Page 170 of Curvy Girl Summer

It felt overwhelming.

The song was starting to come to an end, and I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. You were there for me when I didn’t know I needed you. Did you think I wouldn’t be here for you?”

“I appreciate that, but you didn’t have to. I didn’t go to the hospital so you’d owe me. I…”

My tongue felt heavy, and my heart thudded as my sentence trailed off.

“Shout-out to Aaliyah, the birthday girl!” the DJ called out as the song came to an end.

“Can we talk?” Ahmad whispered against my ear.

I swallowed hard. “Not here.”

“And shout-out to the brother in green,” the DJ continued as we left the dance floor. “He was late, but he swooped in with style, didn’t he?”

“Then where?” Ahmad countered.

“Follow me.”

A popular song pulsed through the air while we made our way to the lake house. I had so many thoughts and feelings stirring within me that I didn’t even feel my feet damn near bleeding inside my shoe. But when I got inside, I immediately went to the staircase.

He shut the door, muting the music. The sound of the catering team cleaning made the house sound big and empty.

“You look incredible,” he complimented me again.

I took a breath. “Thank you.”

Holding on to the railing, I slipped out of my heels and into my flats.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I felt him close to me.

He cleared his throat, and I knew he had moved closer. “How has—”

“Why did you come?” I asked, keeping my back to him.

Wrapping his hand around my wrist, he turned me around. “Why did you leave?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it, unable to answer the question.

“I didn’t like the way things ended with us last night.” His thumb ran over my skin. “Talk to me.”

I didn’t want to have the conversation with him right then. We clearly weren’t on the same page, and I wasn’t trying to get into a big emotional argument on my big night. I’d just had my hair and makeup done for this occasion.

“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered. “It’s my birthday, and I’m not trying to get into a whole thing with you, Ahmad.”

“Just answer one question for me…” He searched my eyes and his fingers flexed against my wrist. “Was Asia right? Asia said you had feelings for me.”

“Of course she did,” I scoffed.

“And she said the reason I wasn’t feeling your date was because I had feelings for you.”

I swallowed hard. “O-okay.”

“So my—”

“Birthday girl!” my nosy cousin Mecca called out as she entered the lake house. Her smile grew as she eyeballed my arm still in Ahmad’s grasp. “You two looked good on the dance floor.” She turned her sights on Ahmad. “How long have you been with my cousin?”

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