Sutton Price
Sutton laughed against the weight of the phone on her right ear. Zion was at his jokes again, distracting her from her morning preparation for work. But she wasn't complaining. His company had started to feel like a constant.
She moved to her closet and contemplated for a few seconds on her choice of dressing for work on a Monday in summer.
"Zion?"
"Hmm?" His voice sounded muffled and full, as though he was on a bite of something.
"Cooperate Monday or Casual Monday?"
"I can't decide, but a slip skirt any day. That always looks fabulous on you. It's a chilly morning too. You can pair it with a half-zip pullover."
Sutton smiled to herself and pushed aside the dress section to reveal another variety of clothes. Her forehead crinkled in a frown as she narrowed her eyes in concentration.
"Boot heel or a thong sandal?"
"You'd definitely make a statement dressed in the former."
Sometimes, she would wonder if he had attended a fashion school in the past. He always knew what to say.
"In a lecture hall? 'That necessary?"
"It compliments the outfit best. Trust me, Sutton."
"Zion, you're the last person I'd trust." She joked and took out the clothes he helped her choose.
She picked up the snake leather ankle boots last.
"I'm serious, babe. You're short. You need the heels." His deep chuckle settled with her.
She imagined his dimpled smile, and it made her smile harder too.
"Haha. You are a darling." Sutton rolled her eyes.
She moved towards her bed as Zion laughed at the sarcasm in her voice.
"Sutton?" He blurted.
"Yeah."
Zion paused before speaking again.
"Why have you been avoiding me?"
When the question came, Sutton closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead. She knew he wouldn't let the issue rest, at least not the Zion she knew.
"I wasn't avoiding you. I was avoiding everyone."
"Why?"
She sat on her bed and played with the hem of her dress. What was she supposed to tell him now? That she was to wed a stranger just to seal a business deal? That she couldn't disagree because she wanted to prove herself to her father as always?
She had walked out on her parents before she could learn more the details about the marriage proposal. Sutton did not know who the family was, but yesterday had changed her life.
Zion didn't deserve to hear any of this. He cared for her deeply, and she knew it; everyone knew it. She didn't want to hurt him.
"Zion, relax. Everything's fine." She lied, combing a hand through her hair.
And before he could respond, she quickly added; "Can I call you back in a sec?"
"Oh..." His voice trailed off. "Sure. Later."
"Later."
Sutton flung the phone on the bed and sighed, biting her bottom lip hard.
Whatever it was she was hiding from Zion Castle, he was definitely going to find out sooner.
In their world, word travelled fast. Everyone knew everyone.
Sutton was ten minutes late for her lecture and she gritted her teeth at the thought, increasing her pace. She hated delaying her class even for a minute, and she didn't also entertain the idea of her students doing the same. But in the end, she was late today and had failed to lead by example.
She walked into the lecture hall, taking long, steady strides. The murmuring of her students died down as soon as she walked in. Everyone took to their seats. Sutton dropped the small lesson files she had with her on the pulpit and moved away from the board. She set up the projector and the day's topic shot up on full display.
Major controversies in economics. That was the title of her course.
She turned to her class with a straight face.
"This is a list of the major unsolved problems, puzzles, or questions in economics. Some of these are theoretical, while some are concerned with the inability of orthodox economic theories to explain an empirical observation. Today, we are going to dive into these controversial topics and try to arrive at our own empirical conclusion."
The class had officially started. At the moment, the troubles of the past few days withered away like dry autumn leaves. This was what she enjoyed doing. Exchanging real-life situations with her students and having smart debates that would lead to deep research and term papers.
She was frowning at something a student had said, but smiled when another one quickly called her attention to a fresh and interesting philosophy.
"Professor Price, you forgot to mention another controversial topic." The voice strengthened from the back rows. "Diving into the Revealed Preference theory, could it truly reveal consumer preference if, for example, the consumer is confronted with three goods, and they can afford to purchase all three (A, B, and C), but they choose to purchase only A, then C, and then B-Can this suggest that the consumers preference for the goods is A> C> B?"
That deep, sultry voice had come from the farthest row. Sutton narrowed her eyes and took a few steps closer to where the male student sat. She fought the urge to lose herself in his oceanic blue eyes, staring at her as she advanced. To say he intimidated her was an understatement; she was flustered to her toes.
He was new. She had never seen this face before in any of her lectures, and the man in question looked nothing like a college student.
"Name please?"
"Jacob."
A raised brow from the rim of her glasses prompted him to speak again. He had smirked, flashing a part of his perfect dentition.
"Jacob Mackay."
It did sound familiar; his name. He could have been a longtime student of hers, and she could have been the one that had forgotten. But then, even though his name was familiar, why couldn't she recognize his face? Why was she instead fighting the warmth that rose to her cheeks just from the way he held her gaze? So intense and unwavering.
"Mr Mackay...that was a good one." She gathered her voice. "The debate on the controversy behind the Revealed Preference theory rests on the fact that since the consumer can afford all three goods and does not make a preferential decision, the order of consumption can reflect any preference."
Murmuring filled the room for a fleeting second. Sutton smiled. It was small, but it had reached her eyes, and she let her gaze linger on him for another minute. He had his lips quirked up in an almost smile, challenging her with his presence.
She felt her face heat as warmth reddened her cheeks. Then she remembered herself and backed him, walking to the front of the hall.
"Let's assign that to a paper work, shall we?"
Sutton faced the board and scribbled the details of the assignment on it before facing them-or rather, before leveling gazes with him again. She adjusted her glasses and looked away when it felt as though his gaze burned right through her, undressing her with its intensity. She almost face-palmed herself for a mental reset.
It wasn't a simple task for a man to make her feel that way. Why she let him make her feel like a high school teenager crushing on the new kid, she couldn't understand it.
"Research extensively and write an essay on the controversies of the Revealed Preference theory, elaborating on your take regarding the concept. Support your claims with adequate empirical data and send in your works next Monday."
She glanced at her wristwatch.
"See you in our next class," Sutton said, watching as her students milled out of the lecture hall in groups.
She craned her neck to find the new guy, getting her hopes high off the roof. Sutton couldn't describe the eagerness she felt to see him one last time. She wondered about what she was going to do when she finally locked eyes with him the third time that morning. She knew it would seem off-putting that she wore her interest to a student on her sleeves.
Sutton dragged her eyes away and focused on packing her stuff.
But she couldn't ignore it. Maybe his hard and steady gaze had left her spellbound. She recalled how his cupid shaped lips would purse as he concentrated, or how the uniqueness of his cologne that smelled like a fine mix of sandalwood and wash soap made her heady when she had stood next to him.
Her face fell as she observed the last student walk out of the hall and he was nowhere to be seen. He had left with the others; she concluded. Sutton bit her bottom lip and adjusted her glasses. Bracing the feeling of disappointment, she sighed before resuming packing her things again.
She could always see him next time in her class, or maybe not.
•••
Sutton stopped at Brinley's workplace after closing from the University. The brunette repaired cars and sold other vehicle parts for a living from a small garage downtown. She watched her best friend slide underneath a pickup truck in dirty overalls, soiled with machine oil and grime.
Sutton wondered how Brin found joy in doing all of this. She had offered her a position at her father's construction company, but her strong headed friend would rather do this her entire life.
Brin had always been a fixer. Her dead father was, too. It was a family thing.
"Did he try to hit on you? You know, make any remarks about your ass?" she had asked from her place underneath the vehicle.
Sutton wanted to yell at her best friend to be careful with the big truck, but this was Brinley, and she trusted her with anything that had to do with machines and heavy tools. It was her forte.
She laughed her comment off, even though her face had flushed pink again, as she tried imagining the entire scenario in her head.
"Oh, come on, Brin. Stop it."
"I'm imagining him tall and sexy like some yummy Greek god." She popped her head from below the car, wriggling her brows knowingly.
When Sutton didn't say a word, Brin's eyes widened.
She gaped. "No shit! He's hotter than Zion?"
Sutton waved her hands as Brinley laughed in amazement. Her friend rolled out from under the vehicle and approached a large tool box the size of a chest.
"Brin, quit putting words in my mouth. You sound crazier than usual. It's scary," Sutton said, passing her a bottle of water.
Brinley took it and sat herself on a long wooden bench. She mouthed a thank-you, pressing the rim to her lips. After gulping down about half of the entire bottle without a break, she wiped a hand across her mouth and looked at her best friend.
Sapphire eyes scanned Sutton's face.
"You haven't seen him yet?"
It was more like a statement than a question, but Sutton still nodded. She hadn't seen Zion in a while because she had been avoiding him.
"When are you seeing him, then?"
Sutton knitted her brows together. She had finally understood that the entire time; they were not on the same page.
"Hold on. Who are we talking about?"
"Him. Duh!" She gulped down the remaining half. "Your fiancé, a.k.a, mystery man."
She mentally rolled her eyes. She forgot she had confided in Brin about her parents wishes.
"You can't be serious now, Brinley." Sutton flipped her the bird as her friend doubled over. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I am craving burgers and fries. Are you in?"
Brin's laugh melted into a frown. "Burgers and fries? Aren't you supposed to be on a diet?"
"I was," she said, fighting the urge to not look guilty. "But I give up now. Turns out, I love my curves."
Sutton turned and walked towards her car, adding an extra sway to her hips.
Brin whistled low from behind. "Yass! Girl, that fat ass can't go anywhere. It just can't."
"Are you coming or not?" Sutton rolled her eyes, turning the car key into the hole.
"Am I crazy? Give me a minute to change into something better. These stink." She sniffed the round neck of her tee and made a weird face.
As Brin walked inside, crossing a service door, Sutton called out. "For the record, you are crazy!"
Before the door closed in, Brin gave her the middle finger and disappeared inside.
The moment she was alone again, a deep frown took over from the splitting smile. She stared off through the windscreen, chewing on her bottom lip, fearful of a lot things.
She had known exactly what Brin had talked about, but she wasn't ready for marriage.
Sutton knew involving herself in a private scandal would destroy her. The thought of being in the spotlight scared her to death. It was a place where her past could easily find her.
A past she had tried so hard to run from...