Aimee cradled the Carlton's one year old, Kayla. Aimee tickled her neck and her cheeks ballooned at the sight of the baby's giggle. Samuel and Veronica stood over the sitter and sighed with grins at the lovely sight.
"They look so cute together!" Veronica said through a full-toothed smile.
Samuel slid an arm around his spouse. "When she answered our ad, I had a good feeling about her. I see why."
Aimee flushed as her face turned cherry. "Thank you guys for giving me this job. I wouldn't be able to eat if not for your generosity."
Samuel said, "We admire someone trying to make something of themselves so we're happy to help. We thank you for taking care of our little girl. I think she likes you!"
Aimee's scholarships took care of her tuition and books but not a dime remained to put food in her belly or gas in her clunker. The Carlton's pay for a few hours of work a day was perfect as she could spend more time with her head in her texts and computer screens. There was a lot of college left between her and her dream of being a nurse and she appreciated her employer's help during her journey.
Friday was the couple's date night and after a week of giving massages at their day spa, they looked forward to directing all attention to each other.
Samuel's work in the gym created an eye-appealing shape to his all black, broad-shouldered suit. The salt and pepper in his beard seemed to match his attire. Veronica's black bolero jacket and red knee-length dress with black stilettos was her choice of evening wear. Her brunette locks flowed freely upon her shoulders. Aimee ogled at Veronica's olive skin and lamented at how she could have stood to be a few tones darker herself. Her attempts resulted in burns opposed to Veronica's tone being natural.
Aimee said, "You two look ready for a red carpet premier. What movies have you been in?"
Veronica squeezed Aimee's hand. "Aww, you're too sweet! We're actually going to dinner with some friends from high school. What are you going to do while we're out?"
"Research papers and Algebra problems! I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend a Friday night!" Aimee's lip curled towards the floor.
Samuel said, "Don't worry. One day, you'll look back and thank yourself that you made this sacrifice. They'll be plenty of parties to go to after you graduate!"
Aimee grinned as forced and fake as possible. "Yes, I'm sure I'll be so happy thinking about that now!"
Especially since her friends are at the movies, comedy shows, or listening to live music somewhere...
"You'll be okay," Veronica said, "and if your tummy growls, use this..."
Aimee's pupils glowed when a twenty dollar bill landed in her palm and her smile became quite genuine. "Aww, thank you! I can work now!"
Samuel patted his wife's butt and leaned towards the door. "Speaking of growling stomachs, we need to go now so we can make our reservation on time, honey."
Veronica popped up and closed the gap between her hubby as a bedroom squint narrowed her eyes.
She gripped his tie and stopped her lips a breath's length from his. "If you do that again, we might not make it to the restaurant, bad boy."
Aimee silenced the baby's fussing with a bottle while watching the couple in a daze. Her nights were filled with fantasies of being in such a relationship.
Samuel, near his wife's ear, whispered, "You'll get yours later. I promise you that. Let's go!"
Samuel took her hand and led her to the door.
"Have a great night! We'll be back late!" Veronica said as she crossed the threshold.
"Take care of Kayla!" Samuel added as they stumbled outside in chuckles.
Relief settled within Aimee when they left and more came when the couple sped away. She pulled away from the blinds and toted Kayla to her crib in the room next to the master bedroom. After tucking her in, Aimee stepped into the hallway and trekked back to the living room. She took one glance at her backpack and tried stirring excitement over her homework.
"Whining about it won't get it done!" Aimee attempted to hype herself up to no avail.
She took a seat, rummaged through her backpack, and opened her Algebra textbook on the glass coffee table. Her calculator landed next to it. In her earphones popped blaring Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande and she went to work on those math problems like a woman possessed...for all of ten minutes.
Her pencil's movements slowed and her mind drifted in directions more fitting given what night it was. Aimee's blue irises shifted towards her phone and excitement began to race when she contemplated the company she could summon to liven her evening.
She snatched her phone, pulled out her earphones, and leaned against the armrest with her legs drawn towards her chest.
She scrolled through her contacts until she reached the name that made her wiggle with a thrill.
Trey Butler, her high school crush from the track and field team that happened to wind up going to her university. She did little more than giggle around him and wave with the occasional "hello" for the longest. She would try to sit near him during class. During a pep rally, she eased into his hip on the bleacher and they ended up talking. A date later, they were stirring soup together over his stove and visiting each other's parents hearing embarrassing stories about the other. The way he peered into her eyes, his touch, his presence had her singing love songs. He didn't hide the fact he wasn't a woman-one man. Her heart quivered with sorrow but they remained friends. That didn't mean she wouldn't have minded his presence again.
Aimee tapped his name and couldn't sit still as she listened to the rings on speaker.
"Hey, Aimee," the bass-filled voice answered, "what are you doing?"
Aimee nibbled a nail. "Babysitting and doing Algebra. Fun, right?"
Trey half-chuckled. "Too bad you didn't notify your voice."
Aimee leaned forward and sounded like she was in an amusement park. "Hey, so how's this? No, really, I'd feel that way if you weren't doing anything and could come over!"
"Oh..." Trey was taken aback. "I wasn't expecting that. You know I'm seeing someone. I told you in class the other day."
Aimee experienced a jab to the gut at the revelation she previously made a point to suppress. "I know but you said it wasn't serious..."
"Aren't you supposed to be watching a baby?" Trey challenged.
Aimee leapt off the sofa, scampered down the hall, and turned the doorknob leading into Kayla's room being careful not to disturb her.
She tiptoed across the carpet and stuck her head over the crib. The little one was snug in her blankets and snoozing. Aimee stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.
"She's asleep!" Aimee said in a loud whisper. "Don't worry about that. I'm not the best sitter this side of town for no reason!"
"Okay, but what would we do when I get there?" Trey asked almost digging to see if Aimee's mind was in a dirty place.
Most people didn't get to see beyond Aimee's "sweet as honey" persona. Nobody would believe what really laid beneath.
She trotted past the island in the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator. Orange juice, apple juice, cokes, and aha! Six bottles of Heineken on the bottom.
Aimee picked up a bottle and nodded. "We can have a little party."
"Never known you to be a party girl. Your idea of a party is going to the library with a bottle of grape juice."
Aimee lamented all the time she spent under a rock. Love stories or mysteries, English or History, it didn't matter the book. Her nose spent a lot of time between their pages. When Trey came along, that was the first time she had the urge to stray away from her nature as he gravitated towards the outgoing types. Not that she was ready to be a butterfly but maybe there were other ways to grab his attention.
"I don't think you know everything about me," Aimee said in a bedroom tone, "why don't you come find out what else you might learn?"
"Okay, I'll come but I might not be able stay too long," Trey said.
Aimee's leap for joy was tempered by Trey's admission of a short visit, especially with the presumption another woman was going to get some of his attention. If an abbreviated time together was all she could get, it would have to be enough.
"That's great! It's the same place you dropped me off when I babysat last time! Bye!" Aimee hung up and was giddy like a girl about to go on her first date.
Aimee skipped back to the living room. She took off her glasses and placed them on the coffee table. She released her brownish blonde tresses from their ponytail and let them fall freely onto her shoulders. She grasped her university shirt at the hem, lifted it overhead, and flung it to the sofa. The cool whisks swirled around her skin and she stretched to the ceiling in her freedom.
She squeezed her breasts together through her white tank top and thrust her chest forward. She admired her twins as they weren't too big or too small but she wondered how much Trey liked them. What would he think if they became more acquainted?
Aimee turned and gazed at her blue jean covered butt. A bubble shaped thing of imperfect perfection. It could have stood to be thicker as Aimee saw it but was no less cute with the feel of dough.
She nodded at her perceived ability to put Trey in a trance and give him amnesia when it came to this "other" person in his life.
Aimee stretched out on the sofa with a pillow behind her head and tunes rocking in her ear. Every few minutes, she would part the blinds and peek outside. The moon glistened on the rain-soaked streets. To her chagrin, none of the cars splashing water belonged to Trey. If he didn't get there soon, she was going to scream. She couldn't remember the last time she was alone with a guy. That meant it had been too long.
As time passed, his existence between her ears caused a stirring in her nether world. The way that guy knows what he wants and goes for it like nothing can stop him be it his electrical engineering degree, how he shoots her alluring glances that spoke of deeper things unsaid, and how he tries to understand her—she could go on but at the end, she desired that man.
As she descended further into her trance, knocks on the door had Aimee's heart leaping into her throat and gasping.
"Oh, my God! Could it be..." Aimee shot her eyes through the blinds and a black pickup was in the driveway. "It's
him
!"
Aimee dashed to door while swiping her brush from the table. She gave her hair several strokes while the knocks persisted and quivered her to the core. She took a breath to ease her nerves, squeezed the doorknob, and flung it open. The sight before her resembled Trey but something was off. His smile, energy, chin and shoulders held high...where were they?
