Laila , Theo

Hey everyone! This is something new I've been working on and I hope ya'll enjoy! Please let me know of any predictions or things that you'd like to see next!

-J

*****

Sitting in the backseat of her parents' 1999 Ford Taurus after a nearly seven hour drive, Laila Harris was nervous and didn't know what to expect. It was her first day of junior year at a new college in a completely different state and it was already a culture shock.

"You're gonna be spending a lot of time at the beach here, baby." Laila's mother, Irene, said from the passenger seat.

Laila peered out the window at the beautiful beach town of Providence Rhode Island and smiled to herself.

"No, she'll be spending a lot of time in those books," Laila's father, Elvin scoffed. "For the tuition we're paying, you need to focus on your studies."

Laila sucked her teeth with frustration. "I will, dad. You know I'm a good student."

As the Harris family pulled into Brown University's campus, Laila felt a sense of excitement. She would be around new people who didn't know her or where she was from, she could start fresh. Crowds of new students and their parents wandered in different directions while the orientation leaders aided lost drivers. The Harris family pulled up next to one of them.

Elvin rolled down his window at an intersection when someone knocked on the window. "Are you folks lost?"

"Yes, we're looking for East Andrew Hall?" Elvin asked while holding a paper with Laila's dorm information.

The tall brunette shook her head. "Ah, yes. It's down this road, take a left, and it should be on your right. If you have any more questions, there will be resident advisors there to help."

"Thank you." Elvin said while rolling his window back up.

He drove down the road, following directions, and there it was, Laila's home for the next two years. From the outside, it looked so regal and historical, like it had a lot of character. On the grass outside, students played catch and read under the late summer sun. Laila's stomach was thick with butterflies as she pulled into the parking lot.

When the Harris family began loading Laila's luggage and dorm supplies into a wagon for travel, they realized one thing?they were only one of five black families in the entire parking lot. Laila's father always made it a point to be proud of her blackness, so he was surprised when Laila decided to transfer to an Ivy League school on a mostly white campus so far from Philadelphia. Her excuse was that she didn't feel comfortable being around her high school classmates in a college environment, so when Brown accepted her one night, she took the opportunity.

The insides of East Andrew seemed like the typical dormitory that you see in movies. The hallways were earth tones with bulletin boards and there were lounge rooms and kitchens. The family headed to the busy front desk, alongside other new students and she checked in. The person behind the front desk handed her the room keys, new school ID, and a map of the university. Laila's room was on the third floor, suite 313 room B to be exact. Elvin pushed the wagon until they reached the elevator and pressed the third floor button.

Laila opened the room 313 door and there were two separate bedrooms with a shared common area which consisted of a sink and bathroom. The opposing bedroom had the name "Amy" written on the door, so Laila assumed that would be her new roommate. She opened her bedroom door with her parents trailing behind her, and she was surprised at how much space was in the room-- perfect for one. It had a desk with a shelf, a bed, exposed closet, and a dresser.

"This is kinda nice," Irene said while setting down her daughter's luggage on the floor.

Laila smiled to herself. "Yeah, I think I'm excited to live here."

Elvin began unloading his daughter's luggage on her bedroom floor while her mother started unpacking. Laila looked out the large window and saw that she had a perfect view of the front of her dorm and some view of campus.

Laila and her mother began making her bed with lavender sheets and a soft grey comforter that she found on clearance at Walmart. When finished, Laila unpacked her luggage and organized her clothing in the dresser and closet. Standing in the doorway, her father stood there watching her movements, knowing that he would only see his daughter only two or three times per year now.

After unpacking everything, Irene stood with Elvin. "Do you think you have everything you need now? Do you need more food?" she asked.

Laila glanced around the room to make sure everything was set up. "Yeah I think I'm fine here, I'm okay."

Irene embraced her daughter in a tight hug. "Don't be afraid to call us if you need anything, ok?"

Laila nodded and buried her face in her mother's shoulder. "It's a six hour drive, Mom. I'll be fine."

Her father maintained his stoic composure when he hugged his daughter. "I love you baby. Call us if you need us."

"I will, daddy." Laila whisper. görükle escort

She watched as her parents waived their goodbyes as they exited her room and drove away. The realization that she was finally out on her own in completely different state frightened her, but she was ready for this new chapter.

* * *

Theo Alfond rolled out of bed at approximately 2 P.M for his shift at the Le Favorite Bakery. He rubbed his eyes and wandered in his bathroom that he shared with his roommate, Byron. He quickly brushed his teeth and ran his fingers through his blond tussled hair and took a few moments to himself. He pulled on a pair of blue light-wash short over his toned legs and throw on a basic, olive green T-shirt.

Upon entering campus, Theo tried his best to avoid the main roads full of incoming students and families on their way to Brown. He turned up the music in his Model S Tesla and enjoyed the short commute to work. His phone kept buzzing with notifications from friends and past hookups but he ignored them all and instead enjoyed his music.

Theo pulled into the parking lot and saw his coworker, Keagan, loading fresh pastries into the company truck for deliveries. They waved at one another before Theo entered LeFavorite (LeFav for short) and was met a long line of waiting customers. Theo quickly rushed before the counter, clocked, washed his hands and throw on his apron, ready to serve.

"I can take it from here, Sherlynn." he said to his older coworker at the register.

Sherlynn thanked him and disappeared into the kitchen.

A tall, burly man greeted Theo and asked for three large strawberry shortcakes. Theo took three shortcakes, wrapped them under wax paper, and placed them in 3 boxes for the customer.

"Is that all, sir?" Theo asked. "Your total is thirty-seven dollars and forty cents."

The man nodded and took out his credit card to swipe.

The next customer couldn't make up her mind on what to order. Instead, she spent the whole time telling Theo of her busy morning with her five children. Sherlynn returned from the kitchen.

"Excuse me ma'am, but you need to order because we have many other customers to get to."

The woman's jaw dropped. "Well, I guess I'll take my business elsewhere."

Theo let out a small chuckle when he saw the woman rush out the bakery and continued with the rest of his shift.

***

By 3:30 P.M, Laila's sweet tooth got the best of her and she had just finished decorating her room with purple LED lights and posters of her favorite black poets and she wanted to reward herself with a sweet treat. She heard the suite door rattle, so she went out to the common area to see what the matter was. A tall, pink haired girl in a black mini dressed greeted her.

"Hi, I'm Amy," she said while extending her hand. "I moved in yesterday."

Laila smiled and greeted her new roommate. "I'm Laila, I moved in today."

The two shook hands and stood in silence for a moment.

"So are you a freshman?" Amy asked.

Laila shook her head. "No, I'm a junior. I transferred from Temple U in Philly."

Amy's green eyes lit up with amazement. "Philly? Wow, that's far. I'm new here, but I don't live super far."

Laila's mind wandered back to her sugar craving. "Do you know of any place I could get something sweet to eat? Are the dining halls open yet?"

Amy looked up at the ceiling, as if the answer was hidden up there. "Hmmm, well all the edible dining halls are closed until five. Actually, you know, there's this really great little bakery about twenty minutes from here in Warwick, LeFave or something. There's a bus on campus that drops you off around there."

Laila smiled and made a mental note to bring her wallet and school ID to access the public bus. "Thank you! Welp, I guess I'll see you later then."

The two went back to their respectful rooms. Laila decided to change out of her old, beat up shirt from the long car ride and into a bright, yellow shirt top with sunflowers on it. She paired the outfit with her old white strappy sandals and kept on her blue jean shorts. Her long, curly hair fell upon her shoulders.

Laila left the suite and went down the hallway until she reached the elevator. She found a handy map that showed her all the major routes of buses that led out to the nearby cities in Rhode Island. She saw a little sign for a meeting tonight at 5 P.M for a hall meeting with the girls on her floor with the RA.

She waited down the block from her dorm and boarded the bus, full of loud college students. She sat in the back and put her headphones on, blasting Frank Ocean. She admired the beautiful beach town and even saw views of ocean from the streets and made a mental note to visit the beach during a free weekend.

When the bus finally reached her destination, Laila exited through the back of the bus and waited for the oncoming traffic to subside. The bakery was located in a small strip and she went she opened its doors, her nose was met bursa escort bayan with the aroma of fresh baked goods and sweets.

She stood to the right of the bakery where the pastries were displayed and crouched down to her ankles to get a better look.

The lemon meringue pie, she thought. Or the raspberry tart? It was all too much too much to choose.

"Is there something I can help you with?" a voice asked.

Laila looked up and was met with bright blue eyes that belonged a tall, blonde guy behind the counter. His skin was sunkissed his hair was perfectly wavy. Laila's mouth went dry when she saw this handsome guy.

"Um, I-I'm just l-looking." she said, choking on her words.

The guy chuckled and continued waiting. "Well, just let me know. You can try samples if you'd like."

Laila looked back at the baked goods and tried to make her decision. "May I try the lemon meringue pie please?"

"Sure." He went into the back of the bakery's kitchen and retrieved a small, bite-sized piece of the pie in a mini sample cup.

With shaking hands, she took the cup and their fingers brushed by Laila pulled away. She popped the small, cool piece of pie into her mouth and nodded with approval.

"Mmmm," she said, with enjoyment. "I think I'll have this."

The cashier smiled. "For here or to go?"

Laila looked around the bakery, there were on a few people there, no harm in staying. "I'll have it for here. May I have a small lemonade with that?"

"Great." He said. "I'll have that ready for you."

Moments later, he was ringing up her order and watched her take seat in the corner of the bakery by the window.

***

Wow, she's gorgeous, Theo thought to himself.

He watched her from her seat and couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Another customer came and ordered more baked goods. Theo went through the motions but paid attention the girl in the corner. She must be new here, he thought. Warwick and the rest of Rhode Island wasn't super diverse, very WASP-y. Theo thought about what her name could be and if he'd see her again. He saw her steal little glances his and he hoped she'd be interested and he was actually nervous about it.

The girl came back to the counter and retrieved a napkin. This was his chance.

"So, are you new here?" Theo asked. "You're not one of our regulars."

She seemed caught off guard and almost shaken. "Yeah, uh, I just moved here today for school."

Theo raised his eyebrows. "Really? Which school"

"I go to--" the girl was cut off.

"Theo! We need you back here to ice these cupcakes for the McFallen wedding!" Sherlynn yelled from the kitchen.

Greeaat, Theo thought.

"I'll be back in a little bit, okay?" Theo smiled back at the girl.

Theo left to go back in the kitchen were the counter was full of three hundred cupcakes ready for buttercream frosting. Sherlynn and another employee were already frosting rows of them.

"You can do those four rows." Sherlynn said, gesturing to the cupcakes.

He reluctantly took the icing tool and began painstaking frosting the cupcakes.

Sherlynn looked over and shrugged. "Theo, sometimes I wonder why you even work here. Your family is richer than God, they own a whole shoe company and Christ knows what else.

Theo chuckled. "Well yeah, but I like to keep myself busy, working here has its perks."

This is it, Theo thought to himself. He'd missed his shot with the girl. His only hope was that she would be there when he was finished.

***

Laila looked at her watch when she realized what time it was. She only had about a half hour until the RA meeting tonight and she knew that she couldn't be late. She looked around the bakery for the handsome guy again but it was he was still in the kitchen. She couldn't wait, she had to board the next bus.

By the time she made it back to East Andrews, the hall meeting started early and Laila was met with about fourteen girls sitting on the floor on either side of the small hallway with a girl with a clipboard leading the conversation.

"Name please?" the older girl asked with an attitude.

Laila felt tense again. "Laila."

The girl wore her blond hair tight bun. "Ah, yes. I'm your RA, Tanner. You're with Amy. Why are you late?"

Her mouth went dry. "I-I thought the meeting started at five?"

Tanner let out a fake laugh. "Everyone here knows that every hall meeting starts five minutes early."

Laila felt eyes on her. 'Alright, it won't happen again."

She took a seat next to Amy, who sitting by their door. The hall meeting went by relatively slow. Tanner outlined rules and curfews. Students could enter the building at any time of day but there was a zero tolerance policy for excessive noise on weekdays.

"And that's everything." Tanner said, looking through her checklist on the clipboard. "You all can return to your rooms now."

The hallway of girls quickly scattered back into their rooms, bursa escort avoiding their no-nonsense RA. Laila said goodbye to Amy when they disappeared into their bedrooms. She closed the door and exhaled. She looked around her bedroom and smiled to herself when she thought back on her impromptu encounter with the guy at the bakery.

Distracting herself, Laila sat at her desk with her laptop and looked over class schedule. She outlined when and where everything was in her day planner and phone to be fully prepared. When she was finished, she put her makeup in a drawer inside of her desk and threw her curly hair in a messy bun. After showering, Laila rubbed lemon scented lotion against her soft caramel skin and went to bed for the night.

The sun had risen the next morning, along with Laila's 8 A.M alarm. She laid confused for a moment until she realized today was her first day of college at Brown. For her outfit, she picked out a casual navy blue sundress that complimented her small curvy frame and paired it with black vans. She removed the bun from her hair and did a half up half down style and completed her look with winged eyeliner, mascara, and berry lipstick. She heard Amy getting ready and she wanted to say hello, but before she could, Amy left. Armed with her campus map and notebooks for her classes, Laila was prepared for her day.

Her first stop was at the campus breakfast bar and she ordered a quick but filling bagel sandwich and an orange juice. She took a seat at a table alone when a pretty Hispanic girl visited her table.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Paola"

Laila smiled and gestured to the empty seat across from here. "I'm Laila, please, sit down."

Paola sat across from Laila in the crowded breakfast bar and she was excited about possibly making her first friend.

"So what are you studying?" Paola.

Laila took a sip of her juice. "Business accounting. My class for Business management starts in about half an hour. You?"

Paola took a few pieces of her apple Danish and nodded. "That sounds rough, I hate morning classes and my classes don't begin until noon. I'm studying International Relations."

The breakfast bar was almost full to capacity and the two could barely hear each other.

"You know what?" Laila asked, leaning forward to Paola. "Let's exchange numbers and we'll hang out soon. I think I should get going before it gets too crowded."

Paola took out her phone and they exchanged numbers before Laila left and followed her map across campus and to the Maxcy building. Laila's judgement was flawed, she should've left earlier because there were only a few seats left the lecture hall that held over a hundred people. She almost gave up hope until she saw an empty seat on the third row.

* * *

Theo sat with his buddy Tyler in the ninth row of his crowded business management class while the class was settling in. They'd been friends since they started here three years ago but Tyler never really grew out his party phase.

"Damn some of the girls in this class are so fucking hot," his friend Tyler said. "Wow look at that ebony chick in the third row."

Before Theo could even look, Professor Dillinger started his lecture and everyone grew silent and immediately started copying everything he said. Theo scribbled in his notebook the key points of the lecture, he'd heard that Dillinger was a hard ass and didn't want to take chances.

"Now class," Professor Dillinger said. "Consider low income individuals, how might those people approach starting a business?"

A girl in the third row raised her hand. "Actually, community programs provide resources that help people in lower income communities that are unable to access them. This helps them invest some of their income and not all of it to better business ventures. Also, programs such as SCORE are a major help and it's free to access. Does that answer your question?"

Professor Dillinger was stopped dead in his tracks. "Um, yes, it does. Excellent analysis."

The class made oohs and ahhs at the girl's witty response. That's when Theo looked down and realized it was her, the girl from the bakery. His heart raced with excitement and he knew that he couldn't let her get away this time.

The rest of the class time flew by and Theo tried to rush out away from the crowd but he felt Tyler's arm pull him back.

"Hey man, we should go to Ariana Phillip's house and score some coke." Tyler said.

Theo hated drugs. "Nah man, I'm good. I have to run to my class, I'll talk to you later."

The girl was already down the hallway and she was easy to miss?she was so petite he nearly lost her in the crowd. Right as she was able to exit the building, Theo rushed through the crowded and held the door open for her.

"There you go." Theo said while holding the door.

She nearly jumped with surprised. "Oh, thank you!"

The two walked outside and stopped near the benches. She looked up his tall figure and smiled.

"Don't I know you from the bakery?" she asked.

Theo was unusually nervous. "Yeah, I work there, I'm Theodore, but everyone calls me Theo."

"I'm Laila," she said.

She looked so sexy in that dress, he thought and he couldn't stop staring. Laila had a look her in her eye, it almost seemed like desire.