Page 53 of Curvy Girl Summer

“You weren’t right about the size of that shirt,” Asia joked.

I snickered. “Ahmadstaywearing OshKosh B’Gosh.”

“Gymboree!” Asia laughed loudly before heading to the other end of the bar.

“Baby Gap!”

Ahmad looked like he was trying his hardest not to laugh, which made me laugh harder.

“Both of y’all can kiss my ass,” he grumbled with a huge smile on his face.

I ate my food and spent the next couple of hours exchanging jokes and laughing with Ahmad. I had such a good time that when I got home that night, I found myself feeling light and happy. Even after a few bad dates, it didn’t feel as disastrous because of Ahmad.

I didn’t even bother to open the dating app on Saturday morning. I saw the numerous notifications and I sucked my teeth. Even though I felt like I thoroughly vetted the men I met up with, I still was choosing the wrong ones. Between a man who lied about his kids and a man who lied about his wife, I was just done with the app.

Maybe Idoneed help.

Just the thought forced Ahmad into my mind.

He didn’t take a break to spend time with me at the bar, but every chance he got, he checked on me, he talked to me, he made me laugh. His personality was so different from what I thought when I first met him. His conversation was engaging and intelligent, hispersonality was honest and funny. And I hated to admit it, but I liked him.

Not like that,I assured myself.

It was just that Ahmad had the type of reassuring presence that filled me with a sense of calm. He was obviously attractive, so my body reacted to the sight of him from time to time. And he was honest, so his frankness cut a little deep sometimes. But underneath that was a comforting calmness that made me feel safe with him.

It was rare.

I liked it.

I liked him.

He made a big impression on me last night. So much so that I spent the majority of the day laughing at things we’d said and jokes we’d made as I cleaned my apartment.

My phone had dinged and beeped and vibrated all day, but it rang for the first time around four o’clock in the afternoon.

“Hello?” I answered as soon as I saw who it was.

“So, you’re going, right?” Nina questioned immediately.

Even though she was out of town, I’d texted her about Ahmad’s offer when I’d gotten home. I assumed she was asleep or busy since it was almost one o’clock in the morning and a man had taken her on a weekend getaway. Because of that, I figured she was going to send me a text in response. But it was just like Nina to jump right into it.

“No hello or nothing, huh?” I replied with a laugh.

“Nope. I only have a few minutes before he comes back to the room. And since there’s not much time, I’m going to give you some real talk. You need to go to Lava, and if I was home, I would be right there with you. You know who’s going to be there tonight?”

“No, who?”

“Terra-Cotta.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

Richland’s very own Terra-Cotta was an R&B group that had been gaining national attention over the last few months. They were on the rise to superstardom, and they still did pop-up shows locally.

Iwasreally looking forward to seeing them again live.

“You need to be there,” Nina reiterated. “You need to get out more, and this is the perfect opportunity.”

“I don’t know…” I kind of groaned as I pulled my legs onto the couch with me. “Ahmad is—”

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