Cupid Shuffle

Amelia

At seven in the morning, Amelia stared at her schedule for the week. Content, she uttered picking some books she had arranged this morning.

Outside the suite, her driver pulled in ten minutes ago and waited patiently for her to come out. He checked the time from the analog clock on his wrist and was relieved when the sticks indicated seven.

Waiting for elevators to the ground floor, Amelia straighten out the pink dress she wore. A random gentleman came out from one of the suites dressed in a black custom suit.

Upon realizing her, he cleared his throat and bounced towards the elevators.

"Miss", the gentleman noticed her presence to which Amelia gave an assuring blink.

The dark-haired gentleman looked at his Rolex watch in urgency. Instantly the elevator doors opened as if obeying him

The gentleman was eager to step inside the empty elevator, Amelia reluctantly followed his lead before the doors closed.

VIP elevators take residents to and from the highest floors, Amelia and the young gentleman were the only ones taking that elevator that morning.

The gentleman cleared his throat once more when the elevator doors closed, to which Amelia hardly acted as she had noticed.

Taking her phone out, Amelia wrote a quick text to her brother.

I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN

The gentleman, twenty-five or so years old really beautiful man, admirably glanced at Amelia when she was texting.

He narrowed his eyes at her bent, then the diamond earrings on her.

His eyes held admiration for Amelia as the elevator silently dropped them to the ground floor. He waited for Amelia to come out first before he follow her towards the exit.

When the driver saw Amelia coming, he opened the door for her then before bowing down to greet her and the gentleman by her side

"Morning", Amelia greeted the driver to which he responded, "Good morning ma'am."

"Mr. Jackson", the gentleman called Amelia's driver by his name before walking towards the garage to get his car

The driver was happy to see Amelia that morning, happier to see her walking side by side with the gentleman.

He knows the young Master, Mr Jackson had worked for his family for years before Amelia stole him from them two years ago

The story of how the gentleman and Amelia came to be acquainted is one that Mr. Jackson can't get enough of. He keeps telling his friends whenever they meet up for drinks after his day job.

The ride was quiet that morning, Amelia didn't say anything to her driver and he didn't dare ask what his mind was begging to know.

There are a couple of parking spots at the University to avoid congestion. The first one is located close to the main entrance for those who come using taxis and who are dripping things in and doing pickups.

Inside the campus, there are about nine more each put at its most convenient place.

Amelia was dropped at the last parking lot behind the library where she mostly start her day from.

Taking business law, the place is convenient for her because the offices for law school are just ahead and so are the classes they use.

Her driver pulled out and only came to pick up Amelia during lunch and in the evening after she was done. He has a copy of her schedule, but Amelia hardly acts out of it.

When he pulled up at 18:47 he didn't expect Amelia to get there later than seven.

He had planned to use the little time he had before she came out to call his daughter, but closing his eyes made him forget.

When he woke from his unintended nap it was already 22:53, and still, Amelia was nowhere to be found.

He was afraid to the core, everything he touched felt too delicate and shaky as he tried to write her a text asking for forgiveness and if she went home already.

He knew he had jeopardized his job writing it. How could he have explained to his Boss that he didn't pick her up because he was sleeping in her car?

I AM SO SORRY MISS FOR NOT BEING THERE UN TIME. SORRY YOU HAD TO GO HOME BY YOURSELF

To which she replied.

WHERE ARE YOU? CAN YOU PICK ME UP AT THE CAMPUS IN 30?

Glad she was safe, he let out a sigh of relief and then happily texted.

OKAY MISS

I'M SORRY FOR TODAY MISS

****

Noah's pov

My heart had been broken by many, including my grandmother for dying too early. But, what B does to me is not like that, she knows how to break my heart and mend it back only to bust it open at her will.

She makes me feel a real connection, one so real that I can taste it on my lips and hold it in my arms.

The last time I saw her she made me realize we were never together, how can I say I'm related to her? We aren't friends, not even after I have tasted her leaving me wanting that delicious taste on my lips forever.

We started as seatmates, but even this semester I have lost it. She is somehow with her junior friends like Cate while I am spending my free time in the hostel thinking of the greatest love that didn't happen.

I'm done sympathizing, I knew what was happening long before I came to accept the reality. She warned me, I still remember that.

That is the mantra I have been repeating while chatting with my new friend. At least with her, I know that we can be friends, she isn't embarrassed to have a freshman and a lowlife as her friend.

I did brag that where I come from I'm a big shot in terms of how many little girls are promised to marry me when they come of age.

After months of eyeing her from the sidewalks and expressing my stalker skills, she noticed me. I am going to put away that sad playlist I had prepared on Spotify.

My mind can't remember any time I saw B inside the campus facility when she didn't want to be seen.

The second semester is not any different, she has been nowhere when I wanted to say 'hi' and ask if we could hang out sometime.

Only saw her once coming out of Science Complex, I was standing by the bridge waiting to see my new friend, Amelia.

By then I was her normal stalker.

I have her phone number, where she lives, and all I need to track her down. But I'm always hesitant because of how good she is at figuring out what I am up to.

The last thing I would wish for is B telling me to stay away from her because I had popped up where she goes.

Cate on the other hand I have seen her, I bought her coffee yesterday and we talked about her trip to Asia.

She spent three weeks in China where her relatives are. She showed me all the pictures she had taken and even gave me her Instagram to follow everything she does live.

Weirdly Cate wasn't happy that B and I hit it off for whatever time we spent together. I agree with her, B is out of my reach and it will only hurt her if I keep on getting the wrong idea that we will ever be.

Cate knows B more than I do, she said B would be happier if I did find myself a girlfriend and lived a normal college life.

She joked about sleeping with me, which we both found to be hilarious. She is interning at the airport this semester, I am sad a bit that I'll not be able to see her crazy.

Cate eased my mind yesterday, she gave me the courage to try forgetting B as little as I can. And her nasty jokes and tales of who she slept with in China made my mind focus on something rather than B.

Waking up this morning, I felt like the champion I am. I could feel it deep in my bones.

With only a single class in the evening, I spent the day tidying up. At 17:04 my class was over.

On the balcony outside lecture hall three, me and a new girl I made friends with looked at the busy campus.

"See you around, Noah", she said following a group of sorority friends. Her name is Gabby, she's a local here.

That's when I heard another voice coming from behind me, a voice my brain had stored permanently.

"Look at you", the girl who saved me last trimester was right behind me. I made a turn so excited that I almost lost balance.

I don't know why but my mouth made an O with nothing coming out. I couldn't believe it, she finally recognized my presence. I never dreamed of this day.

Her angelic face close to me in the cold evening made mine warm, I was awkward as I can get when excited.

With me hung up on what to reply and the probability of this happening, she gestured for me to walk with her.

"Who's the girl?", she inquired.

It will take forever for me to get used to her beautiful voice and even have the confidence to look at her like I'm used to staring at B.

"New friend I made today", I replied confidently scanning for any doubtful eyes staring at us. We are far away from equality, they must have thought it was not happening.

"Concerned?", she asked without looking at me as we used the stairs towards the ground floor. I like the attention, how else would I have believed the moment was real?

"A bit", the beautiful girl way off my dreams didn't reply to that.

At that moment I wanted to look at her face and believe I wasn't imagining her, but I was afraid to.

"Where are you up to?"She asked, finally breaking the awkward silence we had fallen into. One that I appreciated every second of. "Just had my last class."

"Care to join me for a drink?", In what world would I say no? I nodded when she looked at me for confirmation.

We ended up in the cafeteria where she ordered two coffees. I wanted to ask how she knew I drink coffee but I let it be.

When we took her best spot, by the furthest corner, students couldn't get enough of us and I loved it. She wasn't the one to ask for attention because she never gave a shit bug, not one to say no either.

"You knew I drank coffee, have you been stalking me?"I joked when she was about to open a book and leave me for my coffee.

Her hazel eyes looking at me fried my brain turning me into a vegetable.

She said, " I see you stalking me, it was my turn."

Her amused face made me feel all kinds of crazy, disbelief written all over my face. I was out with the most beautiful real-life girl I've ever seen.

Who could have believed in me if I said I had spent an evening with her? I wouldn't believe me either.

I felt thrilled that she had seen me stalking her, and that made me less worried about it being a problem in the future if there is any. I don't care about the future, this one date is above my expectations, and she doesn't know it's a date yet

"Everyone who grew up seeing coffee as a drug is coffeeholic, if I'm allowed to invent that word", I said trying to make a pass.

She knows more about caffeine than I do but tried her best not to correct my ignorance by telling me the addictive trait of it.

"Don't turn to do's, Noah."

Did she overhear my name from my new friend, Gabby? I nodded hurriedly which made her stop her gaze on the page she had opened.