Page 29 of The Weight Of It All
“Yes, it reminds me that I’m doing something instead of sitting on my fat arse.”
He chuckled. “You never had a fat arse.”
“Well, these jeans beg to differ.” I looked at myself in the mirror from a few different angles. “I haven’t worn them in a while, and last time I did, they were a little snug.”
“Well, you should be proud of yourself. These little milestones aren’t so little, Henry. The last three weeks haven’t been easy, but you’ve persevered and it’s really starting to pay off.”
“It is! Normally I would reward myself with cheesecake or something, but I might go for something different.”
“Such as?”
“New gym clothes.” It was an idea that came from nowhere, but once I’d said it out loud, I was keen to see it through. “The ones I’ve been wearing are the ones I bought years ago. Which you can probably tell.”
“Clothes don’t matter much to me.”
I gasped, feigning shock and horror. “Are you even gay?”
He laughed. “Uh, yes. Very much.”
“I was just kidding. Sort of. Clothes aren’tthemost important thing.”
“Not like shoes.”
“You like shoes?”
“No, I was taking the piss.”
I gasped again. This time I wasn’t faking the shock and horror so much. “I like shoes. Which reminds me, I should buy some new sneakers as well.”
Reed laughed again. “Well, it’s better than cheesecake.”
“Well, we agree on that. Shoesarebetter than cheesecake. Barely.”
“I’ve never had a sweet tooth,” he admitted. “I’m more of a savoury kind of guy.”
“I don’t discriminate. I love all food. Which is probably why I was a hundred and fourteen kilos.”
“Hey, I’m ninety-five kilos. Are you saying that’s a lot?”
“Good Lord, no,” I cried. “You’re like a foot taller than meand have a body of a god. Ninety-five on you is perfect. Ninety-five is a dream for me.”
There was a smile in his voice. “I was just kidding. I’m happy with where I’m at. And it won’t take long for you. You’ll notice clothes getting looser before a change in weight on the scales, so don’t get caught up on numbers. Obsessing over scales isn’t good for you. Feeling better and seeing how you look in the mirror and needing smaller clothes is a healthier gauge.”
“You sound like you know what you’re talking about.”
He was silent a moment. “Yeah. I haven’t always had— What did you call it? The body of a god?”
I laughed. I really did say that, didn’t I? I wasn’t even embarrassed. Much. “Okay, so maybe an Asgardian god, not a Greek god.”
“Ah! Finally a movie reference I understand!” he said excitedly. “Wait. Am I like Thor or Loki?”
“Totally Thor.”
“Oh, I prefer Loki, I think.”
“Really? To be or to date? Because Thor in public and Loki in the bedroom would totally work for me.”
Reed laughed long and loud. “I like the way you think.”
