Chapter 4

He was cute and snuggly and huggable. Reminded me of an Ewok.

I wanted to tell him he was perfect, but what if I made everything worse? Saying ‘you’re not fat, you’re cuddly’ could come across as patronizing even if that wasn’t my intention. I didn’t want to diminish how he felt; I only wanted to let him know not everyone was attracted to gym-toned bodies. So, I didn’t comment on it. This time.

“I really enjoy this,” I said instead. “I don’t go out a lot, so unless you’ve got somewhere to be, I’d like to stay a while longer.” I wanted to get him to relax; he seemed so tense around me in a way he never did when Matt was around.

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I’ll have another cup. Don’t tell her I told you this, but Mom makes awful coffee.”

The right corner of his mouth quirked up in half a smile. “She does?”

“Mhm. Her coffee is weak and pathetic. She believes that if she uses less grounds, the caffeine won’t be as bad.”