Page 9

A month later.

Nia’Rose

It had been another long day filled with lecturing and grading papers while my students took their tests. Feeling restless, I decided to take a break and enjoy a few sips of my tea. While breaking, my gaze inadvertently drifted to Prosper’s old seat. I say "old" because, for the past two weeks , he had vanished without a trace. I hadn’t seen him at all.

Initially, I thought Prosper might have dropped my class to escape the cold shoulder I had given him following the passionate night we shared. However, after finally checking with a few of his other professors earlier today, I learned that he had stopped attending their classes around the same time as well.

With a heavy sigh, I took another sip of my tea and tried to refocus on my work. Once all my students had finished testing, we discussed the expectations for an upcoming project due soon. By the time class ended, my thoughts were in turmoil, thinking where the hell could Prosper be.

The fact that he hadn’t informed any of us that he would be away for an extended period raised a red flag for me. In the few months I had gotten to know him, I learned that he was genuinely committed to earning his degree. To me, that meant something could be wrong.

Turning on my computer, I sat there for what felt like an hour, telling myself not to look up his name. My anxiety was through the roof, and I feared that someone might be monitoring my actions; searching for him could raise suspicions. But then I recognized that it was just my guilty ass conscience gnawing at me for fucking that man. I had every right to figure out why my student was missing class. Once I came to that realization, I managed to calm down and type his name into the school database.

Prosper Alonso Shakur's name, accompanied by his student photo, appeared instantly on the screen. But to my surprise and dismay, I was met with the news that he had transferred to another campus. Stunned, I sat there for another ten minutes, trying to process the information, before finally collecting my belongings and heading to the first floor.

The elevator ride felt interminable as I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Part of me wanted to celebrate finally freeing myself from Prosper and the hope that my secret could fade away with him. Yet, another part couldn’t shake the sadness of potentially never seeing him again. By the time I reached my car in the parking lot, I took a deep breath and somehow managed to let the situation go.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the lot of my local Walmart and treated myself to a few snacks, including a bucket of ice cream. Once home, I took a quick shower and then climbed into bed. I buried myself under the covers and turned on the TV.

With Saw playing in the background on the big screen, I ate my ice cream and tuned in. I planned to watch the entire series. It was my favorite. Not too sure what that said about me, but it would never get old to me.

An hour into the movie, there was a knock at my front door, disrupting my peace. Believing it was Amazon delivering the new kitchen décor I had ordered, I jumped up, eager to receive my package. However, I was completely taken aback when I swung the door open to find Prosper standing there, holding vibrant red roses in one hand and a Saks Fifth Avenue shopping bag in the other.

“I’ma few weeks late, but better late than never, Nia’Rose.” He said to me.

With bated breath, I stared up at him, swallowing the last of the ice cream in my mouth.

He looked incredibly handsome, wearing a stylish black sweater from his clothing line paired with jeans. The Jordans on his feet appeared as if he had just pulled them out of the shoebox for the very first time today.

“Can I come in?” he asked when I didn’t respond.

I nodded yet was convinced I had fallen asleep and was dreaming.

∞∞∞

Prosper

"W...what are you doing here, Prosper?" She stammered as I walked through her crib. "Prosper?" she called again when I didn’t respond.

"Sup, beautiful?" I replied, taking a seat at the foot of her bed.

"I only said you could come in, not that you could come into my bedroom.”

"Baby, listen. We ain’t got time for the back and forth today. We got a movie to catch at ten. Get dressed, and we can talk on the way."

Nia stood there, flabbergasted, her hands filled with my gifts. I referred to her as Nia now because that Ms. Mosley shit was behind me. I had made sure of that. The following Monday after our night together, I put in a request to switch to a different campus. Since I met all the qualifications and the new campus had room for me, they finally accepted my admission.

If Nia thought she was going to give me that good ass pussy and then easily get rid of me, she had another thing coming. I was on her ass real bad.

"Okayyy,” she shook her head as if she was dreaming. “This is unacceptable. I mean, besides the fact that I already told you no to a date, you shouldn’t be popping up here. I could’ve been seeing someone and had him over."

The image of another nigga in her home…in between her legs… flipped a switch in me, bringing out a side I never wanted her to see.

“Nia, I would hope you wouldn’t wanna fuck with me like that and have me slittin’ a nigga’s throat after I’m trying so hard to turn my life around.” I told her and meant every fuckin’ word. I’d tear this bitch up.

I had already been struggling for a month with withdrawals for that pussy, and I was not in the mood for any bullshit.

Her eyes bulged as she stared at me in disbelief. “Goodness, you’re really crazy.”

“Crazy enough to strip ya down and put that black dress on you myself.”

“Black dress?”

“Yeah, it’s in the bag. Decided I’d buy you one instead.” I revealed.

Setting her roses down, Nia grabbed her bag and rummaged through it. She pulled out a Givenchy dress and a pair of heels. I wanted her pretty feet out.

After surveying both, she sighed. “Prosper, this is all crazy. I told you to let me be and you agreed.”

I stood up and walked over to her, pulling a jewelry box from my coat pocket. With a swift motion, I opened it and clasped the necklace around her neck before she could protest. Muthafuckin’ diamonds danced violently; she effortlessly matched my drip.

“Ain’t nothin’ crazy about me knowing what I want and making moves to get it. You made it clear I couldn’t move forward with you because I was your student. Well, I put in work so that I’m not no more.”

I planted a kiss on her shoulder, feeling her body melt against mine as we gazed into the mirror attached to the dresser.

“Two weeks felt like two years. I missed seeing your pretty face, Nia’Rose. I lied. I can’t let you be.”

“Mmm,” was her response as her fingers traced the diamonds of the necklace, and I couldn’t help but notice the fresh coat of black nail polish on her hand. “This is beautiful, Prosper.”

“Just as beautiful as you. I got you matching earrings.” I kissed her cheek, revealing another small box from my pocket.

“Thank you,” she said as I handed them to her.

“You don’t miss seeing me?”

When she didn’t answer, I turned her around to face me. She could remain quiet all she wanted, but her eyes never lied to me.

“You ain’t wonder where I was these past few weeks?”

She just stared at me, clearly contemplating whether or not to tell the truth.

“Be real wit’ me.” I pushed.

“Yes,” she admitted with sudden sadness in her tone. “I finally searched your name today. The system said you switched campuses.”

“I did that for you. You understand that, right?”

Nia nibbled on the corner of her lip as she nodded. “But that doesn’t change our history. If someone of importance finds out, my reputation would still be at stake.”

“I want you to hush that shit up, aight baby?”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s a way for us to handle this so that situation never arises. The first step was me getting the fuck away from that campus and changing who you are to me. Now, we can take things slow, privately. Just me and you. Don’t none of them muthafuckas gotta know our business, ya feel me?”

Still appearing hesitant, Nia glanced down at the box of earrings I had placed in her hand earlier, then looked over at the flowers and the dress sprawled across the dresser.

I hooked her chin, bringing her face back to me. “Nia’Rose… please.”

“Okay, Prosper.” She caved in. “Okay,”

An hour later, she stepped out of the restroom, wearing the dress I had purchased for her. Shit fit like a glove, hugging her petite curves perfectly. Her hair, which had been in a high messy bun when I first arrived, now hung down her back, straightened. Just the way I loved it.

“You look good as hell,” I said, admiring her. Waiting that hour for her to get dressed was worth it to me.

“Thanks. So, where are you taking me again?”

“IPIC Theaters in The Gallo.”

“That’s pretty far from us.”

"I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, worrying about running into anyone. Hopefully, being on the West will help you relax and enjoy the night with me."

She nodded, sitting at her vanity to put on her heels, but I didn’t let her finish the task. Within seconds, I was across the room, kneeling before her.

“These are gorgeous. How’d you know my size?”

“Went through your closet the last time I was here while you were asleep.”

“Oh, wow.” She shook her head, but didn’t bother to fuck with me about my snooping. At this point, I’m sure she knew what it was with me when it came to her.

Once I got her straight, we headed out. Inside my new whip, I played some tracks I thought she’d enjoy. But she was quiet, focusing her attention on the scenery as we cruised down the freeway.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked her.

“Nothing,” she shrugged.

“I can tell it’s something. Your vibe off.”

She smacked her lips. “Well, excuse me for having an off vibe. I mean, you did just show up at my house uninvited and drag me out of bed.”

“That’s true,” I chuckled, switching lanes. “Sorry for my actions.”

She shot me a sideways glance. “Are you really?”

“Nah.”

She laughed and glanced around, a habit she had picked up since we climbed inside. “This is a nice Range Rover, Prosper.”

“Appreciate it, baby. I just got it.”

“Do you sell drugs?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “What kind of question is that, Nia? You the FEDS too?”

She sighed, waiting for an explanation.

“Nah,” I denied, but it was clear she didn’t believe me. “I’m not lying to you, I promise. So, just sit back and relax, aight?”