AURELIA || Pride And Grace Series

LAVENDER

"Two and five."
I read the numbers on my bank app to myself. I was resuming school broke and I was yet to pay for a sit on the bus.
I tapped my four fingers on my forehead trying to calm myself down, surviving was my idea of winning in life, the money would still enter, one way or another, it didn't really matter as long as I didn't look like my problems.

I pressed both my hands on the sides of my head to straighten my hair, adjusted my posture and tucked my android into my pocket. I was hiding in one of the corners of the station and had to walk down to the cashier line.

The line to get the tickets had only two people, it was already a school day and I was sure students had already travelled during the weekend, but having just two men on the que forced the vigilant side of me, it was never too serious but I have always been very attentive whenever I was the only female in sight travelling. I was grateful I was sober.

I joined the line and watched the person in front of me write down his name on the passenger list and his destination, it was to my school also.
I looked at him again not being sure if I registered his presence completely beforehand. He had a simple dress style, the quality showed in his clothes, a clean fade on his hairline that jammed neatly with his skin, no accessories on whatsoever, he looked like he took care of himself really well. I honestly wasn't really fascinated about his persona, I only wanted to be mindful of the passenger that was also heading to the same place as me. What if he was a kidnapper? a clean one.
I never trusted any of these bus terminals.

It was nearly my turn, so I put my hand in my pocket to get my credit card out in order to pay, just then the clean kidnapper turned around fast and hit me causing my credit card and every other thing in my pocket to fall out, including my phone.

The android was displayed in it's most beautiful state, cracked screen and all.
One thing about this bus terminal was that it was the only way to get to my school, so once you get here no one can identify the wealthy from the poor, no one knows who took a flight here or those that took a previous bus getting here. I had tried so hard to live up to the image no one was sure about, from the new clothes I wore because I had invested in getting one new shirt every month to the branded accessories that I snatched from my cousins who visited from outside the country during the holiday, plus a pretty face and they all believed I was rich.
Now I was 'public to face' with my only downfall, a bad phone and this man was the cause of it.

I hissed, picked up my phone quickly and faced the cashier without giving the cause of my problem a second glance.

"Let me pay." was the next thing I heard.

I had to maintain maximum composure when I turned back around to look at him. He was already in his wallet drawing out paper bills and didn't even look my way.
Then he did something that made me look smaller than I was already feeling, he stretched his hand over my head and passed the money to the cashier then withdrew his hand and walked away.

I stood there dumbfounded, never have I experienced such ignorant apology. Deep down I was happy I got extra money on my side, but grateful? No.
I watched him walk out towards the bus after securing his luggage, black Gucci travel bag on display, this bastard was rich rich.

"ma'am, your full government name and where you're going."

:::::::::::::

One of my roommates had called earlier and told me she was resuming a week after because she had family matters to conclude. My other roommate on the other hand had been in school a week earlier and spent the entire period with her boyfriend in his apartment.
I stood at the edge of our apartment after unlocking the door and stared at the state of where three university pigs lived, Eve did not have the decency to touch up the place before running out to stay with her man.

I stood in that same position for another minute, brought out my phone, sent a text to the both of them and reversed my entrance. Whenever she resumes, Matilda would have to see what I just saw too, I was in no mental state to start cleaning.

I was at Coleman's place in approximately fifteen minutes, I kept knocking on his door because I couldn't give him a call and I was sure he was half dead in his sleep.
After a few moments of banging his door, he finally opened up.

"You could have called me you rat."

I looked at my only friend and smiled, he was looking edible as usual, shirtless from bed and smelt like new expensive car. I loved this man.

"My phone was stolen, have you forgotten?" I replied to his banter.
Coleman and I have known each other from scratch and even though we've been with each other for so long, he has never met my family or been anywhere I've lived except here in university. I've always preferred keeping things I was ashamed of from him and I know it shouldn't be that way but that's the only way I can be a hundred percent comfortable around my friend.

His stare on my body was getting intense by the second, a fine grin appearing on his lips, then his fingers rubbed his eyes in an exaggerated way of not seeing clearly.

"You got thicker." he paused, then looked at me again. "Or is it my eyes?"
This man is a big liar, still I smiled and took the hand he stretched out for me to take.

I walked in and examined his place, it's been three months since I'd been in here, everything was the same except the purple box at the end of the room, just by the wall.

Coleman sat down on one of his couches and adjusted his size comfortably after taking my travel bag inside, I smiled and surveyed him, my eyes speaking another language.

"There's ice cream in the fridge." He spoke, trying to throw a conversation in the air. Coleman was one shy man around me and fidgeted with his words whenever he could read my body.
I climbed this man and forced his two hands around me so he could reach my bum, he was giving me the look he always gave me whenever I wanted to be dirty with him and he wasn't smiling. I didn't care.

I tilted my body towards him and let my lip trail down his neck.
"Leonora you have a boyfriend." he reminded me.

"We broke up."
"Be serious." Coleman moved his head back to look at me clearly.
"What?!" I asked feigning confusion, he hissed not taking me serious.

I trailed my hand down between us, watching and savouring his reaction. When I reached his rod, his hands tightened around my bum.
"Leonora." he begged. Eyes closed, spirit gone.

I stood up immediately, away from him leaving him exasperated.
"When did you start liking lavender?" I asked pointing at the purple lavender air diffuser box at the corner of the room.
Coleman's expression told me he was vexed, I overlooked it knowing he would still give me an answer.

"It's not for me."
I became curious and my expression told him to keep talking.
Just then his phone rang.
"He's here." he checked his phone, stood up and arranged his member then walked to the door.

In seconds, the front door opened and closed and a new person was in the room with us.

Black Gucci travel bag.

"Leonora, Canice. Canice, Leonora. He's in my department."