Page 85 of Curvy Girl Summer

“You’re really my neighbor?”

“If you really live there, then yes, I’m your neighbor.” He searched my face. “Why does that surprise you?”

“You live in my building. You work in IT. You like the same music as I do.” I lifted my shoulders and twisted my lips. “I’m starting to think you’re just copying me at this point.”

“You wish.”

“Youwish.”

As we grinned at each other across the table, there was a level of comfort that almost made me giddy.

“We didn’t really get a chance to talk much after you came out with us. The fellas think you’re cool.”

I smiled. “Well, I am.”

He chuckled to himself. “You’re so humble.”

“I really am.”

“They liked you, though. A lot.”

“Good,” I replied. “Nina liked you, too. She said you were funny. So that’s one person.”

“You can deny you think I’m funny all you want, but I know the truth.”

“Nina had a few drinks when she made that assessment, so take that with a grain of salt.”

“Leon and Darius also had drinks in their system, now that we’re talking about it.”

We were both laughing and when it trailed off, he held my gaze. His face became serious, but his eyes remained soft. “How are you? Everything okay?”

“I’m fine. Everything is fine,” I said slowly. “How are you?”

“I’m cool. It’s Monday, so you know how that goes.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I hear that.”

He paused for only a second before he blurted out, “Okay, so what happened on Friday?”

Caught off guard, I didn’t immediately answer. “Uh… nothing. What do you mean?”

“You didn’t seem like yourself when you left. That giraffe dude said something that got to you?”

“Giraffe?”

“That long-neck dude you met up with on Friday.”

A loud cackle rang out of me. “You are so dumb!”

When our amusement died out, he looked at me expectantly.

“Nah, but seriously. What happened?” he wondered.

“It just didn’t work out. He said some bullshit I didn’t like, and I ended the date. So, he got mad that I ended it and said what they all say when a fat woman has the audacity to reject them.” I shrugged. “It really wasn’t that serious.”

“So, why did you leave?”

“Because I was over it. Between him and that woman, I was just ready to go.”

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