked with concern, interrupting Aurelia’s trip down memory lane.

“I’m fine,” she lied again, opening her eyes. “Just having a bit of a hunger headache.”

“In that case, let me take the shortcut to the restaurant.”

Aurelia simply nodded, unwilling to pour more lies into her friend’s ears. She’d lied enough as it was today. Inwardly her mind returned to the case of the missing wig. Did a member of the hotel’s custodial staff find it and throw it away? Or did Baron find it and keep it as a souvenir?

* * *

Back at Alcove University, Baron sat in his office with the door closed. There were papers to grade in front of him, but he was too distracted to concentrate on any of them. All he could focus on was Aurelia and the fact that she hadn’t waited on him. That she was out with another man right now. He’d personally seen her get in Claude’s truck through the blinds of his office window.

Baron could kick himself for not asking Aurelia to wait on him. For just assuming that she would because he made it clear that he would wait on her. She’d said that a lot could happen between now and the time he’d have the all-clear to date her.

I guess Claude happened, Baron deduced, continuing along that path of erroneous thinking as he officially put himself back on the dating market as of now. As of right now!

Baron would not allow the type of depression that seized him post-Megan reclaim him again. Last time Duke had wanted to prescribe anti-depressants for him because Baron had been such a mess. He’d let his hair and beard grow out, stopped cleaning his house, and had lost a lot of weight.

Despite all that, Baron had refused to take any medication during his depression, almost preferring to dwell in his misery. This time he would not allow misery to even touch his soul…well, at least not for very long.

* * *

Bambi finally dried her eyes after crying for almost an hour straight. After going through a whole box of tissue, she had an epiphany.

Bambi realized that it was wrong of her to be upset with the V.I. native. It wasn’t Aurelia’s fault that Claude liked her better. How can you blame someone for something like that?

Deciding not to lay blame where it didn’t belong, Bambi took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and pulled out her cell phone. Then she typed a pivotal text message.

That message read: “Aurelia, I’ll put up all $ to launch Aurora’s Whispers. But it’ll hav 2 B a soft launch, cuz more kin is due from old country soon and need relocation $. Lots of it. If U want 2 do soft launch now, all U have 2 do is sign agreement to pay me back outta your share of future profits. Luv Bambi.”

After pressing send, Bambi started to feel a whole lot better. Doing the right thing always lifted a person’s spirit. If only that righteous act could have healed her broken heart, too.

Fortunately for Bambi, that kind deed towards Aurelia did at least start the healing process.

© 2009 by Mi’Chelle Dodson/Suprina Frazier