Page 65 of Curvy Girl Summer

“Oh really?! So, you let Ahmad set you up with one of his friends?”

“Not exactly. He essentially said he just wants me to be around men who know how to act so that I can avoid the types of men I was attracting.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a setup. Were the friends cute?”

“The friends were fine as fuck. All three of them looked good. But it was a friend linkup. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I laughed. “I’m serious. It wasn’t exactly like that, but it was a good time.”

“You were out with three fine-ass men and you didn’t flirt with any of them? You didn’t get anyone’s number? You didn’t shoot your shot?”

I told her about the night, Ahmad outside of the bar, Ahmad’s friends, and the fun we all had. But I held back on all the details because anything I felt was alcohol-induced and didn’t mean anything.

“So, does that mean Ahmad’s friend is going to be the next lucky bachelor in your summer of love?” she asked. “You’re going to take him to Onyx next?”

“No! It was just harmless flirting. Leon was not actually trying to take me out.”

“What if he was?”

I shook my head.

Something about going on a date with Ahmad’s friend with Ahmad right there watching us didn’t sit right with me. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it was uncomfortable to even think about.

“No, it wasn’t like that. I assure you. But I’m going to have to figure something else out. Nina said I should get back on TenderFish.”

“Like I said before, I want you to do what you think is best for you. And you’re not going to meet anyone sitting at home. If I were in your shoes and I had your goal in mind, I probably wouldn’t get on an app. But I would jump on being set up by friends.”

“You and Nina haven’t set me up with anyone since college.”

“I was actually thinking about Ahmad. That’s your friend, right?”

“Right, right,” I said quickly.

“You said he invited you out, and even though he said it wasn’t a setup, it clearly was. He’s gotten to know you, and he’s known his boys for however long he’s known them. There was a reason he wanted you to come out with them. And it sounds like it was to hook you up.”

I thought about what she said and how the night unfolded.

It made sense, but at the same time, it didn’t.

Logically, the stage was set for a setup on Saturday night.

But that dance.

Swallowing hard, I shook off the thought and made my way into the parking garage of my building.

“I hear you. But I think I’ll pass on Ahmad’s friends,” I told her.

“So, that means you’re going to go out more or you’re going to get back on the app?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m going to have to do both.”

We talked for about fifteen more minutes before we said our goodbyes. I spent the next hour thinking about our conversation. I’d talked to Nina over my lunch break, and she’d said something similar—more vulgar, but similar.

With the encouragement of my best friends, I sat on my couch after dinner and finally opened the app. I read through all the messages, deleting and ignoring most of them. But a few stood out.

“Mike,” I whispered to myself as I eyed his profile.

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