Page 2 of Blake University HBCU Chronicles: Azari & Chozen

ONE YEAR LATER . . .

“ B e sure to read over chapter three by the next class meeting. There may be a pop quiz. Who knows?” Professor Starks said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I huffed slightly as I stood from my seat, nearly falling back to it.

I was still getting used to this prosthesis.

Therapy had been a beast, and I somehow allowed myself to sink in depression, wondering if I had made the right decision.

There were days where I wanted to take this stupid ass leg and throw that shit out the window.

I had to settle for the most basic accommodation.

The shit didn’t even match my skin, so I rarely wore shorts or dresses.

I grabbed my cane and made my way out of the row I was seated in.

Blake University had gladly accepted me back into their Next Act program.

It was for students over the age of twenty-five, deciding to further their education.

I was grateful for it. I needed all the assistance I could get, because I didn’t have a clue of what I was doing.

This finance degree was a dream. I was also getting a business degree.

As if getting one degree wasn’t more than enough, I allowed my mother to convince me to enroll in a dual degree plan.

The prerequisites were mostly the same, so that was a good thing.

It would only add a year or so to my time here at Blake U.

The university was in Cove City, only about twenty minutes from Atlanta where I was from.

The city was much smaller than Atlanta, but I liked that.

It helped me get away from the hustle and bustle for a little while.

Everything I needed was on campus. They even had a daycare center for children of all ages.

If my mama couldn’t watch Xavier, that was an option for me as a student.

They only charged seventy dollars a week, and if I made the A or A & B honor roll, day care would be free the next semester. That was a hell of a deal.

Being around all these kids was wearing me thin, and I’d only been here a month.

All the meaningless chatter and constant step shows and parties were all above me now.

If I got asked about being in another sorority, I was going to scream.

I was a beautiful woman who took care of her body, despite my now disability and cancer.

If it weren’t for this cane and my limp, no one would have a clue that anything was going on with me.

I was a thick, melanated sister, who had curves for days and plenty to offer intellectually as well.

I was sure to remind myself of that daily, especially when I’d gained a little weight after the amputation.

As I approached the door, the jackass ahead of me allowed it to close in my face.

I had my bookbag in one hand and my cane in the other.

As I carefully tried to twist the knob without dropping my cane, the shit fell to the floor anyway.

I huffed as I stepped aside so others could get out.

It would take me a minute to bend over to pick it up to assure I didn’t fall.

It was still difficult for me to get up from the floor.

I refused to let this shit slow me down though.

I would do whatever I wanted to do, despite how long it could possibly take for me to do it.

When the last student approached, he smiled at me then bent over and picked up my cane. I smiled back as he said, “What’s up?”

“Hey. Thank you so much.”

“No problem, gorgeous. What’s your name?”

I know damn well this lil boy isn’t flirting with me. “Azari. What’s yours?”

“Chozen. Let me grab that bag for you. I don’t have a class after this, so I’m not in a hurry.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry. Did you say your name was Chozen?”

“Yes, ma’am. My mama said the moment she found out she was pregnant, she knew I was chosen for greatness. So she named me Chozen Amir. Amir means commander-in-chief. She spelled Chozen with a Z instead of an S.”

“Hmph. She’s a wise woman, huh?”

“She was a wise woman. She was killed in a car accident when I was nine.”

“Oh wow. I’m so sorry. Is your dad around?”

“It’s cool. God was in the plans from the very beginning. My aunt and her husband took me in, and it’s been up since then. I don’t know who my biological father is. That nigga almost made me a statistic. I thank God for my aunt and uncle every day.”

“That’s great.”

He nodded as he held the door open for me.

I was doing my best not to look at this lil boy, but he was fine as hell.

He was tall, about six feet, and slender but defined.

He looked like he could be a football player.

His hair was shaved on the sides but in braids up top.

I could tell he had soft hair just from the parts that was faded.

That smile though? It was gorgeous. I could only thank his mother for the genes she passed down to her child.

After walking through the opened door, I turned to him. “You don’t have to carry my things. I’m sure you have something else you could be doing.”

“I do have something else I could be doing, but I would rather be doing this,” he said with a straight face, staring into my eyes.

I quickly turned away. “I’m flattered, but I ain’t one of these lil girls around here. I have a whole kid I’m taking care of. I’m far removed from high school.”

“I can tell. That’s attractive. I’m not fresh outta high school either. I like grown women,” he said as he walked beside me.

I swore my breath had left my body for a moment. After trying to think about how old I thought he was, I frowned. “How old are you? Twenty-two?”

He chuckled. “Nah. I’m twenty-eight. I’ll be twenty-nine before the semester is over. I can’t be too far from your age, whether older or younger. I know a grown ass woman when I see one, and baby, you all woman,” he said, scanning my curves.

My breathing was shallow as I nodded. I remained quiet, not knowing what to say in response to that shit.

The smirk on his lips told me that he was amused with himself, .

. . the fact that he left me speechless.

He was smooth. I had to give him that. He was wasting his time though.

The conversation was nice, since I didn’t really talk to anybody at school.

I could see them glancing at my cane, probably wondering what happened to me to have to use it.

“What’s your major?” I asked, changing the direction of where the conversation was headed.

“Architecture, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to take some business courses.”

“Is this your first time attending college?”

“No. I have an accounting degree that I got from University of Colorado. I also have a master’s in organizational leadership. Since I work in the accounting office at my cousin’s architectural firm, I got extremely interested in architecture. What about you?”

Damn. He was educated. He already had two degrees and was getting a third.

I would have never guessed that, judging by his gold chains, grill, and attire.

This was exactly what the cliché statement meant when it said not to judge a book by its cover.

Suddenly, I felt embarrassed, and I wasn’t sure why.

“I umm . . .”

He stopped walking and grabbed my hand. When I stared up at him, his gaze and soft smile eased all my nerves.

“I somewhat started this time last year, but health issues made me have to withdraw. So this is my first time going to school.”

He glanced at my cane and asked, “Is that why you walk with a cane?”

“Yeah,” I said, glancing down at the hideous shoes I wore.

I began walking again because it seemed he was studying me. That made me slightly uncomfortable.

“Well, that’s cool that you came to school to gain more education. That takes a lot of courage to do when you’ve already been in the workforce and started a family. How old is your child?”

“He’s three.”

“A boy.” He smiled. “You never said what you were majoring in.”

“I’m getting dual degrees. Business and finance.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Maybe we can study together sometimes.”

I smiled as we walked past Blake U Food Court. “Maybe so.”

“You hungry? I would love to have lunch with you. We can go wherever you want.”

“No, I better get to my mama’s house to get my baby. You’re really nice, Chozen, but I’m not interested in pursuing anything but my degrees.”

“Not even friendship?”

I gave him a one-sided smile. He was trying hard. “Is that all you want? Just friendship?”

He stopped walking and grabbed my hand again. “I’m not a liar, so I will tell you that friendship isn’t all I want. I just figured we could start there, and if you still ain’t feeling me, we can just stay there.”

The heat rushed to my cheeks and flooded my entire body, including my panties, when he licked his lips and smiled.

Jesus. I took a deep breath and slid my hand from his.

If I said I didn’t want to climb this tree and swing from the limbs, I would be lying my face off.

However, I had to stay focused. These niggas weren’t going to deter me from accomplishing what I came here for.

“We’ll see, Chozen.”

I started walking again as students passed us.

A couple of them gave him a head nod. It felt like it was taking forever to get to my damn car.

This leg was slowing me down big time. I tried picking up my pace and stumbled, nearly busting my ass.

Chozen reached out to steady me. I was so embarrassed.

“You can give me my bookbag. I got it from here. I really appreciate you.”

He frowned and adjusted my bag on his arm.

His stare had my body heat scorching as it flowed to what was in my panties.

He had me feeling things I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I couldn’t allow that. I was grateful we only had one class together.

I wouldn’t be able to focus on what I was supposed to be learning if we had more.

I had a feeling he would try to sit next to me Wednesday.

“I told you I wanted to carry it for you. That wasn’t because I didn’t think you could do it yourself. That was so I could spend time with you, Azari. You’re so gorgeous, and so far, I love everything about you. I ain’t got nothing but time.”

I nodded, and we kept walking. When we got to the student parking lot, I saw my lil bucket in the handicap parking spot, then said, “That’s my car over there.”

He nodded and went to it. I used the remote to unlock the doors, and he set my bag in the passenger seat then turned to walk with me to the driver’s side. After opening my door, he said, “So, I guess I’ll see you Wednesday, huh?”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“No problem. Consider this my job every Monday and Wednesday.”

I smiled at him as he smiled back. He seemed really sweet. Friendship was probably as far as this would go. Love and relationships weren’t for me anymore.

“Be careful,” he said, then closed my door as I nodded.

I slid my cane to the other side. He had me so distracted.

I normally did that as I was getting in.

After cranking the engine, I realized he was still standing there.

Ugh! My shit sounded like a fucking lawn mower.

It was really pathetic, but I couldn’t afford to get it fixed.

I hurriedly got out of my spot, feeling embarrassed for the umpteenth time since we left class.

When I glanced in my rearview mirror, I saw he was still standing there.

I probably wouldn’t be able to be his friend either.

That man’s aura had the power to have me sliding down his dick without a care.

I couldn’t allow myself to succumb to that.

I had to stay focused on school. There was no room for him in my life simply because I was so attracted to him.

That attraction grew when he said he was twenty-eight, only three years younger than me.

Slowly shaking my head, I pulled into Zavion’s to get gas and a sandwich from their deli.