November
Aurelia didn’t realize Baron had given up on her until she saw him at AU’s annual charity carnival. He had a sultry brunette on his arm as they toured the various booths on the school’s large football field. A very familiar looking brunette…
Jordin Summerville.
Aurelia might have missed them altogether if Claude hadn’t pointed them out from their place on the bleachers. They’d just finished their lab project today and had journeyed across campus to celebrate with cotton candy and candy apples.
Now Aurelia wished she had gone to work instead of taking off this weekend to complete the project, type the results, and email them to the professor’s electronic dropbox before Monday’s deadline. Now she wished she was at her forensics job or even at the soup kitchen serving the homeless.
“I see them, Claude. I didn’t know Professor Weaver and Jordin Summerville were dating,” Aurelia forced out, trying to sound casual after this unfortunate discovery.
“Me either. I guess she was his type after all,” Claude said, bringing to mind a previous conversation they’d had about the local TV reporter and their professor.
“Apparently so,” Aurelia replied, seething inside.
“The professor obviously likes ‘em full at the top and the bottom. Me, too,” Claude said, diverting his attention to the shapely woman next to him on the bleachers.
“There are quite a few women around here that fit that description,” Aurelia said, dragging her gaze from Baron to the man beside her. “Need any help pointing them out?” She chuckled to mask the current pain of rejection she felt.
Claude laughed. “No thanks. I see all I need to see right here. By the way, now that our lab project is over, can I take you out on a real date?”
Aurelia was about to say yes just to ease some of the hurt she felt about Baron. But after quickly realizing that Claude deserved better than second-choice status, she stayed in do-right lane. Plus, she was starting to pick up on Bambi’s attraction to Claude. It was hard not to when the woman’s eyes grew starry every time he walked into a room.
Don’t forget about Bambi’s sudden interest in Aurelia’s love life and that matchmaking she tried to do back in September. Now Aurelia understood that her new friend had simply been trying to assess the competition and peacefully eliminate it.
But why hadn’t Claude picked up on Bambi’s feelings by now? He was a smart man in every other way. In fact, his brilliant contribution to their project was likely going to earn them both A’s.
Aurelia wondered if she should redirect Claude’s attention to her friend instead of just letting him down easy the regular way. Yet before she could do that, she needed to make sure it was okay with Bambi first. Especially since each starry-eyed look her friend gave Claude was usually followed by one of pain. There was a good chance that Bambi couldn’t be with him for cultural reasons.
Although the Macs treated Aurelia well whenever she visited their home and seemed to approve of her friendship with Bambi, it was possible that they might not take too kindly to their Vietnamese relative actually dating a black person. After all, interracial friendships and interracial romantic relationships were two entirely different things.
“No thanks. I’m not ready to start anything new with anybody just yet,” Aurelia said, unaware of the pain in her own eyes as she let Claude down easy once again.
He nodded in understanding. “Let me know when you’re ready, okay?” Claude said gently, naturally assuming that she was still heartbroken over Cain, whom he’d disliked upon sight.
Aurelia’s response was a quiet nod. Although she knew she should probably clarify things on the Cain front, she suddenly didn’t have the strength to. Doing so would surely start a discussion about what new man had broken her heart. She just wasn’t ready for that conversation right now. If ever.
Blinking back tears she didn’t understand, Aurelia couldn’t believe that she was so emotional over a man that she barely even knew. A man that she only had sex with once.
At any moment now she expected to hear a Heather Headley song. Particularly ‘In My Mind’, where Heather talks about feeling like she would always be a certain man’s lady even though they were no longer together. And like the song, was Baron standing with Jordin, yet had his soul calling out Aurelia’s name?
“Now with that out the way, how bout I help you chow down that mountain of cotton candy you got there,” Claude suggested with a smile, smoothly changing the subject.
Aurelia chuckled. “Only if you give me some of your candy apple in return,” she countered, holding her treat to the opposite side during her negotiation. She was starting to feel better already, but only just a little bit.
Would the medicine of laughter help ease the pain even faster? Aurelia hoped so.
Claude threw his head back and laughed loudly at her actions, causing attention to come their way, some of which came from Baron. “All right. But we hand off at the same time,” he said in between chuckles.
“On three,” Aurelia said, appreciating his friendship. She realized at that very moment that that was all they’d ever have between them - friendship. She had peace about that.
Aurelia couldn’t wait to share some of that peace with Bambi when she told her that she was absolutely not interested in Claude romantically. But first there were a couple of bites of candy apple to attend to.
“One, two, three,” the two classmates chimed together before handing over their treats to share.
© 2009 by Mi’Chelle Dodson/Suprina Frazier
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Heather Headley:
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