Page 100 of Curvy Girl Summer

I walked right past the kitchen and straight to the bathroom. I wasn’t even hungry anymore. I needed to clear my mind and slow everything down. Stepping into the hot shower, I lathered my body in a daze. It wasn’t until I rinsed off that I allowed the tears to fall freely. I didn’t cry because I was sad. I cried because I was in shock.

I really thought I knew him.

Wrapped in a towel, I called up Nina. She didn’t answer, so I called Jazz. When she didn’t answer, I went to my music app and started to play music. Unfortunately, it was set to start from the last playlist, and the last playlist was Ahmad’s. I tried to keep my composure, but I was sick.

I’m not talking to him about it, I decided as I pulled on my pajamas.I might not talk to his ass ever again. Wait, didn’t I already tell Lennox to meet me at Onyx next weekend? Shit… well, it’s still early. I can switch locations. It’s probably for the best anyway—

“Nina!” I answered the phone on the first ring.

“Hey, how was your date?” she responded in a singsong tone.

“Oh, he was problematic. But, girl, that’s not even the most shocking thing that happened. I have something to tell you. I haven’t even fully processed it yet, and honestly, I don’t know how to process it. I feel—”

“You are killing me! What’s going on?”

The worry in her voice rushed me to my point.

“Ahmad isn’t married,” I told her.

“He left his wife because he’s in love with you,” she gasped. “I knew it!”

“No.” I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “He was never married.”

“Wait, what?”

“Exactly!” I yelled into the phone. “His sister, Asia, works at Onyx, too, and she thought I knew. She said something about our chemistry, and I was telling her that I would never because he was married. She looked baffled, okay? Baffled! She looked confused as to why I would even think he was married.”

“He wears a wedding ring!”

“Exactly!”

“Men who aren’t married don’t wear wedding rings. Hell, men who are married be slipping theirs off from time to time. So, what is going on?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know, and I’m sick about it.”

I could hear Nina starting to move around as if she were pacing.

“Now wait a damn minute!” she exclaimed. “I’m confused.”

“Same, sis! And not to mention that I’ve just spent the last five weeks getting to know this man only to find out I don’t know him at all. He lied to me.”

“Not to sound like Jazz, but there has to be a reasonable explanation. It doesn’t make any sense. What did he say when you asked him?”

“I just found out like an hour ago. I haven’t talked to him. But the more I think about it, the more I don’t think Iwantto talk to him.”

Nina was silent for a few seconds. “Now I’m really confused. What do you mean you’re not going to talk to him about this?”

“He clearly wanted me to think he was married. He isn’t interested in being honest with me. He isn’t interested in me knowing. He isn’t interested in…”

Me.

I let my sentence trail off and continued it in my head. The pang in my chest punctuated the sentence.

He isn’t interested in me.

“No,” Nina uttered firmly. “The dots aren’t connecting. I watched you and him together. There’s no way he’s not interested. And from everything you’ve ever said about him, there has to be more to it than what it looks like. Because this really doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I reasoned.

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