𝐈 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Althea

  I lied, I hadn't forgotten anything in my locker. I kept everything I needed in the dormitory. I was organized; Althea Beckett didn't forget anything.

  I think a part of me wanted to see her expression when she saw me dressed up. I was a homebody and I immersed myself in my studies so much that I never had the chance to dress up. The night we met at the Rink Party was the most dressed up I had been in months, even if it was just a simple jean skirt and a cropped tee.

  The look on Jonesy's face had made lying to her all worth it. Her mouth had fallen open, as if I had taken her breath away. For the first time in my adult life, I had been self conscious of the way I looked. But she looked at me as if I was the prettiest thing she had ever seen, as if I wasn't even real.

  I didn't like that I liked the way she looked at me, and I would never admit it. At least not first.

"Althea?"

  I blinked, Aiden's voice grounding me back on earth. I moved my eyes away from the window and back at him, forcing my best smile. "I'm sorry, I do that a lot." I took a sip of my water as he let out a laugh. His laugh was low and melodic, nothing like Jonesy's. I sighed again just thinking of her laugh.

"I was asking if you were ready for the waiter to start serving the courses." He took a sip of his white wine and I took a moment to look him over. He wore an emerald green short sleeved Mcneal shirt, the top two buttons undone, revealing his toned chest; a pair of white Lardini trousers which he paired with a green faced Emporio Armani watch and a pair of Sofety suede loafers. His outfit must have cost at least a grand, if not more if you included his cologne, sunglasses, and rings.

  Had I been any other girl I would've been incredibly turned on, but sitting here now I found myself counting down the seconds until the date was over. I was also feeling incredibly underdressed.

"Of course." I gave him another smile before clasping my hands together in my lap, trying to keep myself from picking at my cuticles.

  Aiden waved over the waiter and instructed him to bring the courses. There were five in total, which felt like a bit much for a first date but Jonesy had said he came from a long line of people with copious amounts of money to waste.

  A slight smile crossed my face as I thought about my shaggy haired roommate and I felt disappointment creep in at the thought of missing her game; even if I never did express any interest in going to one aloud.

  By the time the waiter brought out the first two rounds of dishes; one being a platter of scampi style grilled oysters, and the other a strawberry balsamic spinach salad, Aiden had told me, in great length, about his family tree. His great grandfather had once been president of Maybanks University alongside Gerald Maybanks. My stomach almost lept out of my body at the sight of food.

  Talking with Aiden as skating partners was entirely different from talking to him while on a date. Suddenly the air seemed suffocating and the walls felt as if they were about to close in on me. My shoes felt too small and my dress too tight, and he just kept talking. The habitual motion of bringing the fork to my mouth was the only thing keeping me in my seat.

"My parents are actually in Paris at the moment for a film festival, but they hope to return in time for the Nutcracker performance. Do you know which part you plan on auditioning for?" Aiden peered at me over his fork. It was the actual question he had asked me in the past thirty minutes.

  I nodded. "I hope to get the part of Clara, but I would be fine with the Sugar Plum Fairy as well." I took a small bite of my lamb. God, I hate lamb.

"I think you would be an excellent Clara, we don't see very many people like...you audition for the part." His eyes darted away and a blush crept across his face. I felt a small smile trying to force its way onto my own face as I choked back laughter. God, he was one of those.

"You mean black. You don't see very many black women try out for the part." I finally took a sip of my wine, the tart taste slowly giving way into a sweet aftertaste. "Black isn't a dirty word, Aiden."

"Yes, I know; I just didn't want-I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. The topic of race can be a touchy subject to some." He cut a piece of his lamb, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

  How cute. Maybe I was being too hard on him. He did seem to be trying to have a normal date, even if he did feel the need to list every one of his family members and how much money they had made in the past year. He must think wealth impressed me, because I was also one of the more richer students on campus.

"It's fine, Aiden. Most black athletes won't typically audition for major parts in a production if they attend a predominantly white school, because when they do, everyone will assume it's simply because they're one of the few people of color at the school and not because they're talented. People start saying they were chosen to make the school seem more diverse, and not because they were actually better than anyone else who auditioned."

  Aiden chewed in silence for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think you're a very talented skater, if not one of the best at Maybanks. Definitely the best I've ever been partnered with.

"Thank you." I sipped my wine, the alcohol slowly warming my body. "Do you mean that, or are you simply saying that because you want to sleep with me?" I laughed as he nearly choked on his food and quickly picked up his glass of water.

"I-no, I genuinely think you're a very talented skater, you being incredibly attractive is just an added bonus."

  I laughed again; I couldn't tell if it was the wine or if he was actually a decent date. For the next hour or so, we slipped into an easy conversation. We talked about our siblings, skating, and our hobbies off the ice.

  By the end of the night, I was almost glad I had gone out with him.