I gathered the assignment into my hands, grabbed my bag, and locked the car before heading towards my office.
“You’re almost late,” Daniel’s famous voice said from behind, and I groaned, not wanting to start a long talk with him this morning about how or why I was almost late.
“Good morning, Daniel.” I tried a calm tone, and luckily, it worked.
“Let me help you with that,” he offered, but unlike other times, I shook my head. It wasn’t his job to lessen my burden, and I didn’t want him to get used to it.
“I’m almost at my office,” I pointed out as the reason I didn’t want his help.
“Come on. I know you’ve got this under control and can do it all on your own, but I want to help.”
Knowing there was no winning for Daniel, I paused and turned to him, clenching the books in my hand.
“You will not let this rest if I don’t give in, will you?” I demanded, a frown coming into my face.
He grinned. “You already know me so well.”
I handed him the pile of books in my hand and began heading towards the office door.
“So, how was your night? I hope it wasn’t as rough as I’m picturing.”
“It was, and I’m still exhausted from it.” I answered with a sigh, “Yours?”
“It was okay; Mama came to visit. She’s still trying to understand why I have yet to find my soul mate. I’ve got a good job and a nice place, and I’m not that bad-looking.”
I laughed. “Tell Mama she will come around when the time is right.”
“I wish, but she doesn’t understand that line, so I will just say I’m not as charming as she thinks.”
I chuckled, rolled my eyes, dug my hand into my pocket, and pulled out my key as I approached the door. I tried to slip the key into the keyhole, but the door opened of its own accord. That was weird. I remember locking it yesterday before leaving. This didn’t feel right, and, glancing at Daniel, I saw he had the same puzzled look on his face.
I pushed the door wide and stepped into my office, a little sceptical and not wanting to get spooked. Obviously, someone had tempered with my office door, and who knew what they had done while I was away? This has never happened before, and I wondered why now.
I thought about who could have broken in. In my two years of working at this university, I have tried to maintain a healthy relationship with staff members from the lowest to the highest. That didn’t mean everyone liked me. Only a fool would think that way, but I did not know who would break in.
‘Perhaps nobody did. You failed to lock up well yesterday while leaving. The voice in my head argued.
I took a bold step into my office but stopped in my tracks when I saw Aaron Hart standing in the office. He was waiting with his hands in the pocket of his black trousers, and now that I had stepped in, his eyes were on me, staring at me. My heart skipped a beat as, once again, my worst fear stood before me.
I woke up in my room and bed, and sweat broke over my face. My heart was hammering against my chest at a pace it never had. I was tossed into a state of shock and confusion. More than ever, I felt Aaron’s presence, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he found his way back into my life.
I turned my attention to the alarm clock on the bed and realised I had overslept and was now an hour behind my waking time.
“Shit!”
I have never woken up late since I started taking Zion to daycare. Today, however, I broke that record for myself, and it wasn’t a good one.
The grading of the assignments and projects took longer than I expected, and I fell asleep a little past midnight. I had only five hours to sleep, and I knew that wasn’t enough. My alarm went off ten minutes past five, and I thought I snoozed it, but I turned it off instead. Then I went on to have a nightmare involving Aaron Hart and woke up now. It was already 6:30 a. m.
Thank goodness Zion, who wasn’t a heavy sleeper, woke up after a few taps on his shoulder.
I bathed him then and got him ready for school. I placed the bibs around his neck and served him flakes and strawberries. While he ate, I raced into the room to prepare myself.
I raced against the clock to get myself ready in my black trousers and suit. I made my hair into a ponytail. Then, I applied a powder brush faintly over my face and wore my perfume. I picked out three-inch black heels and put them on. Next, I grabbed my red bag, slipped my phone into it, and grabbed the project and assignment I had graded last night before going to sleep. I gave myself one last glance in the mirror, and, feeling satisfied with the face that stared back at me, I exited my room.
“Mommy, pretty!” Zion gushed as soon as he saw me, his eyes lifting.
“Thank you, honey. Are you done?” I asked, strolling over to him at the table.
He nodded, lifting his plate and showing it to me. It was empty, and that made me happy. “Who’s my big boy?” I praised him, and his eyes flickered in excitement. He raised both hands.
“I am, I am!”
I unlocked the bibs from around his neck, wiped his mouth off the few stains, and helped him onto the floor.
I hung his school bag to his back and grabbed his lunch box, which I already had his food and snacks packed in, and handed it to him.
He smiled at me because I had handed him his lunch box instead of carrying it myself. He always loved carrying his bag. At first, I thought it was too heavy, but Zion didn’t complain the first time he demanded I hand his lunch box to him, and he still hasn’t now. Sometimes, his physical strength surprises me. “Shall we go?”
“Yes, we shall.”
I waved him off after dropping him off at the school, and my stomach growled loudly. I didn’t have breakfast before I left home because I was already late. That’s the price I had to pay.
My schedule for the morning was an eight-to-ten a. m. lecture, and I had an hour of break before my next class. I wondered if I’d be able to teach effectively without having a proper breakfast. I have never slacked in my lectures, but there is a first time for everything.
I glanced at my wristwatch after I packed the car, and I had five minutes before my class began.
I hurried through the hallway and towards my office, and, unlike in my dream, I didn’t see Daniel on the way. I also didn’t see Aaron when I opened my office door and stepped in.
I finished my first class, and since today already started terribly, I wasn’t surprised that it was horrible. I couldn’t connect with the topic to deliver, even though I had gone through it during the weekend a few days ago. I couldn’t connect with the students as well, and they could tell there was something off with me, but they didn’t dare ask.
I finished the class and walked towards the university canteen to get food before my following lecture began. I saw Daniel standing not so far away, and I knew he was waiting for me. I frowned inwardly, and I wanted to turn around, but I couldn’t. I was hungry and needed to eat.
I didn’t want to talk to him. Daniel would ask a lot of questions once he noticed I’d had an unsteady day. He was that inquisitive about matters that didn’t concern him. I didn’t want to answer his questions, and losing my temper with him would not be cool. I didn’t have the energy for fallout or even a snap. My head hurts.
“Zera,” he began.
I held my hand up. “Please don’t come close with your caring and a thousand questions. I don’t have the strength for it.”
He gave me a sad look. Daniel was the noblest of them all. If I wasn’t so bent over my misfortune in life, especially with men, perhaps I would have given him a chance. He was a good friend whenever I needed a laugh. He gave me advice when needed, and he was a brilliant listener. Call me a fool, but I had been burned twice, and I didn’t want to get into anything too good to be true.
“I’ve never had a thousand questions before,” he said, and I glared at him. “I am just concerned.”
“And I just said I don’t need it, Aaron!” I snapped before I could control myself.
His brows furrowed at my words. “Who’s Aaron?”
This was what I wanted to avoid.