by Peyton Banks
After hanging up the phone with my best friend Stew, I couldn’t get Astrid off my mind. I wanted to see her so badly. I wish I had the courage to call just to hear her say my name again. I had kept up with her career over the years and was damn proud of the web series she created. I was a little confused where it came from though. She always talked about having a dramatic web series about love and romance, but the one she ended up writing was all comedy and sex based. Don’t get me wrong, I had nothing against sex or laughing. It just didn’t seem like something my Astrid would write.
I watched the series religiously and thought it was excellent. Of course, it was produced by Tomi Chambers, so it had to be lit. I wondered if Tomi would have any information about if Astrid was dating anyone. I tried to cyber stalk her, but she made her accounts private. I even went as far as to friend her cousin Shante, but she wouldn’t tell me anything relevant.
6
Astrid
I couldn’t believe the luck we had. Shante’s godmother hooked us all the way up. Apparently, she had a rent-controlled apartment in The Village, and the last tenant she sub-leased to was spending the summer in Europe. She was just getting ready to place an ad for a new renter when Te called her. Talk about kismet. The place was amazing. Two bedrooms, one bath and lots of space! The pictures online did not do it justice. When we walked into that spacious place, we thought we had moved on up with George and Weezie. The best part was it came furnished!
“Te, I can’t believe we are staying here for $500 a month. No wonder people in New York will kill for a rent-controlled apartment.”
Shoot, I would never leave if I could live like this forever. Unfortunately, we only had the winter until the renter returned. We arrived the weekend before the workshop started, which gave us enough time to wonder around and get familiar with the area. Her godmother met us at the apartment with the keys and gave us the rundown on which stores were good and what areas to stay away from. She made us promise not to go out at night alone and to keep our wits about us. She even showed us how to ride the train and the bus. By Monday I was all set to make my first day at the workshop a great one.
“Shante, I swear, if you make me late on my first day there will be hell to pay!”
“Calm all the way down. Nobody is going to be late. My new job is right around the corner from the building where your class is held. Or did you forget? I can’t wait to get my hands on all those acting students. I finally get to use my skills making special effects makeup for this play! I can’t wait.”
“Come on, girl. Let’s go.”
We walked a few blocks before getting on the bus that dropped us off right in front of the building where my class was held. This was going to be the best year I had ever had. Now, I just had to figure out how to stay warm in this cold ass city. I snuggled into my big coat and wrapped my scarf around my face. I could actually see my breath in front of me.
“Hey, you wanna do lunch?” Shante asked.
“Sure, if they let us out at the same time. Be sure to text me. I’ll keep my phone on silent.”
“Cool. Have a great day!”
“You too!”
As I entered the room, I had a feeling of nostalgia come over me. It was more than being back in the classroom again. It had a feeling of home. Like I belonged there. That’s when I heard the last voice I expected to hear calling my name.
“Ash? Astrid Satterfield, is that you?”
I took a deep breath trying to calm the blood rushing through my veins. A stampede of Clydesdales stomped their way through my belly making my hand fly to my midsection. They really needed to sit down somewhere. I had things to do and taming wild horses wasn’t on the agenda. I turned to see the love of my life seated behind me. I would recognize that smile anywhere. He had aged a bit, but he was still fine as wine. Gone was the finely manicured Caesar and in its place was a smooth bald head. His glasses had been upgraded to the latest fashionable tortoise shell frames and he smelled like heaven. Jesus, take the wheel!
“Leon? What are you doing here?”
“I’m taking the workshop. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”
Just as I was about to reply, Tomi walked in, officially starting class. I was going to be petty and sit across the room from him, but I didn’t want to disrespect Tomi by walking across the floor while she was introducing herself. Instead, I sat my happy ass in the seat next to my past. Wine! I needed a bottle of wine if I was going to get through twelve weeks of being this close to Leon.
My first thought was to text Shante, but she beat me to the punch. Frowning, I started typing, but was quickly interrupted by Tomi.
“Excuse me, Miss Satterfield, but there is no texting in my class. Please put your phone away.”
I looked up as my thumb hit the send button. The entire class, including an amused Leon, was looking at me. How embarrassing. I tossed my phone in my bag and smiled apologetically as I looked around at my classmates.
“My apologies, Miss Chambers. It won’t happen again.”
“Please see that it doesn’t. Now, as I was saying, welcome to the Classic Black Romance in Cinema workshop. Let’s get started. Okay, at the end of the twelve weeks, you all will have a finished short film on the subject of your choice, as long as it pertains to cinematic romance. Here’s the kicker because I always make my classes fun. You will be assigned a partner to work with. To make things simple, I am just going to assign you to work with the person sitting next to you.”
Shit, shit, shit! That meant Leon and I would be paired off. Looking around the room, I attempted to find someone who didn’t already have a partner, but to my disappointment there was no one. I would rather eat a container if broken glass than to spend the next three months of my life tethered to the man who destroyed me. I had to fight the tears that were forming in my eyes from dropping. I wasn’t on the verge of crying because I was sad. Quite the contrary. I was mad as hell that I was put in this position where I felt like I had no other option. When I met his eyes the bastard had the nerve to be grinning at me like a damn fool. You have got to be kidding me. I wanted to ask Tomi if I could change partners, but I was already in the doghouse about my phone. I wasn’t about to be the problem student in her class. I didn’t need that kind of attention.
“Alright, class. I am sending the details of the assignment to your emails right now. I am going to lecture for a while, and then after lunch, I expect you to pair off and start working on your outlines. In the file I am sending you, there is a suggested timetable and outline to use. Keep in mind, it is just a suggestion to keep you on track, but feel free to make any adjustments.”
Tomi pressed a few buttons on her laptop, and my email notification dinged making me aware that I had a new email. I opened the file and reviewed it as I prepared to take notes from her lecture. When lunchtime came around, guess which gorgeous man decided he wanted to start talking to me. I wanted nothing to do with him.
“What are you doing for lunch? There’s a nice café not far from here. They serve the best soup and grilled cheese. I would love to buy you lunch and do some catching up.”
That bastard knew I couldn’t resist a good bowl of soup and grilled cheese, even in the summer. It had been my weakness since I was a child. I avoided his eyes, knowing if I looked into the abyss of light brown swirls, I would be sucked into a black hole, unable to say no. I tucked my head and started walking toward the door.
“No thanks. I have plans with Shante.”
Him…
I just about jumped out of my chair when I saw her standing in that classroom looking ten times better than the last time I saw her. She was more mature than I remembered. Astrid’s hips had filled out and her breasts were fuller, yet her waist remained small. She was wearing a loose-fitting dress, but even through all the material, she couldn’t hide that round backside that I used to worship. My skin started itching as small beads of sweat appeared on my arm. My heart started beating so fast I was sure she could hear it from where
she was standing. I needed to see her beautiful face. Turn Around. Come on, turn around, baby. My telepathy wasn’t working, so I had no choice but to call out to her.
When our eyes met for the first time in a little over five years, my breath caught in my chest. She was more beautiful than I remembered. Stunning. The frown on her face told me she was both shocked and unhappy to see me. It mattered not to me. I would make it my mission to change her mind. By the end of this workshop, she would be mine once more. Once that happened, I was never letting her go again.
Luck was on my side. When the instructor arrived Astrid was forced to sit next to me to keep from interrupting the class. I smiled at her awkwardness. I made her uncomfortable. That was a good sign. It meant she still had feelings for me, even if they were buried deep down at the bottom of her heart.
Things got a little more interesting when we were assigned as partners for our class project. When she looked around the room like she wanted to change partners, my heart fell. She really wanted to get away from me. I know I hurt her, but it had been five years. It was time for us to kiss and make up. I decided to make a peace offering and invite her to lunch.
The Who, a local café that served amazing comfort food was just around the corner. It was an owl themed restaurant that catered to the students in the area. I knew Astrid could never resist her favorite go to meal, soup and grilled cheese. When she turned me down, I was disappointed. No lie. However, I wasn’t in the business of giving up on the first try.
I started walking toward the café when I noticed Astrid was headed that way too. I acted like I didn’t see her and started walking fast to make it there before her. She always hated that I walked so quickly, but it came in handy living in the city. Approaching the counter, I placed my order with the cashier who was shamelessly flirting with me. She may as well give up now. There was not a chance in hell that I would do anything to ruin even a whiff of a chance with Astrid.
“Welcome to The Who. What may I get you today?”
“Hi. Yes, I would like two large potato soups and two grilled cheese sandwiches. I also need a lemonade and a water with lemon.”
“Can I help you with anything else?”
“Actually, yes you can.”
Her face lit up from thinking I was taking her bait. Sorry chick. Not today. Not ever.
“Can you please give one of those orders and the lemonade to the young lady at the back of the line wearing the yellow t-shirt that says Melanin Queen.”
“Oh, so that’s your girl?”
“Not anymore, but I am trying to change that.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet. I would kill for a man to do that for me. It is so romantic.”
Romantic huh? I think this cashier just gave me an idea of how to get my woman back. She took my payment and quickly moved on to the next customer after making the drinks for me. I sat at a table in the corner where I could see Astrid’s reaction to being informed that her food had already been ordered and paid for. A confused look crossed her pretty face. She had been texting on her phone and never saw me in line. When the cashier pointed to me as the person who was treating her, she took a step back and a small smile turned up on her beautiful mouth for just a second. And then just like that, her mask went back up and the frown returned.
The place was busy with customers and seating was limited. When they brought my food to me, they placed Astrid’s on the table as well. I smiled as she made her way over to my table and stood there waiting for an invitation to join me. I had already asked her once, so if she wanted to sit, she could.
“Your food is getting cold, Astrid. Stop playing. Sit down and have your lunch.”
She looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting that response. After she sat down, I watched as she pressed her palms together in front of her as if to pray. Before she could close her eyes to bless her food, I took her hands in mine and said the blessing for both of us. I remembered how she always did that when we were together. For some odd reason I thought it was cute. I actually missed her doing that. It’s funny what you remember.
“Thank you for lunch. It wasn’t necessary.”
“It’s no problem. You should have accepted when I offered the first time instead of acting like you had other plans. I know we still need to clear the air between us, and we will at a later date, but right now we need to agree to get along enough to get this project done. I know you want to excel in this workshop.”
“And how would you know what I want.”
“I know you, Astrid. This is bucket list level for both of us. Why wouldn’t you want to do well?”
“You don’t know me as well as you think. It’s been a long time since you’ve known me, Leon.”
I smirked at her choice of words. No matter what she thought, I knew Astrid inside and out. She may be wearing a hardened exterior for protection, but she was the same woman I fell in love with. There was no denying that.
“Astrid, I know how you taste. I know the way your body responds to my touch. There isn’t anything you can do to change the fact that right now your eyes are dilated, your breathing has increased, and your panties are wet.”
To drive my point home, I caressed the inside of her wrist very lightly. It always drove her crazy when I touched her there. And just like I predicted, she gasped and pressed her thighs together while shifting in her seat. Yep, she was still mine, but she was stubborn, so I knew she would deny it.
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night. No man has that power over me anymore. It’s true, you used to know my body, but not any longer. I will never allow a man to have that kind of power over me again.”
“You mean the power of love? Please tell me you are not sitting here telling me you have given up on love.”
“That’s exactly what I am saying. Love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Wait, you of all people love, love. It is your favorite thing in the world.”
“No, it used to be. That was before…”
Her words trailed off, making me curious as to what she was going to say. I urged her to continue. I really didn’t want to get too deep into this conversation right now, but I needed to know what she meant.
“Before what? Tell me, baby.”
“I’m not your baby. I used to think love was everything, but that changed when you left. After I stopped mourning our relationship, I realized I had given you way too much power over my life. That kind of power had the capability of destroying me. So what did that say about love? I came to the conclusion that we all had been brainwashed since birth to believe in fairy tales and happily ever after, but it was all a lie. So, no, I don’t believe in love anymore.”
Damn! What have I done?
7
Astrid
Working with Leon was going to be the death of me. All I wanted to do was take this workshop, get a good grade and possibly have our film shown at the Tribeca Film Festival at the end of the summer. After reading the fine print of the syllabus, I discovered that would be the reward for all films that earned an A in the class. I was beyond stoked for this. There would be major film producers, not to mention industry professionals and A-list actors at this festival. It would be major to have those influential people see my work. I had to make sure our project was at the top of the class. Even if that meant spending all my free time with Leon.
Following lunch, we walked back to class together, and it felt like old times. He always had a way of making me laugh. He hadn’t lost his touch over the years. In fact, I found myself letting him get past the wall I had built specifically to keep him out. He caught me off guard, and I needed to recoup. Shante was not going to believe this!
After class I stood waiting for Shante to meet me on front of the building so we could ride the bus home together. I was lost in my thoughts about the workshop and seeing Leon again, oblivious to the man standing next to me. When I heard Leon’s angry voice echoing in my head, I turned in time to see the man fall backwards with my wallet in his
hand. What the…
“The next time you want to steal something you better make sure it isn’t from this woman. In fact, if you see her coming down the street, you better cross to the other side. Don’t let me catch you even looking at her. Do you understand me?”
“Okay, man. Please, just don’t call the cops on me.”
“Cops? Naw. I’ll handle that shit on my own if I see you near her again. Give me that damn wallet and get your raggedy ass out of here.”
Leon leaned down and snatched my wallet from the man and handed it to me. He was so angry you could see it rolling off his bald head like a storm cloud. I looked up to see Shante approaching with a concerned look on her face. We watched as the man got up from the ground and started running away. Leon stood close to me, looking me deep in the eyes.
“Are you alright, Ash? Did he touch you?”
“No, I’m fine. I didn’t even feel him take my wallet.”
“This isn’t like back home, Ash. In New York you have to be on alert at all times. People here will take advantage of your naivety. They can smell it on you and will pounce like a wildcat.”
“He’s right, you know.”
“Hey, Shante. What’s up, girl?”
“You tell me. I leave you on your own for one day, and you come back with a whole man and a thief. I guess I don’t have to ask how your day went.”
“Girl, no. It is definitely a cherry wine kind of day.”
“I heard that! I am so happy you gave up cherry ice cream for a more adult solution. Let’s go. Oh, by the way, hi, Leon.”