Page 65 of Simply Complicated
“Good Morning, class.” The professor, Avery Johnson, enters the classroom. She’s an older black woman who gives Annalise Keating vibes. She often changes her wig and her makeup depending on what young stud she’s blowing that week. I don’t know if she’s ever killed someone but I really wouldn’t put it past her.
She hands a stack of papers to a student and we all get one. “We have a special guest today for the lecture. Please take as many notes as you can as some of this might be on the midterm but all of you can use for your life.”
A student gives me the stack of papers and my heart froze seeing the guest speaker’s name:
Savior.
I’m lowkey hoping there are a few Savior Ellisons in the world and I happen to see the one that isn’t my ex. That would make me so happy and heartbroken at same time and OMG, I think I’m annoyed by how my heart and brain are acting right now.
As if my body was turned on with a dial, I became acutely aware when Savior entered the lecture hall. He walked with confident strides, owning the room with each step, and I heard the collective gasps of many women in the audience. I finally looked up and saw Savior in his delicious Bel-Air finest, looking delicious.
He wore a red sweater vest with a long white shirt and brown khakis. The red bow tie signaled he was clearly on-campus for a Kappa event and dressed the part. The emotions within me are going haywire but my body is zinged with instant attraction to that man.
The familiar thump in my panties reappears and my breathing becomes zig-zag-like, almost choking me. I wring the back of my neck to relief the sudden tension and blow out a harsh breath. My lecture is usually an hour long and I doubt Savior will be talking for the full hour. I just hope I can get through it without completely losing myself.
“Thank you, everyone,” Savior writes his name on the whiteboard before he turns to the class. His eyes scan around the room and he smiles at the faces before him. “We have a big group of students here so I’ll make this short and sweet so you can get back to your avocado toasts and IG feeds.” There are laughter and chuckles.
Savior’s eyes connect with mine. The professional Savior briefly disappears as the sultry look I was too all-too familiar with reappeared. We hold eyes briefly before he goes to retrieve handouts to give to the class.
In typical Savior fashion, he retrieves the notes and passes them out individually to each student. There’s about fifty of us so it’s extra work he’s doing. He’s being intentional with this because I know he wants to see me up close and personal and wonder if it’s really me.
My hair is different and my face is a bit fuller than before. I have a few tattoos now in intricate parts of my body that can only be seen if I’m naked. I’m almost tempted to ask Savior if he wants to see my tats.
As he approaches my row, the nervousness cinches my stomach and the butterflies go a mile a minute. I smell his intoxicating cologne. I see how perfectly coiffed his bedhead is. I can’t tear my gaze away from him, no matter how much I want to. Savior is just simply breathtaking.
He walks in front of my table and passes the papers to everyone sitting there. He stands directly in front of me and small crackles of sexual electricity buzzes between us. He holds my gaze and curves his lips into that delightful, sexy smile that I love so much.
His brown eyes are full of wicked contemplativeness, as if he’s trying to figure out the right way to knock the wind out of me. Little does Savior know, he’s already succeeded in that.
“Gorgeous…” He mouths as he gives me the notes and moves onto another student.
My heart is pounding so loud, I can’t hear myself think. A quiver stirred within me and my body tensed with every emotion possible. I hear girls behind me squealing amongst themselves as one girl thought Savior was referring to her.
I let them have their fantasy. It’s the very least I can do.
Opening the pages and my eyes bulge out of the sockets upon reading the first line:
I’ve should’ve been honest with you from the start.
I flip the page and read the second line.You have every right to be angry and refuse to speak to me for the rest of your life.
Looking over at the third page, my eyes start to water.But when I said I love you, there were no games with that. When I said I’m going to marry you, I still believe that.
By the time the fourth page came, the tears were streaming down my face.All I want is a second chance to do right. I love you, Keisha, and I want to make this work.
Looking up at Savior, I notice his eyes are again locked on mine. He blows out a deep breath and releases his shoulders. He felt the same emotions I did and I can only imagine what was going through his head as he watched me read his letter. “Shall we begin?”
~~~~~~
Savior was brilliant, of course. I’ve never seen him in action so it was nice to see how well he worked the room. He lectured on the Machiavellian theory and how even today’s society, we all have a little Machiavellian within us. The hardcore hip-hop fan, Savior also drew comparisons to Tupac’s Makaveli album with Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
After the lecture, students crowd around Savior to get more insight. His fan girls hang onto his every word and I can’t honestly be mad at them. I know how he affects everyone around him. He’s more than just a gorgeous face; Savior is a truly good guy.
And maybe his apology actually does mean something.
I slip out of the lecture hall as Savior stops and answers questions. He’s so busy answering the questions, he doesn’t notice me. During his lecture, we made eye contact a few times and each time it was like the first time all over again.
Realizing I was still in love with Savior is beyond heartbreaking. I see him in every man I interact with. Some of them had similar cologne as him but the scent was all uniquely Savior. A few Nupes tried to holler at me, but they were just another version of Savior.
