Chapter 28

The days passed quickly, and Adelaide continued avoiding talking to Griffin. She even turned off her phone to avoid seeing missed calls and unanswered messages. She knew he wanted an explanation and an answer about the love declaration, but not even Adelaide herself knew what she felt. She was sure she liked the doctor, but she didn't want to give in to her doubts, like her feelings for Kai; they still lingered deep in her heart.

Meanwhile, Aurora's life couldn't be better, like a perfectly balanced scale. Work was wonderful; she earned extra money covering the photo shoot for Emotion's special Christmas edition. Regarding college, she would soon go on a field trip and was very excited about the classes. And lastly, she and Tristan continued to meet and stay true to the agreement, which favored her love/sex life.

On that cold afternoon, Aurora calmly exited the subway. One of the reasons she loved the end of the year was that she didn't have to face the crowded throng that always formed when she got off the train. No students going to school, no adults running late for work, and no old folks who always got the last seats.

She walked the rest of the way on the snow-covered sidewalk, listening to calm music on her new earphones, but she took them off when she spotted the marketing college building in the distance.

As she entered the building, she was stopped by the security guard who questioned her presence. After a short conversation, the man was convinced that she was just a prospective student and explained the way to the secretary's office.

Despite the security guard's explanation, Aurora managed to get lost in the empty corridors, but she could hear the voices of students and professors coming from the classrooms.

Shortly afterward, she spotted a student standing in the middle of a corridor, absorbed in his phone.

"Excuse me..." the redhead approached the guy. Her eyes landed on the single-strap backpack he carried, with a name knitted on it, which she deduced belonged to him. "Harry K.?"

"Yes. What do you want?" He glanced at her for a split second, then returned his attention to the phone, looking very busy.

"Can you tell me where the secretary's office is?"

"Oh my God!" He interrupted her, eyes widening. "There's a Porygon in the west corridor!" He said excitedly, then ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

Aurora rolled her eyes, thinking, "Great! I just asked for help from a Pokémon GO addict!"

"Excuse me, miss." Aurora turned and saw a brunette girl hugging a book. She was clearly a student. "You seem lost. Do you need help?"

"Yes. Can you explain where the secretary's office is?"

"Just turn right at the next two corners." The girl smiled sweetly. "You seem new to be a teacher."

"I'm not a teacher; I'm a prospective student." Aurora explained, returning the smile. "Today, I'm going on a field trip with one of the professors."

"What's his name?"

She tried to remember, but her memory was failing her, so she reached into her pants pocket, took out a folded piece of paper, and quickly read until she found her professor's name.

"Frederick."

"Fred? I-I mean... Professor Frederick..." The woman's cheeks blushed. "His class has already ended; I can go call him from the teachers' lounge if you want."

Aurora thanked the secretary for the information and headed towards the teachers' lounge. Meanwhile, the brunette went to the secretary's office and knocked three times on the door. A voice from inside allowed her to enter, and she bowed to the secretary, who returned the gesture and began explaining more about the classes and college rules.

"You're a lucky girl to be in Professor Frederick's class," the secretary said with a smile. Aurora imagined he must be an excellent professional.

"He's the best in this college. All the students praise him, especially the female ones."

The young woman raised an eyebrow, with the impression that her future professor had something special beyond intelligence.

"Excuse me," a male voice made its presence known in the room. Both women looked towards the door, seeing the man enter. "You must be the new student."

Aurora said nothing, as if the words were stuck in her throat just by looking at the face of the professor, whose beauty was breathtaking!

"Yes, she is," the secretary put her hand on the young woman's shoulder, who snapped out of the man's enchantment. "This is Professor Frederick."

Aurora bowed without breaking eye contact.

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Aurora Navarro."

Frederick smiled slightly. "Likewise," he replied. "Well, I'll show you around the building and guide you in your first few days. Please, follow me."

"Oh my God... I'll never skip class again!" Aurora thought, completely impressed with Professor Frederick's presence.

***

Contrary to the subway, the mall was chaotic! Full of people buying last-minute gifts for friends and family, as Christmas was just a few days away. Unfortunately, Aurora was one of those people. Buying a gift used to be a luxury, and it still was due to apartment debts, but every month that year, she managed to set aside money for the occasion.

She spent hours in a clearance store, competing with a stranger in a tug-of-war for the last Christmas sweater on sale. Aurora came out victorious, but decided not to take the piece of clothing as it was damaged.

After finishing her shopping, she took advantage of being at the mall to visit a friend.

In a few minutes, Aurora was catching up with Thomas, who was wearing a pink sweater. They were sitting on a bench in front of the fitting rooms.

"Sexy professor?" Thomas raised an eyebrow when Aurora mentioned Frederick.

"Besides being sexy, he's a very handsome and intelligent man," Aurora added, making Thomas fan himself with his hand.

"God bless America!" Thomas said, and the young woman laughed. "Can you tell if he's straight?"

"No, but I advise you to give up. Frederick probably isn't single, and even if he is, he already has many students interested, even the secretary."

"And are you included in that list?" Thomas crossed his legs, looking at her suspiciously.

"Thomas, I go to college to study, not to flirt with professors."

"You only say that because you can have a Tristan Callahan whenever you want," he rolled his eyes.

Aurora was about to retort, but she was interrupted by a woman coming out of the fitting room. She was wearing a very tight black dress, and both Aurora and Thomas wondered how she could breathe in it.

"How does it look, Thomas?" the customer asked, seeking a professional opinion.

"You look stunning! You'll rock the party!" he forced a smile, but it vanished as soon as the woman entered the fitting room. "Did I hear the dress screaming for help?"

"Why didn't you tell her it didn't look good?" Aurora questioned him.

"Because that woman has been here for hours, choosing a dress for a party, and my patience has its limits!" he flipped his hair to the side and sighed deeply.

"I'll remember never to ask for your fashion advice," she smiled.

"Anyway, how are things between you and Tristan?"

"I don't have much to say about it," Aurora shrugged. "We meet, have sex, and then go our separate ways, and it repeats over and over again."

"Come on, something must have changed."

Yes, a lot had changed. The sex seemed to get better, perhaps because Aurora was a bit more experienced, but she still felt awkward before and after the act.

"Don't get your hopes up. You know how Tristan is. For him, it's just another carnal desire."

"And for you?" Thomas asked, making the young woman nervous with that question.

"Enough of this topic. My life doesn't revolve around Mr. Arrogant," she picked up the shopping bags and stood up.

"Leaving already?" Thomas stood up too.

"Yes, I'm tired. It's been a long day," the redhead said goodbye with a quick kiss on Thomas's cheek.

Aurora left the store with her thoughts wandering. She told herself that Tristan was just a passing figure in her life, but her body and heart didn't accept that.

She refused to harbor feelings for the businessman; it would be like asking to have her heart broken. Tristan didn't belong to any woman and never would. Love, affection, and commitment were not words that fit him. That's who he was, and it wouldn't change just because Aurora didn't want to be just another one in his bed, providing him pleasure.

"Look, it's Barbie's Ken!" The sweet and cheerful voice of a child caught Aurora's attention, and she noticed a man dressed as Ken taking photos with children and adults in the center of the mall.

That's when the young woman thought, "Why not?" She didn't see any problem in taking a simple photo next to the famous "Barbie's boyfriend"...

But it never crossed her mind that she would end up behind bars because of that decision.

***

"This is a great injustice!" Aurora complained to the police officer leading her, handcuffed, to the office of the detective. "That perverted Ken touched me, and I'm the one to blame?!"

"The detective will decide that," said the uniformed man with a deep voice.

The police officer opened the door to the office and dragged Aurora's arm with brutality, making her sit in the chair in front of the pot-bellied detective, who looked at her with a frown.

"You here again?" the detective inquired, resting his elbows on the desk.

"Before we start, I want to know if this is really necessary?" Aurora referred to the handcuffs on her wrist.

The detective looked at the police officer, who understood the message. He removed the handcuffs, and the young woman massaged her wrists with a bit of pain.

"Miss Aurora," the detective continued. "First, you fought with the sisters Violet and Genevieve, and now you hit a man dressed as Ken. What will you do next? Tear the Easter Bunny's ears off?"

"It depends. If the bunny is also a pervert, I'll make him swallow his own eggs!" she crossed her legs, irritated and indignant at being seen as the culprit.

"You have the right to make a call. Use it wisely."

Aurora stood up before the police officer could pull her arm again and walked firmly out of the room. The detective was skeptical about her since she had acquired the title of "troublemaker" since the fight with Violet and Genevieve. But she would prove her innocence; she was just defending herself.

The police officer took her to a hallway with fixed phones. The young woman could call Adelaide or her other friends, but she knew none of them could easily solve this problem. She only thought of someone with enough power to get her out of there and hated having to swallow her pride to ask for help.

"I need your help," Aurora whispered as soon as the call was answered.

"Aurora..." he said, recognizing the girl's voice. "Where are you?"

"At the police station."

"What are you doing there?"

"Risking being arrested for hitting a perverted Ken with a surfboard."

"Did he do something to you? Are you hurt?" Tristan's voice still had the usual cold and cautious tone, but Aurora noticed a slight change and couldn't identify what it was.

"They got a little handsy, but I'm okay; I can take care of myself."

"I'll take care of it," Tristan replied, and the call ended.

Many minutes passed since she spoke to Tristan on the phone. There she was, leaning against the hallway wall, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground, and fed up with the police officer who was watching her every move until a tall man entered the police station, wearing light jeans, a simple white shirt, and a dark coat. Aurora assumed he was there on Tristan's orders, so she walked up to him with the police officer following.

"Hey, Bugs Bunny," she said, and the man rolled his eyes.

"Hey, shorty," Xavier retorted, and it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Where's the detective's office?"

"Let me take you there," the police officer spoke up and turned, leading the two of them through the corridors.

"It's just what I needed, having to come to solve your problems," Xavier grumbled beside Aurora.

"You accepted because you wanted to," Aurora said just to tease him. She knew Xavier would never go against Tristan out of fear of his reaction.

"I accepted because I value my life and my job," Xavier corrected her.

"I know you're not here for me, but anyway... Thank you," Aurora's sincere words made Xavier look at her, but he didn't say anything.